Your Complete Guide to Fundraiser Entertainment

Have you been asked to find amazing fundraiser entertainment? It’s a big job—one with a variety of factors that will impact its success. We totally understand if you’re feeling overwhelmed. But don’t worry, we have a solution for you!

In this article, we talk about everything you need to know in regards to fundraiser entertainment, including the kind of entertainers you can hire, how to choose talent, whether you should work with a booking agency or not, and more.

Here’s the deal: fundraiser entertainment is important because it helps create memorable experiences for attendees. Get this aspect of your get-together right and your organization will experience way more success. We’re here to help make sure that happens. Let’s get started!

What are some Types of Fundraisers

Once you determine the type of event, you can select the perfect type of entertainment.

For some fundraisers, event entertainment will be the “main attraction.” For others, such as sporting events and other competitions, event entertainment will follow the main activity and (hopefully!) end it with a bang.

Hospital Fundraiser Events

Is your hospital foundation planning a fundraising event? If so, consider hiring a comedian to entertain your crowd. 

You see, every foundation must answer a simple question: How do we get people to attend our fundraising events. If you can’t answer this question successfully, nobody will show up to your event and you won’t be able to raise money for your cause.

To entice people to come to your fundraiser, you need to make it seem different and fun. In other words, you need to hire a comedian (or a similar kind of entertainer) instead of hosting a golf tournament, which every other foundation already does.

A comedian, whether he or she is a celebrity or not, will get your attendees excited. It makes sense. Everyone loves to laugh and comedians are professional joke-tellers. Who wouldn’t want to attend an event with a comedian? Plus, when your foundation announces that a comedian will be performing at its next fundraiser, you’ll automatically signal to people that the event won’t be stuffy and boring. They’ll be able to let loose and enjoy themselves, which will make them want to attend even more.

Pro Tip: Celebrity comedians are a big draw. Hiring one is a great way to get word of mouth for the event and to ensure your guests show up! You can use images and video footage to promote your next event, too. Win!

Types of Fundraiser Entertainment

There are so many options when it comes to charity entertainment. 

You want to consider your audience when choosing performers. So ask yourself questions like, “What will my audience relate to?” and “What will they enjoy most?” and “Is a little adult humor okay, or should the entertainment be appropriate for all ages?”

Budget is also a factor. Don’t just think about the expense, consider the crowd your entertainment will draw. More tickets sold or more donors or auction participants (etc.) means more funds raised.

The 6 Best Fundraiser Entertainment Options

Now that you know what to look for when it comes to fundraiser entertainment, let’s talk about the specific options available to you. Here are the six best kinds of performers for charity events:

• Celebrity Entertainers: These are usually comedians, but you can also find improv actors, keynote speakers, and singers.
• Clean comedians: This kind of comedy is based on clean jokes that are suitable for all audiences. (Don’t worry, they’re just as funny as their non-clean comedic counterparts.)
• America’s Got Talent Acts: These acts performed on the hit show, America’s Got Talent. As such, they’re a great option when you want to really impress and thrill your audience.
• WOW Entertainment: These performers range from speed painters to flashmob artists and will excite your attendees with a unique spectacle they’ve never seen before.
• High Technology Acts: These acts use technology to entertain. Hire one of these performers to delight your crowd with spectacular light shows, interesting new beats and sounds, and more.
• Mentalists and Magicians: These performers never go out of style! Plus, they’re always equipped with jokes and mind-bending tricks to keep your audience engaged and on their toes.

All of the entertainment types above can wow an audience. To make sure your event is a success, pick the kind of act that’s best suited to your attendees. Then partner with an experienced professional you can count on.

How to Select Your Charity Event Entertainment

Finding the right talent, scoping out their expertise and experience, negotiating their contract, and finalizing the details may feel like a daunting process. You don’t have to go it alone. There are talent booking agencies – like us – that are here to help.

We’ll run through the process whether you take the Do-It-Yourself approach or you choose to partner with a booking agency.

DIY Fundraiser Entertainment Selection:

1. Start by setting clear criteria. Determine exactly what you are looking for, including the kind of entertainer you want to hire, the venue you want them to perform in, the date of your event, and your fundraiser entertainment budget.
2. Research the different acts out there. Watch videos and read about other people’s experience with each entertainer. Just remember, a 10 minute video may not tell the full story. You probably want your act on stage for 45 minutes. Can they can carry a show for that long? You also need to make sure that they’re reliable, professional, and won’t cause you extra anxiety. While reading reviews is time consuming, it’s a crucial step in the process.
3. Once you are confident in your choice, reach out to the talent or their agent. Be prepared to give all relevant details right away. They probably get tons of emails every day and don’t want to go back and forth.
4. Make an offer. Once the offer is accepted, it’s time to move to the contract. 
5. Provide a contract. The entertainer’s agent may have a contract to use. If not, you will need to provide one and include the terms. 

Why Use A Booking Agent To Hire Entertainment For A Fundraiser?

If you’re new to booking agencies, you may think hiring entertainers yourself will be more cost effective.

This couldn’t be farther from the truth! Funny Business has built a vast network of talent over the years, which allows us to leverage relationships and get better pricing. Plus, working with an agency like us will save you time and hassle. You won’t have to spend hours researching talent, negotiating fees, etc. and will be able to enjoy your event much more. This is because agencies have tons of event experience and generally know which entertainers will be the best fit for each get-together.

All you have to do is give Funny Business the details of your event. Once you do, we’ll find acts that perfectly fit your gathering and send them to you to assess. You’ll then be able to watch videos of each entertainer and read reviews. More importantly, you’ll rest easy knowing each act has been vetted and has a long list of satisfied clients.

In fact, we are so diligent in scoping out and selecting the best talent, we’ve developed a strong reputation in the industry.

We’re the sole talent buyer for Gilda Radner’s LaughFest, one of America’s largest comedy festivals. We are proud of this very special role we play in the event—especially since we worked hard to build this agency. An honor like that shows that our hard work has paid off. (It’s true! See our logo in the bottom right of their site!)

How to Ensure Your Event is a Success

“Fundraising today is more personal,” says GoFundMe Marketing Director Gary Wohlfeill.

What does this mean for you? It means you need to align the entire event experience with your unique audience. This is especially true if you’re attracting a younger audience, as they’re more likely to care about this kind of thing. So, always ask yourself, who will attend my event and what can I do to make sure they have a great time?

Here’s another helpful tip: Use stories as a way to share why people should care about your cause and support your event.

Think back to when you were a kid. Chances are, you were obsessed with stories. You were constantly listening to them, learning from them, and relating to them. The truth is, humans respond to stories. Use this to your advantage.

Don’t Forget About Marketing!

Finally, market your fundraiser for more success. There are a few ways to do this:

• Use Technology: Social media, email marketing, and SMS marketing are easy ways to get the word out about your event. Use the various platforms available to you to promote your fundraiser to its target audience.
• Get Your Staff Involved: Word of mouth marketing is important, too. Ask your staff, volunteers, and supporters to tell people about your event and explain to them why they care about your cause so much.
• Use Videos: We suggest filming your fundraiser. Why? Because video marketing is powerful and you can use the clips to help promote future events. Remember to whip out your iPhone during the get-together and capture footage.

Looking for more information to ensure you have the best entertainment for your fundraiser event? Our site is filled with content to inform and guide you.

Fundraiser Entertainment Resources

• Read more about the cost and value of hiring a celebrity comedian for your event. 
• Discover the difference between clean and corporate comedians and determine which is best for your event. 
• Read about the costs of hiring a comedian. 
• Check out this comprehensive post if you’re interested in hiring a comedian. 
• Learn how to promote your event. 
• Learn more about mentalists a great option for charity events. 

Want to make sure your fundraiser is the best it can be? Contact us right now to discuss your event. We’d be happy to talk with you about the ins and outs of your fundraiser and how we can make it better with amazing entertainment.