Donor events are some of the most visible investments a fundraising program makes—and some of the easiest to get wrong. A well-designed experience builds trust, deepens loyalty, and moves donors forward in their relationship with your organization. On the other hand, a poorly crafted event can easily become a nice way to waste a lot of money.
Designing an event experience that actually earns its ROI can be complex and challenging. It requires a clear strategy, thoughtful guest experience design, tight execution, and a plan for what happens after that last guest goes home.
Led by industry experts Matthew Helmer, CED, and Angie Joens, this bootcamp guides nonprofit professionals through the entire donor event experience—from strategy to follow-up—with expert insights, real-world examples, and hands-on tools.
DRG's Keys to Donor Events covers every stage of donor event design, from clarifying your purpose and objectives to mapping the guest journey, building the run-of-show, and measuring what happens after the event ends.
Ready to design donor events people actually remember?
This four-part bootcamp will get you up to speed quickly with a comprehensive, everything-you-need training.
Join us and walk away with tools you can put to work on your very next event.
What You Get
This dynamic bootcamp combines expert-led sessions with real-world examples, (including lessons learned from the DRG team’s decades of experience) to provide you with the tools and confidence to design a successful donor event from start to finish.
The bootcamp will be delivered live, online, across four two-hour sessions—for a total of 8 hours of live training.
Our program covers the fundamentals and best practices of donor event design. It is designed for professionals who are new to building donor events, or those ready to move their events beyond the typical "we've always done it this way."
When you register for this bootcamp, you will receive:
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8 hours of interactive, live online training across four sessions
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*8 CFRE credits
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Access to exclusive DRG tools and templates—a new planning tool after every session
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On-demand access to the bootcamp recording for 30 days
*DRG is a CFRE Approved Provider. This program has been submitted for CFRE approval and is anticipated to be approved for 8 CFRE Continuing Education points.
What You Will Learn
DRG's Keys to Donor Events Bootcamp follows one framework across all four sessions—WHY, HOW, WHAT, and NOW WHAT—so every tactic is anchored in strategy, not just checklist logistics.
Every session includes a takeaway planning tool, DRG’s signature Good/Better/Best framework, real pitfalls and lessons learned from seasoned industry experts, and a running example event we’ll build together during the series, with additional examples so every organization sees themselves represented.
Session 1—WHY: Strategy & Purpose
Thursday, November 12 from 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM ET
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Use the Four Pillars of Donor Relations framework to understand where donor events fit within your organization's broader donor relations strategy.
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Learn to write a clear, measurable event objective in minutes, and how to use a simple decision matrix to match event type to donor journey stage and desired behavior change.
Session 2—HOW: Designing the Guest Experience
Friday, November 13 from 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM ET
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Learn a repeatable, five-step guest-journey-mapping process you can apply to any donor event, from an intimate donor dinner to a large-scale gala.
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Discover how to build "moments that matter" into any agenda, and use storytelling and mission moments that engage donors without feeling like a pitch.
Session 3—WHAT: Program & Logistics
Wednesday, November 18 from 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM ET
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Learn to translate your event objectives into concrete decisions—format, programming, speakers, and staffing—including a role-assignment approach for any size team.
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Build a complete event run-of-show from start to finish, and gain a venue and vendor selection checklist plus contingency scripts for common event-day surprises.
Session 4—NOW WHAT: Follow-Up, Measurement & Building a Playbook
Thursday, November 19 from 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM ET
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Learn the 48-hour follow-up cadence that keeps donors engaged after the event ends, with sample thank-you scripts you can adapt immediately.
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Understand how to measure event ROI—both financial and relational—and turn any event into a repeatable playbook your team can run again and again.
Your Investment
Join DRG's Keys to Donor Events Bootcamp
$750*
*Cost is per person. This registration cannot be shared with other members of your organization.
DRG Access Discount
We understand the unique challenges small nonprofits face. To support organizations with annual budgets under $2 million, we’re proud to offer the DRG Access Discount—a 50% discount for this bootcamp.
To apply, send a copy of your most recent IRS Form 990 to info@donorrelations.com.
FAQs
Will a recording of the presentations be provided?
Yes, attendees will have on-demand access to a recording of the bootcamp for 30 days.
Can I pay via invoice?
Of course! We've been working with nonprofits for over a decade and we know the drill. If you would like to pay via invoice or need approval from another person or department to purchase (but still want to take advantage of the time-sensitive savings and bonus content), no worries! Send us an email at info@donorrelations.com and we'll take care of you.
I've purchased the bootcamp, but didn't get an email. What happened?
Try as we might, occasionally our emails end up in junk/spam/promotions folders or are blocked by an organization's firewall. If you do not receive an email from us within a few minutes of your purchase, please reach out to us right away at info@donorrelations.com.
How do I access the bootcamp?
Your confirmation email will include a link to each of the live Zoom events included in the bootcamp. If you do not receive the confirmation email and event links, please contact us at info@donorrelations.com.
Can I share my registration with others within my team, department, or organization?
Not this time. While we often encourage you to share our content with your entire team, we want to be able to interact with every individual in this bootcamp. Please make sure all individuals at your organization who wish to attend the bootcamp register separately.
I have another question...who do I reach out to?
Email us at info@donorrelations.com and let us know how we can help!