Post-event communication planning is critical to the long-term success of an event. Whether you’re implementing a fundraiser, conference, symposium, or advocacy-related action, building on the momentum of your activity will help sustain volunteer or donor engagement.
Sustaining post-event communication can often be unintentionally neglected by event staff. Any reader that has planned a major event knows that post-event exhaustion will be detrimental to maintaining contact. You’re drained, have to unload boxes, process registration forms, and battle a post-event cold. Soon you realize it has been two weeks and you haven’t thanked your key volunteers or sent a post-event survey. These tips will help you plan before the event starts.
Create a calendar
Calendars spur action. They help you think about the specific dates that you want to send communication. How long after the event do you want to get a note to participants? When do you want to follow-up after that? When do you need specific thank you calls or notes mailed? Creating a calendar helps to ensure that you’re on track and helps to prevent lapses in communication that result from event exhaustion. Your calendar makes it easier to schedule communication to go out on certain dates after your event so you don’t have to worry or remember to do this.
Start early
If possible, start your post-event planning 60-90 days before your event. Often you won’t have the time to spare in the weeks leading to the activity. Carve out time in advance of your event to write thank you emails and draft your post-event survey. These can be edited with specific content as you get closer to the event.
Vary your social media
There is a tendency after a significant event to provide social media updates that only relate to the recent activity. Be sure to mix in content that will appeal to attendees and those followers that were unable to make it. Ensuring that some messages speak to larger organization messaging will ensure that you don’t alienate your audience with just event photos.
Thanking sponsors
When do you need to acknowledge your sponsors? What is included in their sponsorship package? Mapping out the best way to highlight and thank your sponsors is vital to sustaining their sizable contribution. If you haven’t recently read your sponsorship package, revisit it. Ensure you’ve met your agreed-upon needs and if possible exceed them.
Thanking volunteers
Most small and mid-sized nonprofits rely on volunteer support to help implement their events. Don’t forget to thank them with a segmented message. It’s easy to lump their email addresses into the general thank you message, but volunteers have a unique investment in the success of the event. Structuring a message with the intended audience of just day-of volunteers is important to their long-term engagement. Building a specific post-event survey to assess their experience is also helpful to ensure you’re getting the best information from your event.
Hand-written notes and calls
These make a huge difference for all event supporters. Before the event make a list of the people you anticipate will need special recognition and start writing notes or making calls as soon as you can. One colleague we worked with left voicemails for colleagues who volunteered while she drove home from her fundraising event. While these calls were often loopy due to her fatigue, knowing that their support meant so much to her kept them coming back in future years.
Photo Credit: Massimo Sartirana on Unsplash
Justin (he, him) is a Principal and Co-Founder of Social Change Consulting. He has over fifteen years of nonprofit experience, with expertise in online fundraising, digital communications, and data management. Justin helps organizations connect their communication strategy to their income development needs. When he’s not on the clock, Justin is exploring Berlin, running, listening to too many podcasts, and drinking too much coffee.