18 Fundraising Gala Trends: Delight Guests & Raise More Funds

Artemis Koutsogiorgas of KEHOE DESIGNS says that their team is seeing, “invitation design that is branded to match the gala’s theme and applied to the organization’s website, social media, signage, and sponsorship materials. We are seeing our clients work with more planners than before who have a heavy hand in the invitations and program. The color palette of the organization’s materials is then seen throughout the event.”  

She adds, “Uniting Voices Chicago Gala featured a bright palette of periwinkles, lavenders, and white. A stark, clean stage cover of white was deliberately chosen to best frame the evening’s performances and program.” 

AJ Williams, Founder + Creative Director of AJ Events, says, “Nonprofits need every advantage to lure attendees to their events, so a new and popular venue is a great option.”

For the Tee Up Diversity Gala, her team combined the opportunity to access world-class golf at the 122nd U.S. Open Championship with an exciting inaugural event featuring Anthony Anderson, Chris Spencer, and Damon Hack. AJ Events chose The Newbury Boston, an iconic space, for their history-making gathering.

Koutsogiorgas of KEHOE DESIGNS says, “Clients are looking for venues with open space to accommodate larger guest counts and flexibility in setup and orientation.”  

KEHOE’s own space, The Geraghty, has hosted many fundraising events (including the pictured Chicago Children’s Choir Gala). Koutsogiorgas shares, “The venue offers a sophisticated and utterly customizable setting with state-of-the-art technology and endless design possibilities with our built-in teams at KEHOE and BlackOak Technical Productions. Our clients have experienced record attendance and dollars raised. The seamless client experience has resulted in a 90% return rate, and we can transform the space into something different year after year.” 

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in Manhattan offers multiple spaces for memorable galas. The venue celebrated its renovated David Geffen Hall with the New York Philharmonic Gala. Guests mingled beneath a spectacular red petaled ceiling installation amid lush red rose décor. Live speakers and creative performances made the evening one to remember.

Williams of AJ Events says, “We are executing more theater style programs for a more intimate auction, and chevron style seating with clear aisles for spotters.” 

Her team’s work on the Living Legends Gala attracted widespread attention and support for the Museum of African American History — efforts that contributed to raising a record-breaking [close to] $500,000. Guests enjoyed African instruments, a wine reception, a live auction, a dinner reception featuring Afro-Caribbean cuisine, and engaging entertainment.

Koutsogiorgas of KEHOE DESIGNS says, “Further looking at the Uniting Voices Chicago Gala, the overall concept the client brought to our team was that of ascension: the act of rising to an important position or a higher level.

“This guiding focus was relayed in nearly every aspect of the event, from LED elements and color palette to materials, lighting design, and programming. Dining tables were adorned with rich, vibrant purple-hued linen with sheen and texture topped with fresh florals of hydrangea and calla lilies in soft hues.”  

Williams of AJ Events shares, “We created a museum cause-related experience: to provide sponsorship opportunities for an experience or component like entertainment, main stage, celebrity host, after-party, or cocktail reception.” Such sponsorships allow an additional valuable fundraising opportunity that is directly related to the cause.

At The Living Legends Gala, “Black-ish” star Anthony Anderson had the audience laughing as he took selfies with attendees shaking their African instruments. About 350 sponsors and supporters attended the gala which featured a wine reception, live auction, and a dinner reception featuring Afro-Caribbean cuisine and live entertainment.

Kuppig of TYGER Productions says, “In addition to supporting important causes, gala attendees are craving a fun, exciting experience. Our favorite trend is going bold with saturated color, contemporary design, and large graphic statements. Subtly is not invited.

This inspired gala, celebrating 50 Years of Black Creativity, infused the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago with a vivid palette that underscored the art on display. The event honored the museum’s Black Creativity Juried Art Exhibition, which is the longest continuously running showcase of African American art in the United States. 

Revel Decor took their cue from the many installations and created colorful tableaus — in bright greens, vibrant oranges, and splashes of red and yellow — that offered beauty and education at once.

Kuppig of Tyger Productions says, “Post-Covid, all rules are out the door. For the PERT Consortium’s Inaugural Gala, we invited guests to the dance floor before sitting for dinner, again between courses, and after the meal. The energy stayed high all night like a modern supper club!”

He notes of another gala, the Shimmering Purple Party pictured, “There is a noticeable shift in the gala experience and the formatting of the events. We are encouraging many of our clients to explore more open-concept cocktail formats in lieu of traditional seated dinners. Length of programs are also slimming down, allowing guests to mingle and enjoy the experience of the evening more while still receiving key content.”

Koutsogiorgas of KEHOE DESIGNS tells us, “There has been an emphasis on vibrant, energetic experiences for guests attending fundraising galas. This is accomplished through inspiring programs and performances, illuminated décor, bright color palettes, lively lighting design, surprising after-parties, interactive photo-ops, etc.

“Galas are striving to create interactive and engaging experiences to further strengthen and reinforce their attendees’ connection to the mission and vision of the organization. Recently, at the Uniting Voices Chicago Gala, the children in the choir greeted guests in the foyer, in addition to putting on a heart-felt immersive show, which was a primary reason they surpassed their fundraising goal of over $2 million.” 

The Nature Conservancy Gala from the expert planning team at Paulette Wolf Events featured extraordinary engaging moments galore — all inspired by nature.

More than 400 guests gathered to interact with stations to learn about climate change, pollution, and more. PWE curated unique elements such as vines and trees on stilts, and a mirrored projected ceiling which created an immersive ambiance.

Koutsogiorgas of KEHOE DESIGNS shares, “For the Uniting Voices Chicago Gala, every seat in the house needed to have a well-balanced audio experience. We focused on building an audio system that originated from the center of the room and radiated out while also trying to eliminate as much reverberation as possible. We also provided a multi-track record to give Uniting Voices as much flexibility as possible for editing the footage for post-event coverage.

“The theme this year was ‘Ascension and Heaven.’ We embodied this by adding multiple stage heights, rings of light, bright lit-up runway stage, and other circular airborne lighting fixtures. A masterful sequenced program of lighting design highlighted the evening’s programs and perfectly coincided with key moments in the show. Uplighting in bright hues of purples, blues, and pinks provided an overall vibrancy throughout the room. An illuminated lucite runway stage created a focal décor moment to feature the evening’s entertainment.” 

The True Blue Gala held at Four Seasons Hotel Chicago benefitted the Chicago Police Foundation which provides funding for equipment, technology and community outreach programs for the Chicago Police Department.

Appropriately, the affair was drenched in chic blue lighting by the talented team at Elegant Event Lighting. Guests were also surrounded by a sea of stars that evoked Chicago’s iconic starred flag and the city’s police badge shape. The lighting tied back to the theme of the evening.

Hybrid events are continuing to allow nonprofit organizations to reach a larger audience. Koutsogiorgas of KEHOE DESIGNS says, “From a technical aspect, lighting and AV have taken center stage as the world embraces hybrid style events. Providing a live stream of the program to a virtual audience allows the organization’s messaging and purpose to reach further. ”

Bottom Line’s Rise Up Gala supports degree-aspiring students of color from under-resourced communities to get into, and through, college to successfully launch a career. BlackOak Technical Productions produced a historical shift for this client: converting their gala to a hybrid platform. The talk-show format engaged all attendees. The event included a live panel, award ceremony, and pre-recorded video. Virtual attendees viewed the night with a custom branded platform and website.

Kasey Foster, Events Manager for The Actors Gymnasium, says, “Roaming entertainment is a great way for to guests to interact with performance and circus artists without having to stop the momentum of the event.” The team also offers “party starters” — a collection of dancers who quickly fill the dance floor with guests. 

At Chicago’s Embarc’s Variety Spectacular, The Actors Gymnasium provided creative roaming entertainment to raise funds to reach public school youth across Chicago. Guests enjoyed drinks served from a wine bicycle, jugglers, a rolling globe walker, and some lively aerial acrobatics that made for an unforgettable night.

Calzaretta of Magnificent Events & Entertainment says, “Our band Maggie Speaks has developed a ‘Celebrity Sit-In Program’ which has been a huge hit at galas and fundraisers. Ever since streaming services like Spotify and Pandora came into play, national artists are not making their money through royalties like they used to. 

“That has caused celebrity talent live performance costs to go through the roof. Maggie Speaks has built a roster of celebrities that will join the band for a 30-minute block of their greatest hits. This has been incredibly successful at galas because the celebrity appearance is designed for the short attention span, where they play only their hit songs backed by Maggie Speaks with no filler material. Then Maggie Speaks carries the rest of the night so the gala does not have to sacrifice the variety that they normally bring to an event. In the end, you get the celebrity element in an intimate setting at a fraction of the cost without sacrificing the variety that will keep the party hopping.”

The pictured Warehouse215 opening event featured Jason Scheff, longtime bassist and lead vocalist of band Chicago, Jay DeMarcus of Rascal Flatts, and more.

A star-studded event will draw more notice — from creating a buzz among guests to garnering additional press attention. Alpine Creative Group ensured that there were branded photo backdrops for the most recent American Ballet Theatre (ABT) gala. Curated photo spots extend the reach of a fundraising event with celebrities in the media and guest posts.

ABT’s annual gala was an evening that honored champions of the arts and featured  the New York Premiere of Tony Award^®-winner Christopher Wheeldon’s Like Water for Chocolate. The gala raised funds for the Company, as well as ABT’s education and outreach programs.

Danielle DiTomasso Grenier, Associate Manager of Sales, Marketing & Communication for renowned caterer Thomas Preti Events to Savor, shares, “There’s no denying that experiential food presentations can truly elevate a guest’s experience. The benefits of ‘Instagramable’ moments are huge. Some examples include our new ‘Sip & Bite 360-degree Spinning Wall,’ our ‘Lucite Cubby Walls,’ and ‘Entertaining Bartenders’ serving smoking, glowing, and sparkling cocktails — more than entertaining tastebuds.” 

At the Winter Wonderland Gala benefitting National Jewish Health, Preti’s talented team offered creative seasonal cocktails paired with unique presentations of fare like lobster ceviche and strawberry habanero scallop aquachile.

Wolf of Paulette Wolf Events & Entertainment, Inc. says that they are seeing successful guest engagement with, “more unique presentations using celebrity chef or restaurant stations.”

For the Nature Conservancy Gala planned by their talented team, they curated a selection of stations for guests to take a closer look at what the organization was raising money for — and enjoy different food stations along the way from iconic local Chicago restaurants.

Kuppig of Tyger Productions says, “Our favorite new approach in catering is chef tasting plates for cocktail-style galas. In this format, beautifully composed mini plates are passed or presented in a stationary display, allowing guests to graze and explore options in a free form way.”

At the pictured wedding celebration, Tyger’s team offered four separate areas across the sprawling property, each activated with bespoke food, beverage, and entertainment, for a roaming affair with a new experience around every corner.

DiTomasso Grenier of Thomas Preti Events to Savor shares, “70% of our clients want global cuisine offered at their receptions. ‘Street food’ remains very popular because it is authentic, flavorful, and meets the ever-growing demand for global fare. Our Culinary Concept Chef, Peter Bonizio, tracks down the latest cuisines that are trending and develops new food stations. Street food is typically something that’s quick to serve, easy to consume standing, and usually features big bold flavors. All this is especially relevant at galas that are ‘standing receptions’. We love using our locally available ingredients to create these incredible dishes from around the world.”

The team curated creative fare for five different global pavilions, notably this “Moroccan Spice Market” experience. Cones of spices, kebabs, curries, cinnamon sticks, and more, wowed guests.

Jim Mozina, Owner & Chief Operating Officer of top catering firm Le Basque, says, “Le Basque has been designing notable events that are cost effective while drawing in the donors without having to spend tens of thousands of dollars in florals and other single-use décor…we often design with live plants and later gift to a botanical garden, while fruits and vegetables used as décor are donated after the event to a local food shelter. 

“By focusing on statement elements that define the event, and presenting these in grand, unexpected, or iconic designs, we are often able to use humble materials to great impact or re-use materials in surprising ways.” 

The team catered, designed, and produced this gorgeous Gala in the Garden. From oversized pink Chippendale planters with banana plants and ferns to bamboo leaves, fresh green moss, and tall faux palm trees, the team found creative ways to curate sustainable décor.

DiTomasso Grenier of Thomas Preti Events to Savor says, “2023 events will promote sustainability. In anticipation of that, in the summer of 2022, we kicked off our ‘Plastic Pledge’ to become the first Certified Plastic Neutral Caterer in our market. To get there, we partnered with CleanHub to offset our plastic usage by funding the removal of un-recycled plastic pollution from our oceans.

“Additionally we’ve partnered with the Billion Oyster Project who is restoring oyster reefs to New York Harbor in collaboration with New York City communities. By donating our used oyster shells, we are actively engaged in the restorative aquaculture.”

AJ Williams of AJ Events, shares, “We are noticing that even though, due to COVID, events were online and platforms were crucial to fundraising success for the auction, attendees prefer manual paddle cards.”

AJ Events produced a unique School the World Gala to support the international nonprofit in its effort to solve extreme poverty through the power of education.

Williams says, “We planned a passion-filled event with an interactive arrival museum-like experience that took guests on a journey.” That exploration allowed guests to feel the two-hour journey of a child in Guatemala getting to school versus a U.S. child’s seven minute commute. Williams adds, “The interactive component proved successful with night-of fundraising.”

Wolf of Paulette Wolf Events says, “Fundraising efforts have become more digital, so you can raise dollars from beyond the attendee.”