Inside the Mind of a Nonprofit Event Planner by @eventoozie

Wouldn’t it be great if, as an event vendor, you had some kind of crystal ball to read into the minds of those whom you exactly want to target?

You don’t need the Long Island Medium to find out what nonprofit event organizers are thinking. eventoozi recently conducted a survey of nonprofit event planners to gain insight into what’s up their sleeves for the coming year and what we found is quite interesting. Of huge note is that now is an ideal time for a vendor to advertise (on eventoozi!) because the site traffic is comprised almost entirely of nonprofit event planners just beginning to plan their upcoming events. What exactly are they looking for? Survey says …

A handful or a bakers dozen – nonprofits do lots of events

Nonprofits have learned the same lesson that general marketers have: once is not enough. Just over one-quarter of respondents say they only hold 1-3 events a year. More common, at 31% each, was 4-6 events or more than 10 events per annum.

Stretched in time and energy managing several dates and types of events each year, event planners appreciate vendors reaching out to them and making the task of finding resources easier.

• Galas continue to be the most universal form of fundraiser with 67% of respondents saying their nonprofit holds an annual gala. (But they don’t want to fall into the trap of same old, same old. READ: “Are People Engaged with Your Event?”)
• Educational events followed at second with 38% of respondents saying they hold some form of informative seminar, panel discussion, or guest lecturer. Educational events shouldn’t be confused with conferences which, at 14%, received the lowest number of responses. It would seem that presenting helpful information reaches a wider net of interested people and potential supporters. Event economics also work in favor of educational vs. conference – a seminar or presenter is a 2-3 hour commitment in comparison to an all-day or 2-day conference. This is time and energy that can be redeployed to putting more events on the calendar.
• The number of nonprofits holding general, sports-based events such as walk/run/swim/bike-athons, golf outings, and kids events was almost evenly split at 24%, 20%, and 20% respectively. Into the basket of sports events we would also include bowling fundraisers, poker tournaments, and motorcycle rides. Anything goes…literally!

Who you gonna call? Great vendors!

There’s a huge opportunity for vendors to use targeted marketing like eventoozi to get on nonprofit event managers’ radar.

• More than 60% of the nonprofit event managers indicated they will need to secure a venue for their upcoming events.
• Caterers and entertainment were neck-and-neck in second place with about 50% of the planners indicating they are looking to hire vendors in each of these areas.
• Over one-third of the respondents said they would be looking to hire vendors in each of the following areas: graphic designers, photographers, and printers.
• Even with a perceived higher price point and more upscale image, over one-fourth of respondents said they are looking to hire florists.
• Mobile bidding solutions and fundraising consultants rounded out the list at 18% and 13% respectively. Those with whom we’ve spoken who have used such vendors rave about their value and the considerably improved bottom line of using their services.

eventoozi: directory and resource

There is no better place than eventoozi for event vendors to capture the attention of nonprofits as the majority of traffic to eventoozi is comprised of nonprofit event organizers. And, with listings starting at only $250/year, there’s no time to wait – event planners want to secure your services NOW. Eventoozi’s advertiser packages offer local, regional, or national coverage to reach the exact people who can hire you. Get started now…before a competitor gets YOUR potential client’s number.