The Event Is Over - What Happens Next?

The fundraising CRM platform Bloomerang recently published a white paper on special events (Engagement Amplified: A Modern Guide to Fundraising Events, 2025) and in addition to some clarifying and point-proving statistics, there are two lines that really stood out early in the report:

The real question isn’t how many people show up. It’s what happens next. 

Michael and I have been saying this to our clients and to the organizations where we’ve worked for years. Getting people to show up to the event is only the first step. The real work begins when the band stops playing, the silent auction items have been distributed, and the staff can leverage the special event attendees for growth.

One of the first things that we encourage organizations to do is to capture an interesting photo from the night and use it as an immediate “thank you” email the very next day. Have the email designed, loaded, and ready to go so that all you have to do is drop in the photo and hit send. That’s an easy first touchpoint immediately following the event.

Consider creating a follow up timeline before the event even happens.

But let’s take a step back. Consider creating a follow up timeline BEFORE the event even happens. While you are at it, write the copy for most of the touchpoints in your plan. We find that having a plan already in place and having most of the work finished helps ensure the follow up actually happens. 

Bloomerang’s report offers some terrific insight into what donors want and expect after the event:

• 66% want to know how much was raised

• 56% want to see photos

• 52% want impact stories

• 51% want to know how the funds are being used.

Consider the thank you email with the cool photo as the launching point. In 1-2 weeks, could you send a link to your website with photos from the event? And then in 30 days how about an email from a board member (already loaded into your email software) with another thank you and 3 bullet points on how their gift is being spent? Maybe in 60 days a staff or board member calls and leaves a message to say thanks? By the time 90-120 days rolls around, could you consider inviting people to attend a small site tour to see their dollars in action?

Take this framework and make it your own. It doesn’t have to be complicated, but Bloomerang’s research reinforces something that we have known for a long time: following up after the event is critical to donor retention and engagement.

A few years ago, I was bidding on a year’s supply of baked goods during a silent auction for an organization we support. Sadly I lost in the bidding frenzy, with the winning bid going for twice as much as I budgeted my max bid. I know you are thinking this seems ridiculous, but not only is the woman who makes them a phenomenal baker, she is an even more powerful educator with many years of transforming young lives. 

When I was ultimately outbid, I received the standard “you’ve been outbid” text. My dreams of monthly baked goods and that auction faded. The event came and went and life moved on. 

I forgot about it until I read Bloomerang’s metric that says nearly two-thirds of the donors surveyed said they’d still consider giving - “if they understood how their gift would make an impact.”

Would I have considered a gift if I received a follow up text when the auction ended that said something like “We know you didn’t win that special item, but would you consider donating the $750 you were bidding to help make a difference in a child’s education?”

I probably would have. I was feeling generous at the time and probably was caught-up in the excitement and electricity of the moment. And I think that nudge would have worked. 

Thanks to Bloomerang for surfacing this idea that we should be treating auction non-winners as “warm leads.” This is another terrific tool that we fundraisers should keep in mind when we are planning events with auctions. Once again, it is about the follow up!

Special events are fun and can be exciting ways to engage our most loyal donors and bring new friends into the organization. But let’s stop simply focusing on how many people we get to the dinner and how much money we raise the day of the event. It is what

happens after that will have a true and profound impact on the organization.

John Mainella

Cape Fletcher Associates

www.CapeFletcher.com