Dos and Don’ts for Utilizing Local Celebrities at Your Fundraising Event

Many of the nonprofits I work with feel a local celebrity is an asset when conducting their fundraising event.  While celebrities can help garner attendance by curious attendees, these celebrities need to be utilized in the best way possible to maximize fundraising for the nonprofit.  Let’s explore a few of the ways they can help:

• Do use their notoriety to help fill the seats at your event, or as a way to encourage new guests to engage with your event and organization!

• Do use a local celebrity as a great emcee!

• Do have them welcome guests, introduce various people to the stage and even describe the live auction items for your professional fundraising auctioneer. 

• Do use their celebrity to bring a level of professionalism to a fundraising event that elevates the evening. We love working with partners who want to help further your cause!

• Don’t delegate auctioneering to your celebrity emcee. Celebrities are not professional fundraising auctioneers.  You would never hire a tree surgeon to do open heart surgery, so why would you bring someone on board to do your auction just because they are free or because they have celebrity status?  Professional benefit auctioneers are trained to help you raise maximum revenue at your event. Leave the auctioneering to these professionals and you’ll raise more funds for your nonprofit.  

• Don’t allow your celebrity emcee to close your silent auction. Allow your professional auctioneer to do that!

Don’t forget to have a strategic plan in place to invite return supporters of your organization to your fundraising event, specifically your top spenders! 

Make every minute a revenue-generating minute!