What is event fundraising and how does it work?

Event fundraising raises money through an occasion: tickets, donations and sponsors. How it works, what it costs and what you need to get started.

Event fundraising means raising money for a cause by organising an occasion people take part in: a dinner, a concert, a quiz night, a run or a market. Guests pay for a ticket or a place, give on the day, bring in sponsors and, increasingly, collect donations for you from their own network. It works because people give more readily when they are part of something, together with others.

How does event fundraising work?

An event raises money through several streams at once. Think of it as a small business with one goal and a fixed date:

  • Ticket or entry income: guests pay to come. Part of that covers costs, the rest is your result.
  • Donations: before, during and after the event. Many guests happily add a gift if you make it easy.
  • Sponsors and partners: local businesses cover costs or pay for visibility.
  • Extras: a raffle, a bar, a market stall, an auction of donated items.
  • Supporters fundraising for you: participants ask friends and family to sponsor them.

The value does not end on the evening. An event also brings you new names, new volunteers and a story to tell, which is worth a lot when you want people to stay in touch afterwards.

Which types of events exist?

Roughly, there are three families. Hosted events are those where guests come to you: gala dinners, concerts, quizzes, open days. Participation events ask people to do something: a sponsored walk, run or cycle ride. Online or hybrid events use a page, a livestream or a challenge that people join from anywhere.

Choose the type that fits your team and your supporters. A small association with ten volunteers is usually better off with a pub quiz than with a three-course gala.

What do you need to get started?

Six things: a clear goal, a budget, a team with roles, a date and place, online ticket sales and a plan for after the event.

  1. A clear goal. A euro amount, a number of guests or a number of new supporters. Without it you cannot judge afterwards whether the event worked.
  2. A realistic budget. List every cost and work out how many tickets you must sell to break even.
  3. A team with roles. One coordinator, someone for money, someone for communication, someone for the venue and a volunteer lead.
  4. A date and place with enough room, access and safety, and the right permits and insurance. Ask your municipality what applies to your situation.
  5. A way to sell tickets and collect gifts online, so people can sign up at any hour.
  6. A plan for after the event: thank-you messages, results and an invitation to the next occasion.

Working with volunteers? In Flanders and Dutch-speaking Brussels, a non-profit association can have up to 1,000 hours of volunteering per 12 months insured free of charge through the Flemish government, provided you register the activity at least 24 hours beforehand.

How long does it take?

As a rule of thumb (our own experience, not a study): a small event needs a few weeks, a larger one several months. Start with the date and the budget, open ticket sales early and keep the last two weeks for reminders rather than new decisions.

What does it cost, and is it worth it?

Events are usually more expensive to run than a simple online appeal, because you pay for a venue, food and materials. That is why the budget comes first. The upside is that events build relationships: a guest who had a good evening is easier to ask again.

Many organisations therefore see an event as a mix of income and supporter building, not as a pure money machine. See our article on how to budget a fundraising event for the numbers to check.

How does WeGlow help with event fundraising?

WeGlow is built to run the online side of your event in one place. In WeGlow you can:

  • create an event page with one or more ticket types, each with its own price, number of places, sale period and a limit per order;
  • show live totals on the page, so guests see the result grow;
  • let buyers add an extra donation at checkout and use a discount code where you want one;
  • let participants start their own fundraiser page for your event;
  • send tickets by email and scan them at the door with a PIN-protected scanner, which flags a ticket that was already used;
  • ask Glowie, our assistant, to draft the event page for you. You review it and confirm before it goes live;
  • send the ticket buyers of an event to a list in WeGlow Mail for follow-up. WeGlow Mail is free up to 250 contacts, and included up to 2,500 contacts with the Pro plan (from €40 per month excl. VAT; check the current prices in your dashboard).

Payments run through providers such as Mollie, Stripe and Payconiq, with methods like Bancontact, iDEAL and cards. You can try it in your WeGlow dashboard; you need a free account first.

Frequently asked questions

Is event fundraising only for large organisations?

No. A quiz night or a small walk needs a team and a plan, not a big budget. Start small and grow.

Do I have to sell tickets?

Not always. Some events are free and rely on donations and sponsors. Tickets help because they give you a headcount and early income.

What is the difference between an event and a campaign?

A campaign runs for a period around a goal. An event is a single moment, or a short run of moments. Many organisations combine them: a campaign that builds up to an event.

How do I make people give more at an event?

Say what the money makes possible, make giving easy on the spot and online, and thank guests the same week.

Read next

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Sources

Checked on 2 October 2026. The volunteer insurance source was checked on 3 October 2026.

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