Event Planning Software for Nonprofits

When it comes to planning a fundraiser, having a streamlined event planning process can elevate the entire event experience for everyone involved—including you, the event planner. From managing attendee engagement to handling ticket sales to tracking lead retrievals, the right tools can help you organize the most successful version of any fundraiser or other big event for your organization.

Best Event Management Software Solutions

When it comes to project management tools, there is no single “best” solution. There is only the tool that works best for your organization. In other words, what tools will help you better organize and execute your event will vary depending on factors like what sort of get-together you are planning and what your budget is.

Not sure where to start? Not a problem. Below are some popular event planning tools that are worth exploring if you’re wanting to take your nonprofit organization’s upcoming fundraiser to the next level.

For Webinars and Other Virtual Events

Virtual events are all the rage today. Fortunately, that means there are plenty of tools available to help you plan, track, and execute these events with ease. One of the more popular apps, Aventri, may be worth exploring for those who plan to host online events.

Avetri offers a top-notch experience for users by:

integrating platforms to streamline everything,
offering real-time insights based on event data for easy attendee management,
using diverse marketing campaigns, and
allowing for full customization of online event registrations.

What makes Avetri such a strong platform for online event management is that it allows for interaction during these events, customizable attendee agendas, real-time insights, breakout rooms, and on-demand accessible content after the occasion itself ends. Avetri also offers hybrid and in-person solutions, making it a truly integrated event management solution for any event organizer.

Pricing for this software is, according to the official site, fixed per registration. Costs drop with rising volume.

For Hybrid Events

Hybrid events, as the name implies, are events that contain both in-person and online elements. For these occasions, it’s important to have an event management platform that allows seamless integration of various tools to help you save time during planning and streamline workflow, attendee management, event ticketing, and more.

Boomset by Hopin is a tool that can help you “create engaging hybrid events” with the countless tools, gizmos, and gadgets it offers users.

Some of the services it offers include:

branded event registration forms and pages,
contact-free check-in,
admittance through facial recognition, UHF/NFC, or QR code scanning,
guest list file uploads,
lead collection and event feedback services,
tools that automate certificates after completion,
access to demographic stats and breakdowns,
and much, much more.

This service offers three plans: Growth, Business, and Enterprise. The Growth plan costs $4,000 and has additional on-site registration fees of $1. Pricing details for the Business and Enterprise plans are not readily available on the official site.

For In-person Events

Some events are just better to attend in person. For these occasions, tools like Eventbrite can help make everything happen much more smoothly at every stage of the event planning process.

Eventbrite services and products include:

setup tools to sell tickets for either in-person or online events,
customizable email templates and email marketing tracking,
visually appealing event pages,
event marketing tools, such as help with email and social media campaigns,
an intuitive mobile event app that makes task management easy,
and more.

Eventbrite claims to be “free to use for free events.” The platform offers three packages: Essentials, Professional, and Premium. Each package offers more goodies than the last, and allows organizers to save money on their budget by passing some processing fees and costs onto people purchasing tickets.

According to the official site, fees per paid ticket for each packet are as follows:

Essentials – 2% + $0.79
Professional – 3.5% + $1.59
Premium – Custom

Free Event Management App

For nonprofits on a smaller budget, Eventleaf offers a free version of its event management software. This version offers unlimited events for unlimited users for up to 100 attendees a year.

Other features include:

event website creation,
virtual sessions,
email support,
easy registration,
reminders and invitations, and
surveys.

The ease of use and affordability of this free version makes it an attractive option for smaller organizations hosting smaller events.

For Overall Functionality

For those looking for a “do-it-all event management system,” Cvent might be worth exploring. It has helped many people plan and execute online, in-person, and hybrid events in an organized fashion. It’s all thanks to features like:

customer support teams,
integrated dashboards,
secure credit card and other payment processing,
easy social media promotion,
digital booths for third-party sponsorships and exhibitors,
stable scalability,
old-school in-person offerings,
qualification and attribution of attendees to help evaluate ROI,
and more!

The Cvent Attendee Hub feature in particular allows for a better attendee experience, and allows you the ability to better track and engage participants before, during, and after each event. Services include moderated Q&As and live polling to help attendees become fully immersed, no matter how they choose to participate.

Pricing varies widely for both online registration and event management tools. Their mobile app is priced on a per-event basis.

Disclaimers: This article does not constitute professional, legal, or financial advice. This article does not constitute a professional endorsement or review of the services and products mentioned above. Prices listed in this article are subject to change.