Fundraising Hosts

Whilst the two roles can certainly overlap, the function of a fundraising host is typically far more focussed than that of an MC. As the name suggests, a fundraising host’s job is to ensure the event’s fundraising activities are a success, and that targets are met, if not exceeded!

A fundraising host should outline to the audience what the charity’s fundraising objectives are and highlight the different ways in which they can get involved. They’ll also provide fundraising updates and deliver reminders during the event, as well as key fundraising moments such as live auctions and pledge drives. A good fundraising host will also consult with the client in the lead-up to the event, leveraging their experience to help them devise a clear and statistically-driven fundraising strategy.

An MC, on the other hand, is generally responsible for linking your various sections together and keeping the event moving along. Whether or not they focus on fundraising (which is crucial!), really will depend on the MC in question.

A pledge drive (or appeal moment as they are often called in the US) is a moment during a live event where you can inspire the room, challenge your audience and focus on collecting as many donations as possible.

You can use these 10-15 minutes to focus your audience to hit a collective common goal, often using a nice interactive totaliser on the display screens to show progress of funds raised. A professional fundraising host will work down different donation levels that guests can commit to, looking to increase participation of donations in the room and giving everyone a chance to get involved and give back.

Gone are the days of long live auctions with 10 to 15 items and an auctioneer working through each one. History and experience shows that for the majority of events, a long live auction can kill an event and the momentum of what was a fun and enjoyable evening.

Standard practice is to now keep live auctions to five or six (max) quality items, that ideally have an element of exclusivity and can’t be bought or searched for online.

The reality is that live auctions are normally aimed at 5-10% of the ‘big spenders’ in the room, but you have to be aware of the other 90% of guests. A fun and engaging 20-minute live auction absolutely adds to the event, but longer than this and things can begin to drag on and impact other fundraising opportunities from the remainder of the room.

Bringing a fundraising host onboard to events is a brilliant way of enhancing donation potential. With their focus being pinned on guest engagement and aligning with the overarching fundraising objectives, it can be tricky for them to also take on the role of MC. We recommend having someone else fill that role as it means the fundraising host can spend their time raising money, spreading the message about the cause, and ensuring each guest in the room is taking part in one way or another.

Yes! Our fundraising hosts are experts in hosting virtual events, as well as live events. By using a Givergy host for your virtual event, the pressure of having to train your host in virtual fundraising technology disappears! Speak to our team to see how they can help you raise more.