Your event sparked something. Now let’s fan the flame 🔥

Your fundraising event was a success: great turnout, strong energy, and real excitement about your mission. But what happens next?

This week is National Volunteer Week, so we've included a timely resource on volunteer retention alongside our community-building theme. Because whether you're working with event attendees, longtime volunteers, or new supporters, the principles are the same: turn one-time engagement into lasting relationships.

From immediate post-event follow-up to long-term community cultivation, you'll get practical strategies for keeping people connected to your cause long after they've left the venue.

The take-home template

People are spending more time online than ever, and digital advertising lets you reach your audience wherever they are, at exactly the right moment. This guide breaks down three big digital advertising channels — programmatic, paid search, and paid social — along with the pros and cons of each, plus specific recommendations on how nonprofits can use these channels to expand their reach and build lasting supporter relationships.

Snackable snippets

A modern guide to post-event engagement 📖

Most organizations put tremendous energy into planning successful events, but then let momentum fizzle once the final session ends. WildApricot explores how nonprofits can turn one-time attendees into repeat volunteers and donors  through strategic follow-up that goes beyond a simple thank-you email.

Donor retention steps after your fundraising event 📖

The fundraising event was a success, but then what? There are five critical steps that often get overlooked once the gala ends: immediate thank-you processes, sharing results so attendees see their impact, and collecting feedback while the experience is fresh. Smart organizations also keep donation pages live for stragglers and use event content to "bring longevity to your event."

For your inspiration folder

Starlight Children's Foundation shows how individual program touches can become the foundation for lifelong community engagement. Their gaming stations provide hospitalized children with structure, familiarity, and security during hospitalization, delivering services like normalization, emotional support, and pain management. But what makes this special is what happens after discharge.

With over 1.5 million gaming sessions in 2024 and over 15 million since 1992, families who experienced the program's impact during their most vulnerable moments become some of Starlight's strongest champions, sharing their stories and rallying their own networks around the foundation's mission long after their hospital stay ends.