Increase Event Income Using Brain Science

Written By Alex Martin

Alex Martin speaking at the Nonprofit Events MiniCON 2025. Photo by Alan Alabastro

We see it time and again. A new team tackling the fundraising event decides that to meet this year’s goals, they need to raise more money … and they decide to add a new income stream or two. Usually another transaction (buy these auction items, buy this bottle of wine, buy the centerpiece on your table, etc).

Truth: selling more stuff to people will NOT make your event more successful. The new “income stream” you just added? It’s worse than a distraction. It’s interfering in your ability to connect with your guests. Why? Because everyone’s brain quickly reaches a saturation point when faced with a series of decisions. This is called Decision Fatigue.

You can use brain science to make your event more enjoyable for guests and raise more money by removing Decision Fatigue from the equation. The solution is simplicity. Make the experience of attending your event seamless by reducing all the friction points – otherwise known as “decision points” for your guests.

Just imagine:

  • If a guest has to decide when and where to spend their drink tickets, or whether to purchase a signature cocktail

  • Decide whether to play at the “wine ring toss” or “wine grab“ or “spin the wheel” or “heads or tails” or any other fundraising game of chance

  • Then decide whether to buy a raffle ticket … and then, decide into which of the six buckets for different packages to drop that ticket

  • Decide which silent auction or online auction items to bid on, and how high to bid on each one (and repeat this decision-making process a few times during the bidding)

  • Decide whether or not to pay extra for a “wine upgrade“ at the dining table

  • Decide how much money to put on a “dessert dash” donation card

  • Decide whether to buy the table centerpiece or not

  • Decide whether or not to bid, and how high to bid, on one or more live auction items 

  • Now, finally, at the end of all that… Decide how much additional money you want to donate to the fund-a-need or raise the paddle (or whatever you call your big donation moment in the event).

Are you exhausted reading all that? Me too! Over the 26 years I’ve been doing this work, I have definitely planned my share of action-packed fundraisers including all of these income streams and sometimes more. We literally “nickel and dimed” the guests throughout the party, and tried to extract a few more dollars at every possible moment.

Having seen it all play out over 1000 times, I can tell you with confidence that the simpler and more straightforward your fundraising event is, the better. Design your event so thet deciding how much to donate during the ‘big ask’ at the end of your storytelling program will be the ONLY decision guests are asked to make, all night long.

You will not only raise more money at the event, but you will cultivate a stronger connection to each of the guests in the audience. And that’s the real gold mine! Events are an investment in future relationships, NOT a piggy bank to break open once a year.

A woman in a blue blazer looks at the camera gesturing a thinking pose.

Alex Martin, Owner and Founder of Synchronicity Events. Photo by White Moth Studio

I challenge my clients – – and I’m challenging you right now! Keep the big ask and donation moment – in whatever format you prefer (QR code give, check writing, “paddle raise” … whichever suits your style and your crowd responds to best). And then I ask you to add only *one* additional income stream. For most clients, a raffle is the best addition (I could probably write a whole separate blog post on what’s good about raffles). And … that’s it! 

Let your guests spend the entire rest of the event connecting with each other, meeting your board members and staff, listening to storytelling that proves your impact, and having meaningful conversations about the issues you’re trying to solve.

Bonus: you will eliminate wasted time and energy and you will delete all the stress of procuring items and preparing all those transactional pieces for sale. Hello, decreased burnout for volunteers and staff.

Now we’re getting into the real magic. Imagine, not keeping track of any auction items or certificates. Not writing auction descriptions, editing photos and spending hours proofreading copy to make a slide deck, print display cards, publish a catalog, or put those items online.

Using all the hours you’ve bought back for yourself, you can do the vital work of pre-cultivation with your donors, sponsors and partners so that the right people are actually in the room and ready to donate. Then, during the event, you can make every moment count by CONNECTING with your guests even more deeply (not busy in the back, tracking down a misplaced gift certificate).

That’s the path forward to a truly enjoyable event that leaves your guests without a fatigue headache, leaves your team happy and willing to work on next year’s party, and unlocks the next rung on the fundraising ladder for your whole organization. 

Happy event planning!

#TeamSynchronicity #SynchronicityEvents #nonprofitevents

Alex Martin
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