Shannon Williams is a Senior Advisor with Armstrong McGuire

I recently attended the Hearts of Hope luncheon for the Raleigh Rescue Mission. It was a lovely lunch at the Renaissance Hotel with a small silent auction.

The event itself was pretty standard—energetic emcee, passionate staff message, inspiring keynote speaker, beneficiary testimonial, video, pledge cards at the table with a call to make a pledge by a board member. As I said, a pretty typical agenda.

What made this event different was not the event, but the follow up. I attended the event on a Friday. On Monday, I received the electronic newsletter. By Wednesday, I received a thank you letter with a personal note for my small pledge. And, I continue to receive regular (but not too regular) communication from them two months after the event.

I have attended countless events where I received zero follow up. To receive two communications within one week of the event definitely caught my attention! Any event is only as good as your follow up. Whether it is a friendraiser or a fundraiser, the follow up is key.

When you have an event, you have a captive audience. Once they leave, their attention and their wallets are splintered. It is up to you to keep your organization top of mind. Without an intentional follow up plan, it won’t happen.

How are you planning or executing follow up from your events? Join our conversation.