Make Your Event Sparkle – It’s All In The (Data) Details!

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Every time I attend an event, the event planner in me wants to observe all of the details that went into making that event sparkle. At times I have thought, “How clever, I love these personalized place cards, I am definitely taking this home.” Other times I think, “I am kind of confused, where am I going, this could be a little more organized.” Except, I was never an event planner. In fact, I didn’t even really plan my own wedding, I opted for a destination instead! But, naturally, as humans we (even us everyday event attendees) observe our surroundings and notice what we choose to notice. Organizing a successful event is all in the details! And that is where, when organizing events, your expertise comes in to play—using your data to create your details.

Start with your invitee list. Use details in Raiser’s Edge to create your perfect list. First, plan to record as much information about your event and each potential invitee as you can gather. This phase begins at the time you meet a new constituent, and continues all the way through that constituent’s lifecycle with your organization. The more data you have to work with, the more your details can shine.

The details you’ve recorded about your constituents will help you create your invitation list directly from Raiser’s Edge. Use standard queries to create a draft list of potential invitees; then use query lists to fine-tune your final invitation list. Check out the examples below to get you started creating your lists:

1. Potential top donors: Use Query to group constituent records that have donated a certain amount over a specific number of years. Sometimes, you may need to add constituents who haven’t donated in the past, but, for other reasons, you know each is a potential top donor. Convert your query into a query list, and add and remove constituents as you wish!
2. Donors with a particular interest: Use Query to group donors who have attended the same event in multiple years past. Use a query list to add and remove specific constituents based on your personal knowledge of donor likes and dislikes.
3. Donors who haven’t given in a while: Use Query to group donors who may not have attended an event this year, or who haven’t given this year. Use a query list to add constituents who may have given in the beginning of the year, but whom you’d still consider in this targeted audience.

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Customize your “invites” to target your communications to each audience. Keep in mind that finalizing event details to execute a dazzling event requires very strategic planning. Don’t let your details bog you down—RE: Event data can help your details sparkle!

New to Event and Participant records in Raiser’s Edge? Check out our new Raiser’s Edge: Managing Events instructor-led course to learn about your event data entry. Once familiar with Event and Participant records, sign up for the Raiser’s Edge: Organizing a Successful Event instructor-led course. Maximize the use of your Raiser’s Edge database to organize your most successful event yet!

Good news for Blackbaud Learn® subscribers! If you have a Learn More or Learn Everything training subscription, this class is included. Not a subscriber? Find out how a Learn subscription can help develop your efficiency and ongoing skills.

News Raiser's Edge® Blog 12/29/2016 11:42am EST

Added by Jennifer Tubman

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