More events, more problems
Why your packed calendar might be killing your fundraising and what to do instead
You’ve got a full calendar: galas, golf tournaments, auctions, breakfast fundraisers, friend-raisers, awareness weeks, and maybe even a chili cook-off thrown in for good measure.
From the outside, it looks like momentum. But on the inside? Your team is exhausted. Your revenue is unpredictable. The impact doesn’t match the effort.
Here’s the truth no one tells you…
More events don’t mean more results.
Too many events quietly drain your resources, your team’s capacity, and your donor relationships.
At Knoll & Krest, we work with nonprofit leaders who are passionate and capable but stuck in a cycle of activity without real growth. One of the most common causes of team burnout? Over-dependence on events.
Let’s talk about why this happens, what it costs you, and how to pivot toward a smarter, more sustainable fundraising strategy.
Events Aren’t the Enemy, But They Shouldn’t Be the Engine
First, let’s be clear: events aren’t inherently bad. A well-executed, mission-aligned event can be a valuable piece of your fundraising strategy. It’s when events become one of the primary vehicles for revenue, cultivation, or visibility that the strategy begins to break down.
Why? Because most events:
Have high overhead (financially and emotionally)
Demand massive amounts of staff and/or volunteer time
Attract transactional donors rather than relational givers
Don’t scale well year-over-year
Even if you technically hit your fundraising goal at the event, when you factor in expenses, staff time, follow-up, and fatigue, you’re often in the red where it counts most: margin, momentum, and mission clarity.
What’s Really Driving the Event Overload?
You’re not running events just for fun. There are deeper forces at play, and recognizing them is the first step to real change.
The Visibility Trap
It feels like the only way to get your mission in front of people is to invite them to something. Events give you a moment of spotlight but it’s fleeting. True visibility comes from consistent, compelling messaging across platforms, not just one-time gatherings.
The Revenue Illusion
When unrestricted dollars are hard to come by, events feel like the best (or only) solution. But over time, they become a crutch, one that’s difficult to scale, easy to burn out from, and rarely builds long-term donor relationships.
3. The “We’ve Always Done It” Syndrome
Institutional momentum is powerful. Legacy events can feel sacred. BUT just because something has worked doesn’t mean it’s still working or that it’s worth what it’s costing you.
So What Should You Do Instead?
If your gut is telling you your calendar is too crowded and your team is too tired. Here’s where to start:
Audit Your Events Ruthlessly
Look at the past 2–3 years of events and ask:
How much net revenue did we actually raise?
What’s the ROI on time, not just money?
Did this event help us build stronger donor relationships?
Did it attract the right audience?
Did we gain anything new from this event?
Be honest about what’s working, what’s just tradition, and what needs to go.
2. Shift from Event-Centered to Donor-Centered
Events tend to gather crowds. Sustainable fundraising grows relationships.
Ask yourself: How can we take the best elements of an event (shared mission, human connection, storytelling) and build them into our year-round donor engagement?
That could look like:
Targeted small-group gatherings with major or mid-level donors
Personalized donor journeys and cultivation plans
Strategic use of email and storytelling
Equipping board and staff to have one-on-one conversations that matter
When you prioritize people over programming, fundraising becomes less about logistics and more about long-term vision.
3. Build Margin into Your Calendar
More white space doesn’t mean less impact. It means more capacity to think, respond, and build what’s next.
You need room to:
Follow up timely and meaningfully after gifts or meetings
Innovate and test new ideas and strategies
Plan for campaigns that matter
Margin creates space for clarity. And clarity drives results.
What It Looks Like to Right-Size Your Event Strategy
We worked with one organization hosting eight events a year, which is more than one every other month. All were legacy events, and all were underperforming. After a clear-eyed assessment, they narrowed their focus to one annual signature event, designed specifically around their major donors, and shifted their energy into mid-level donor strategy and corporate partnerships. Their team changed their mindsets from event planning to relationship building.
In one year, they:
Cut their event-related expenses by 40%
Increased net revenue by 25%
Saw a 3x increase in donor retention among key segments
Their team saw mental improvements, better relationships (with donors and teammates), and felt more aligned with their mission and values. The key wasn’t doing more. It was doing the right things and letting the rest go.
Remember This:
The thing driving your fundraising should be relationships, not events.
If your calendar is crowded and your team is tired, it’s time to trade event-based busyness for relationship-based momentum.
At Knoll & Krest, we help nonprofits get out of the spin cycle and into a fundraising strategy that’s clear, customized, and actually moves the mission forward.
Because success isn’t found in a packed calendar. It’s found in a focused one.
Let’s un-crowd your calendar and unlock your impact.
Let’s get to work.