5 Tips on Maximizing Your Event Committee
We often hear that working with event committees is too much work and they don’t really do much to support the event anyway. This frustration, while common, is usually a result of not knowing how to fully maximize the potential of a volunteer committee. Here are some tips that will help you be more successful in working with committees.
1. Accept that YOU Deserve the Best Volunteers
There is an incessant hesitation in the nonprofit world to ask for high levels of commitment from volunteers. It comes from this nagging idea that you are burdening someone with your needs – and it’s just too much to ask. If there is one takeaway from these tips, please make it this: YOUR mission deserves the best volunteers out there! And, trust us, there are volunteers willing to heavily invest both their time and talents toward your goal. You see them work on other nonprofit events. You know they are out there. Is there some reason why you feel that your mission doesn’t deserve that same level of dedication? If the answer is no, then get serious about expecting and recruiting the best, most committed volunteers.
2. Have Job Descriptions
This is critical. Before you begin recruiting committee volunteers, have written job descriptions. Why is this important? As a volunteer, have you ever had an experience during which you were confused about what you were supposed to be doing or accomplishing? People want to be part of a winning team. It’s hard to know what success looks like unless you tell them. Setting clear expectations will make them more likely to follow through and will ensure that everyone is on the same page about how success is measured for their role and the overall event. Job descriptions should include: volunteer title, success measures (their individualized goals and event goals), their purpose, suggested activities, key deadlines, their responsibilities, who they report to and responsibilities of nonprofit staff, their obligations, timeline and benefits to volunteering.
3. Recruit Strategically
Recruit your Committee Chair first. Ideally, recruit your next chair through existing committee volunteers and have a succession plan so that you can announce the event chair for both your next event and this year’s event. If you can’t recruit from your current committee, consider asking previous event chairs or your board members to help you recruit someone. Once you have this person in place, allow him or her to help you recruit the other key committee roles: Sponsorship Chair, Auction Chair, Volunteer Manager and Logistics Chair. This is like a pyramid structure of recruitment. The positions report to the Committee Chair, so it is ideal if they recruit someone that they know will follow through and be successful. Volunteers are more likely to follow through on their commitments if they feel like they are part of a team that works well together.
4. Everyone on the Committee is Committed to the Goal
All committee members need to be dedicated to the fundraising goals associated with the event. They should all be expected to make a financial commitment to the event through sponsorship or another kind of donation. All members should be required to sell raffle tickets and sponsorships or solicit auction items as appropriate. Committee success = event success.
5. Meet in Person
As mentioned earlier, people like to be part of a winning team with a common goal. Meeting regularly in person accomplishes two things: It keeps the momentum going for the event as people are most likely to accomplish their tasks right before they have to report out on them, and it creates a greater sense of teamwork and rapport among the committee members. Consider making the meetings fun and incorporate a mission moment, so that members are excited to attend.
Wise Resource Development offers event services, which include full outsourcing of committee management, revenue-generation strategy, event planning and logistics, and sponsor activation. With over 30 years of combined special-event fundraising experience, Wise Resource Development can help you maximize your event for its greatest fundraising potential. Contact us for a consultation today.