You’ve been planning your annual event fundraiser for months. Now it’s here and you are about to head to the venue. Then, you think “What do I need to take with me?” Unfortunately, it’s often through experience that you learn (when it’s too late) that you need a pair of scissors or an extension cord. With many events under our belts and from watching nonprofit clients over the years, we have developed an Event Toolkit Checklist to help you think of the little things!  

• USB drive with your presentation slides or video for the event
• Consider uploading your powerpoint or video to a cloud server pre-event
• Signage and Programs for event
• Board / Committee / Staff name tags
• Pledge cards or credit card readers + mobile devices for onsite donations
• Flashlight (event venues can be dark especially if you are behind-the-scenes)
• Tape (Duct, Masking and Clear)
• Pens/Pencil/Highlighter
• Clipboard (this is for your run of show and schedule, items handed to you during event)
• Post-It Notes
• Scissors
• Band Aids
• Kleenex
• Advil
• Water Bottle
• Tide to Go Pen
• HDMI Cable
• Adaptors for Laptop (Mac or PC) if used for big screen
• Charger for Laptop
• Phone Charger
• USB Flash drive
• Internet Hotspot (if you’re really good)
• AC Strip
• Vendor Phone Numbers
• Your Business Cards
• Envelopes (variety of sizes) for accepting donations
• Designated place for your KEYS (trust me, at the end of a long night and lots of movement - finding your keys is no joke!)
• Personal items for yourself - toothbrush, makeup, etc (if you cannot return home to freshen up before the event)

One final recommendation: If you are the primary point of contact for last minute ticket changes or event questions, create an out-of-office email auto reply that provides instructions about who they can reach while you are on-site or letting the guest know that you may not receive the information in a timely manner. At many events, we see a guest walk in expecting that information is up-to-date because of an email they sent to you late in the day.   

Events and your stress level are directly tied to your planning and organization, so be prepared!

For more tips on How to Plan More Effective Fundraising Events - sign up for our Event e-series!