Last month, we began a closer look at C2Auctions’ Three P’s, the strategy we use to strengthen one of the most important fundraising moments of the evening: the Fund-a-Need. It’s an approach we’ve used for years and also share in our book, From Planning to Proceeds.
We started with Pre-Solicit. Now we’re turning to the second “P”: Publicize.
The goal is to make sure the Fund-a-Need is visible, understood, and clearly positioned as a priority before the giving begins.
Start With the Framing
One of the questions we hear most often is: Where should the Fund-a-Need go in the program?
It sounds like a timing question. But underneath it is a bigger one: Where does the Fund-a-Need rank among everything else happening at your event?
Our answer starts with a shift in perspective:
It’s not a gala with a Fund-a-Need attached. It’s a Fund-a-Need with a gala attached.
The Fund-a-Need isn’t simply a reason for the event. It’s the reason.
That shift changes how you position the event for your guests, both before they arrive and once they’re in the room.
Ask for the First and Best Gift
If the Fund-a-Need is your primary fundraising opportunity, invite guests to make their first and best gift there.
Too often, organizations place it after guests have already spent on the silent auction, live auction, raffle, and everything else, hoping there is still room to give.
We’d flip that logic.
Ask for the meaningful gift first. Let the rest be gravy.
Make Sure Guests Know It’s Coming
If the Fund-a-Need is central to the event, guests should know that before they arrive.
They should understand that there will be an opportunity to give, what their support will make possible, and why it matters.
That doesn’t mean turning every communication into another solicitation. It means making the Fund-a-Need visible enough that when the moment arrives, it feels anticipated rather than introduced.
Placement Sends a Message
And yes, placement matters – where the Fund-a-Need appears in the program sends a message about its importance.
If it comes after every speech, award, auction item, and other program element, it can easily feel like an afterthought.
The exact timing will vary. The larger point won’t:
If the Fund-a-Need is your fundraising priority, the program should reflect that.
Publicize the Priority
Publicizing your Fund-a-Need isn’t about saying more for the sake of repetition. It’s about making its importance unmistakable.
Because if you want your guests to treat the Fund-a-Need as a priority, your organization has to treat it like one first.
