About Danielle Herschitz

Danielle Herschitz is a charity organizer who holds years of experience in the space. Danielle works as a team leader at youth and teen organizations and specializes in planning charity events and fundraisers on their behalf. She has built a reputation within her industry for the dedication and knowledge that she brings to every project as well as her interest in doing everything possible to make a difference in her community.

Danielle’s experience as an organizer is underlined by a commitment to excellence in each stage of the event planning, facilitating, and fundraising processes. Her innovative approach to leadership at youth and teen organizations have empowered her to make crucial changes and bring success to the programs that she serves, and she is consistently looking for new ways to contribute to positive experiences youth and teens, colleagues, collaborators, and donors.

Danielle Herschitz Discusses Important Steps for Planning Successful Charity Events and Fundraisers

Danielle’s extensive experience as a charity organizer, fundraiser, and youth and teen organization leader has led to her developing a diverse range of knowledge on how to successfully plan events. One of the primary challenges for planning and effectively hosting charity events and fundraisers is that there are many moving parts to consider, making the process daunting for those who are new to the role. However, Danielle finds that facilitating successful events on behalf of your organization can be quite simple if you know what to consider and take things step by step.

Here, Danielle Herschitz explores a few of the most important steps for planning successful charity events and fundraisers.

Clarify Your Event Goals

Understanding the goals of your charity or fundraising event is crucial because it helps with planning later down the line. Important considerations are your cause, target audience, monetary goals, programs or initiatives the funds seek to support, and the type of event that will most easily empower your organization to successfully reach its defined goals. Danielle Herschitz finds that one of the benefits of clarifying your goals is that it helps your and your teams remain focused and establish metrics to measure the success of your event.

Establishing a Budget

Everything from the venue, food, drinks, entertainment present, etc. will cost money, and this is why it is so important to establish a budget for your event in the early stages of planning. Charities typically have pretty tight budgets, which means that it is often necessary for event planners to get creative regarding their budget to avoid overspending while still hosting an event that the organization can be proud of. This can be done by enlisting volunteers, utilizing connections for reduced costs on food and entertainment, and a variety of other methods to keep costs manageable. Danielle finds that one aspect of budgeting that many planners neglect is the unexpected costs. A good buffer built into your budget allows your team to adapt to challenges that may arise during the process without threatening to derail the event.

Choosing a Venue

The right venue can really take your event to the next level, and it is always a good idea to make sure that the locations you are exploring are the right fit for your event needs. Danielle encourages planners to research, visit, and assess various locations to find the one that best suits your event type, target audience, theme, and goals. The best venues will create an impressive atmosphere for your event, inspire people to show up, contribute to the theme, and will act as the perfect canvas for a great time. Remember that convention centers and catering halls are just a couple of venue types to choose from and that there is the opportunity to get more creative with your location. Charity events and fundraisers are often held in cheaper locations that are still scenic such as parks, gardens, and rooftops.

Creating Event Teams

Even the best planners need help to create truly memorable experiences. Organizations can benefit from creating event teams that can handle specific duties for the sake of a successful event. This can naturally depend on the type of event being planned and common roles that need filing include people to man the phones, manage tables, speak to donors, etc.

Having a clear delineation of responsibilities and efficient training is key here because it ensures that each member of the team knows their job and can do their part. Danielle Herschitz mentions that host committees are also a common way to reach a wider audience while leveraging relationships with existing donors and collaborators. Host committees can be made up of people who support your cause or organization such as corporate partners, philanthropists, and existing long-term donors. Many planners are surprised to learn that these individuals are excited to play a role in planning, and they may even be able to reach out to their contacts to spread the word.

Developing a Plan to Promote Your Event

Marketing plays a vital role in the planning and facilitation of a successful event because it helps convince supporters that your organization is worth their time and money. Tools such as email marketing, social media, and even local newspapers can be extremely helpful for getting the word out. If done right, promotion can increase engagement and interest in your event several fold which, in turn, can have a significant impact on your fundraising efforts. Promotion is another area of event planning where planners have the freedom to get a little creative. For example, visually striking fliers for reaching people within the community combined with social media posts can improve visibility for your event and ensure that a wider audience is able to enjoy what you have set up.

Thanking Your Donors and Volunteers

Believe it or not, many donors and volunteers are not offered a sincere thank you for their contributions to charity events and fundraisers. Always be sure to have a plan for thanking both as they are instrumental in planning and facilitating successful events for your organization and it is simply the right thing to do! Thank you notes can be a simple, yet effective, way to say thanks to those who combined to make your event possible such as contributors, staff, vendors, and volunteers.

For More from Danielle Herschitz

This site aims to serve as a resource for content inspired by Danielle’s experience in youth and teen organizations, charity event planning, and fundraising. Danielle Herschitz speaks about how accessible information on her areas of expertise can be extremely impactful for professionals and organizations that are on the front lines of issues and working to make a difference in their communities.

Future content included on this site will feature topics such as:

• Charity Events
• Fundraisers
• Health and Wellness
• Youth Organizations
• Industry News

Interested in growing your understanding of youth/teen organization leadership, charity, event planning, and more from the perspective of an experienced professional such as Danielle Herschitz? Be sure to check out this site for more information based on Danielle’s insights.