Chris McAuley’s Post

Event planning is in my blood... I've planned everything 21 city tours to one night events - and pretty much everything in between. I love bringing together stories, entertainment and a powerful mission for a night that moves people to GIVE and GIVE BIG. A few years ago, I was working with a nonprofit on the annual event. Picture this: We've been burning the midnight oil, crafting compelling stories, fine-tuning the schedule, and micromanaging every detail from the moment guests arrive to their final farewell. We're in the final stretch, running the pre-event meeting when...wham! The curveball hits. "The emcee we wanted can't make it. But don't worry, I've asked my cousin to step in. He's a hoot!" My heart did a freefall, but I clung to hope. "Does he have any experience as an emcee?" I asked. "Nope, but he's hilarious. Always the life of our family parties." I pressed on, "Is he a speaker at least?" Again, the answer was no, but with the same confidence, "he's funny!" And so, a meticulously planned event went off the rails. Your emcee isn't just a warm body holding a mic. They're the maestro of your evening, setting the tone, connecting with the audience, and making them feel seen and valued. This is how you want your audience to feel. The emcee paves the way for a powerful appeal. So, what became of our event? Well, we stumbled through. Despite the chaos, the donations were higher than expected, thanks to a heartwarming and impactful presentation by our founder. Could it have been better? Absolutely. What about you? Who emcees your event? Where do you find him or her? What difference do they make for you? #NonprofitEvent #EmceeMatters #EventPlanningTips

Summer's here, and it’s time to turn up the heat on your brand awareness! ☀️🔥 Why not host a community event? It’s like throwing a party, but with fewer awkward dance moves and more leads! 🎉 Here’s why you should dive in: - **Meet potential clients** face-to-face. - **Showcase your expertise** without the sales pitch. - **Build trust** – people buy from those they know! Think BBQs, charity runs, or even a coffee morning. Get creative! ☕💪 Got ideas? Drop them in the comments! Let’s make this summer sizzle! 🌟

At Guided Impact, we are passionate about creating events tailored to your goals and specific audience. A well-planned event is more than logistics – it is an experience. We believe that God created human beings to live in community, to share experiences, and to help one another. If you are in need of event management services, we would love to connect with you. It’s never too early to start thinking about those spring and fall events! #EventManagement #NonProfitEvents #GuidedImpact #EventPlanning

How to learn to attract the right audience in 60 minutes: 1. Listen to 7 experts on Wednesday, live on LinkedIn That's all. "Richard, it must be easy to put together a panel for your events" I mean, everyone wants to speak on stage, right? So I can just shove together a bunch of my mates from LinkedIn. So. Massively. Not the case. At all. Diversity matters to me. Specifically, that we don't have an echo chamber all agreeing with each other. There's no fun in that Nobody learns anything new It doesn't cater to a wide set of needs Ever seen those events? Where the other speakers are identical to the host in what they do? So instead of being me, me, me Let's be more audience, audience, audience Audiences need to hear from: • The person that scaled it well • The person that did it different • The person that is anti corporate • The person that is super corporate • The person that's new but smashed it • The person that's the experienced hand THAT is tough to put together. And that's what we've got on Wednesday at Entrepreneur Business Live Two hours of networking and panel discussion. And all for charity In person in London Or live, here on LinkedIn Either way, you can catch the panel's answers to your questions. So, with the topic "How to Attract the Right Audience", ↳what's your question for the panel? Every question you submit that gets asked will generate another £15 to our charity partners, Drive Forward Foundation and Jai Dog Rescue. So give us your best questions! Panel starts at c.4:30pm UK time Live on Wednesday this week A few tickets remain if you are able to join us in person here: https://lnkd.in/eGc65MTv -- #RichTips #networking #events #charityfundraising PS repost this to share with your network. It costs you nothing (no, it also doesn't affect the algorithm or your posts) and might really help

Wonder how to further improve your event performance to activate and convert more fundraisers? ⚡ Come along to our next webinar to dig deeper into how your event is performing and which tactics you can apply to increase your event performance. Paul and Victoria will be talking all about benchmarks and how to exceed them.   🎥 How To Dramatically Increase Your Event Performance ⌚ 9:30AM-10:30AM GMT, Tuesday 26 March 👉 Sign up at https://lnkd.in/ev9gCxwu See you there!

How to sink your fundraiser before it gets out of the harbor: Put the event theme, vision, and strategy in the hands of a committee that has a lot of ideas and not a lot of time to help. Aka: most boards. This is one of the major factors I see galas and other fundraisers that don’t meet fundraising goals. The thinking goes like this: “We need board members to be involved for them to take ownership. We’ll have this committee put together the theme and plan and our team will fill in the inevitable gaps due to the fact that they aren’t experienced event planners and also are not getting paid for this.” Don’t do this. These people are most likely not professional fundraisers or event planners, and even if they are, they are VOLUNTEERS. They need to be led. Do this instead: Pick the few board members who you want to feel ownership and ask them the following questions: 🍾1. What is the best gala or fundraiser you’ve attended. What worked? Why did you love it? What could be applied to ours? 🏳️2. Tell me the story about when you realized you wanted to be involved in this mission? What about this matters to you? 🥹3. How has being a part of this cause impacted your life for the better? (if you don’t feel comfortable asking this question, ether they don’t belong on your board, are brand new, or you aren’t doing your job) 👩👩🦱👨🦱👴4. Who are a few people who care about (insert your cause here___ need to be at our gala that we’re not there last year? Let’s make a list together. This is LEADING. You are giving them the pathway for their involvement, and as much as board members sometimes buck against this, they need it. #fundraisers #galas #events #eventstrategy

Building strong relationships with community members is essential, and even on a tight budget, it can be done successfully. Here are three effective strategies we've used: 1. Post Meaningful Updates: Consistently share updates that resonate with your audience. We highlight our impact, share success stories, and provide valuable information that aligns with your mission. Engaging content fosters a sense of connection and keeps your community informed and involved. 2. Inviting Community Members In: We have encouraged our audience to engage more deeply by inviting them to sign up for your newsletter or follow us on other different social media platforms. This not only broadens our reach but also strengthens the relationship by keeping them in the loop and fostering a sense of belonging. 3. Attend and Host Events: Participating in or hosting tabling and speaking events is a great way to connect with community members face-to-face. We're lucky to have a physical space, where we've been able to host workshops and even smaller-scale tours to showcase our work. These personal interactions are invaluable for building trust and a strong community presence. By focusing on these low-cost, high-impact strategies, we've seen an increase in the quality and quantity of relationships with our community. How do you engage with your community on a budget? Share your tips below! #CommunityEngagement #Nonprofit #BudgetFriendly #CommunityBuilding #SocialImpact

Im curious about your video usage: can you tell me what you use video for? 1. Corporate profile? (awareness-building or a policy statement) 2. Product explainer? (technical details for something tricky) 3. Event coverage? (to attract new delegates perhaps?) 4. Sales support? (selling stuff with a call to action) 5. Social media content? (we all see too much of this!) 6. Fundraising? (telling a charity story perhaps) 7. Training? (staff or user training) 8. Something else?

Learn why and how to thank your event donors within 24 hours. Prompt, personalized communication reinforces positive feelings, builds lasting relationships, and boosts donor retention. Follow our tips for effective, heartfelt thank-yous to strengthen your nonprofit's impact. #positivefeelings #24hours #donorretention #thankyous https://loom.ly/D_J72Tc

See you bright and early. I remember the first time my boss told me I would need to be on location at 4:30am to shoot some live segments to promote our upcoming events. After working in the non-profit world for a short time, I quickly learned news stations love to cover events held by non-profit organizations. This is a good thing for non-profit as it offers great local exposure. If you work for a non-profit, make sure you are getting the word out about your events early and often to increase the likelihood of news coverage. Here are a few things you can do to get coverage: ✅ Post about the event on social media ✅ Send a notice to the local reporters ✅ Submit your event to the local chamber of commerce and other community calendars ✅ Ask your sponsors to post about their involvement in your event What other tips do you have? ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hey there! I'm Melissa, an event planner and marketing manager in the promotional products industry. 👉 If you're an accidental or occasional event planner looking for tips on how to elevate and rock successful, unforgettable events, stick around.