With commitments of school, internships, friends and family, I ask myself a question that many of my generation ask themselves when presented with the opportunity: Why would I go to a fundraising event? Why would I, instead of doing any of a number of other things that I care about and enjoy, spend my evening, or afternoon, or lunch, at a fundraiser?

Here are a few questions I ask myself when deciding whether or not to attend:

• Are there going to be other young people there?
  When I hear the words “fundraising event” I immediately picture a large hotel conference room with circular tables covered by white tablecloths. Maybe there is a screen somewhere next to a podium and a microphone where people will at some point be presenting something or giving a speech. Most importantly about this picture I imagine, however, is that nobody in the room is anywhere near my age. If I am going to even consider going to a fundraiser, there have to be other people of my generation there. 
• Are my friends going to be there?
  Feeding off of the previous point, I will be much more likely to go to a fundraiser if I know I have some friends going. Knowing a group of people makes any event much easier to be at, as instead of having to go through the tiring process of meeting new people by myself, I would have some companionship to help break the ice and to help fill the gaps in time. Also, it is much easier for me to walk in somewhere with a group of people than alone.
• Is there a big draw at the event?
  Although it is possible that I care enough about your cause for me to want to go to your event simply out of philanthropic zealotry, it will be much easier for me to convince my friends (and myself) to go to a fundraiser if there is a big draw, something "extra" that I am interested in. Maybe that draw is a guest speaker that I would like to hear, maybe it is something as simple as free food. Either way, that extra push will make it much more likely for me to want to go to your event, opening me up to your pitch.
• Do I know it’s going on?
  Today it is simultaneously the easiest and the hardest it has ever been to reach out to people. Tools such as email, smartphones, and social media mean that we are all constantly connected to each other, simplifying the process of contacting possible attendees significantly. At the same time, however, many of us miss some emails, Facebook notifications, and blog posts in the deluge of information we are constantly saturated with. As a result, it is important to make sure that possible event attendees are aware that the event is happening - particularly via social media. Whether it is through multiple Instagram posts, a direct Facebook invite, or a follow up email to anyone who didn’t respond to the first invitation, multiple attempts at contact must be made, or your event may just slip through the cracks of my busy schedule. After all, if I don’t know the event is going on, I can’t go.

Keep these four simple tips in mind as you try to include more young people in your events, and I'm confident that you will have more success.