A gala can be an outstanding way for any nonprofit, school, company, or other organization to generate fundraising to help their organization. Without proper marketing planning and strategizing with a quality print marketing company, however, your event could fall flat. A beautifully designed gala is more than just the venue; it’s branding every aspect and making every person associated with the event feel proud to be there. Sponsors, volunteers, and members of your organization can appreciate the hard work and thought put into designing the collateral for a gala, which can make your event a quality return on investment.
Today on the blog, we wanted to touch on some of the print collateral must-haves for a fundraising gala!
Galas can typically be considered one of the biggest fundraising events of the year for many nonprofits. This comes with risk, but when you partner with a professional print marketing company that is local to your WNY organization, you can trust that all design bases will be covered. We understand event marketing, and we help organizations create beautiful print materials of all shapes and sizes to help create a consistent, brand-focused event.
How you market and brand your gala event will require:
- Beautiful, Memorable Design
- Budget-friendly Strategy
- High-Quality Materials
The look-and-feel of your event will be important from the very start, starting with the save-the-dates.
Gala Save the Dates
The “save the date” is the first piece of communication about the event, but it is also the first impression. Despite the fact that functionally, it simply introduces your audience to when and where your gala will be, it sets the tone for what type of event they can expect.
Whether you are planning to mail this out as a postcard to your potential guests, sponsors, members, etc, or you are planning to do an e-mail or website graphic (or all 3!) you’ll want to start things off with a beautiful graphic design that impacts the recipient and garners interest.
Gala Event Sponsorship Materials
One of the most important aspects of any gala is creating interest and retaining high-quality sponsors who help support your event. Sponsorship packets that are designed well, packaged ornately, and mailed well in advance of your event can help create awareness and make a nice impression.
This is where you can really show off why your organization is special and why a sponsor should support the mission. This can be printed in many different formats, but tri-fold brochures and single letters are most common. That doesn’t mean it can’t feature something more creative, however, which we can help with!
You’ll want everything to maintain consistency across each piece of marketing. Including the invitations for potential event-goers.
Branded Gala Invitations
There is certainly an impact that the design and print quality of an invitation can have on the enthusiasm of a recipient. Different papers, printings, and finishings can make a simple piece of media truly impactful, and the right design can intrigue someone to attend just to see the spectacle.
There are different levels of cost for each piece of print marketing, but this is why partnering with a professional Buffalo marketing agency can allow you to feel confident that your budget is being used wisely. We can help you understand how to maximize your budget and ensure you don’t miss any important print needs.
Typically, the gala event invitations will feature the invitation itself, a branded envelope, a response card, and a response envelope. There may be ways you can include sponsorship opportunities for selected recipients and also use QR codes to avoid needing to expect the person to mail their envelope back.
Gala Event Signage, Banners, Posters
Wherever your beautiful gala does take place, you’ll want to ensure you help the entire environment feel connected and at one with the original brand and message you sent out in invites and save the dates. Everything from signage, tablecloths, table signs, and decorations should all help make a cohesive branded experience.
Remember important areas like pathways, entrances, and of course, the podium where speakers will be guiding the event. You’ll want all these locations branded with high-quality printed signage. This is where pop-up banners can be an asset and have a high impact. You can use these banners to help visitors check in, tell stories of the successes of your organization, and they are easy to transport.
Gala Event Programs & Brochures
The last (but not least) collateral we want to ensure we mention is the gala program. This is where major sponsors, both companies and individuals, can purchase ad space and put their brand into the hand-held brochure or magazine. These highlighted pages can help tell the story of your organization, what they’ve done, and lead event-goers through the night.
You can print these in black and white, and keep them small and affordable, or go with a very dynamic and powerful color print, where they can feel tangible and be kept as a memory of your special gala event! Having a professional marketing team means ensuring that each photo and file sent by sponsors or individuals is high-quality and in the proper format to ensure a nice finish.
We are proud to help so many non-profit organizations here in Buffalo provide print marketing and print collateral that helps commemorate their dedication to their cause. If you work for a non-profit organization and need assets to help your gala, event, or direct mail campaign to help appeal to fundraisers, we’d love to meet you. We take pride in what we do to help nonprofits succeed!
