On-Demand

From Invitation to Bid: Marketing Strategies That Fill the Room and Drive Competitive Bidding

Full rooms don’t happen by chance, and neither does meaningful giving.

The most successful fundraising events are intentionally built long before the first guest arrives. Every touchpoint, your invitation, your messaging, your audience strategy, either builds momentum… or limits what’s possible.

In this session, we’ll explore how organizations of all sizes can design marketing that does more than promote an event. When done well, marketing shapes who shows up, how they engage, and how they ultimately choose to give.

You’ll learn how to attract the right audience (not just a larger one), create anticipation that carries into the room, and position your event so participation feels natural and giving becomes a meaningful, motivated response.

Meet Our Experts

Rob Burke

CMO
DonorDock

Kristi Saucerman

CEO
C3 Consulting Agency

Max Kringen

Founder + Chief Storyteller
Tellwell Story Co.

Julie Weaver

Senior Fundraising Specialist
Auction Packages

Key Takeaways:

• Differentiate promotional vs. strategy-driven marketing and the impact on revenue
• Identify high-potential audience segments and align outreach to drive engagement
• Apply pre-event marketing to build anticipation and early momentum
• Analyze how messaging, timing, and channels influence giving behavior
• Develop a marketing approach that increases participation and drives revenue
• And so much more!