1. Social Media for Your Next
Fundraising Event
Ritu Sharma
Co-Founder & Executive Director
ritu@sm4np.org
@ritusharma1
www.sm4np.org

2. The Agenda
Understanding the event ticketing lifecycle
Social media tips, tricks and time savers to maximize
engagement
Leveraging social media before, during and after
your event
Tying it all together with data
2

3. Defining Event & Social Media ROI
ROI = Increasing donations + Raising
awareness + Maximizing ticket sales
3

4. Average Ticketing Lifecycle
4
On average, fundraiser
tickets go on sale 4-6 weeks
before the event.
(Hint: People procrastinate. Don’t let them.)

5. Ticketing Lifecycle
You can influence
the ticketing
lifecycle!
5

6. Communication & Content
Calendar
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Create a communication plan
• Work backwards from the date of the event until the first invite goes
out
What are the strategic times to email people?
• 9-11am, Tuesday-Thursday
Where to post information?
• Your website, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, local community
calendars

7. Sample Content Calendar
Event Date: June 25th, Calendar Highlights Content Plan Leading up to the Event.

8. Sample Content Calendar

9. Create your Registration Page
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10. Create a Facebook Event
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11. Further your Facebook Presence
Pro Tip: Integrate ticket purchases in Facebook via apps.
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12. The Agenda
Understanding the event ticketing lifecycle
Social media tips, tricks and time savers to maximize
engagement
Leveraging social media before, during and after your event
Tying it all together with data
12

13. Promote
1. Post regular updates:
Pictures, performers, VIPs, auction items, partners and
even attendee stories
2. Post more pictures & videos (cute stuff helps!)
3. Invite attendees to RSVP as they register
4. Be sure to tag attendees, VIPs, partners, and others
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14. pre-purchase
40%
post-purchase
60%
The motivation to share is higher once
the purchase has been made.
Facebook Shares
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15. • Post 6-7 times a day
• Reach out to influencers
• Retweet & thank!
• Use a Hashtag- a word preceded
by # sign – keep it short! (6 – 8 characters)
15
#sm4np

16. Twitter Direct Message Campaign
Step 1: Create Twitter List
Hootsuite Publisher Window
Download all your twitter followers in an excel sheet & segment
by location.

17. Step 2: Draft Direct
Message
Twitter Direct Message Campaign
d @Twitteruser Join us in Chicago for our 2nd Social Media Marketing Conf
9/19, save $20 w/code SM4NP http://bit.ly/sfshoih33

18. Step 3: Upload to
Hootsuite
Twitter Direct Message Campaign

19. • Create Groups & Cultivate Community for
your Members
• Pre-approve/Invite all Attendees to LI
• Share Exclusive Content on LI
• Host Post Event Chats/Discussions
• Participate in Industry Groups

20. The Agenda
Understanding the event ticketing lifecycle
Social media tips, tricks and time savers to maximize
engagement
Leveraging social media before, during and after your
event
Tying it all together with data
20

21. Keep the Conversation Going
During the event:
• Provide a twitter wall
• Prominently display the #hashtag
• Display the conversation
• Use free services like
tweetchat.com or
twitterfall.com to display tweets
about the event
21

22. The Conversation Lives On
After the event:
• Ask for feedback, share a
survey
• Create and share recaps
• Post event pictures
• Use platforms like Storify to
summarize event experience
• Review your tracking and
analytics to know which social
channels were most effective
22

23. The Agenda
Understanding the event ticketing lifecycle
Social media tips, tricks and time savers to maximize engagement
Leveraging social media before, during and after your event
Tying it all together with data
23

24. Track your Sales Sources1
• Create unique links for each of
your sales sources
• Monitor throughout the
promotion process
• Reviewwhich sources not only
brought in traffic, but ultimately
sales and donations
24

25. Productivity Tools
Hootsuite
Automatic scheduling
Mass tweeting (Only when appropriate)
Mass direct messaging (Be very selective)
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26. Productivity Tools
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www.simplymeasured.com

27. Wrap Up
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• Decide which channels are right for you and your organization
• Encourage early ticket purchasing to get the wheel in motion
• Collect donations from those who can’t attend
• Encourage post-purchase sharing
• Give attendees reason to engage before, during and after your
event
• Analyze which social media efforts are most effective

28. 28
Questions?
Ritu Sharma
Co-Founder and Executive Director
ritu@sm4np.org
Social Media for Nonprofits