Planning a gala event for your nonprofit organization can be a stressful undertaking. One way to stand out from the crowd is to have a unique look-and-feel designed for your important fundraising event.
Beautifully designed branded marketing materials can make a lasting impression on those volunteering for the event, members of your organization, prospective sponsors, and all of the people who plan to attend and participate. With a properly branded gala event, you can set the stage and inspire action.
Ensure that all of your messaging and visual presentation materials are clearly defined and branded to help make the greatest impact.
At Trillion, we are frequently asked to brand and market gala events. Galas are usually the single most important fundraising event of the year for many nonprofits—and one of the biggest financial risks too. So when it comes to having gala event materials designed for your next major fundraiser, you should be looking to hire the best branding company for your gala look-and-feel. The design company should help ensure that all of your messaging and visual presentation materials for your gala are clearly defined and branded to help make the greatest impact.
Below is a list of items that will help you organize your promotional needs so you can obtain cost estimates from your creative team. The list lays out marketing and promotional material requirements from the beginning stages of planning through the day of the event.
Not everything needs to be completed at once for the gala branding. For example, you could start by having a mood board, or inspiration board, created that will show colors, fonts and key design elements for the gala. Mood boards are a great way to get the committee excited and for them to approve the creative direction for the event. Next, you might focus efforts on a “save the date” announcement and sponsorship materials before becoming involved with invitation packages, social media efforts, and venue signage.
Gala Event Design and Branding Items You Need
Based on our experience designing the look-and-feel for nonprofit gala events, your graphic design company should suggest to you the following promotional materials:
Branded Gala “Save the Date”
A “save the date” can be as simple as a formatted email, postcard or graphic posted to your website. Since it is the first piece of communication about the event, it does not have to reveal more than just the organization name, event name, location and a date. This should tease people and get your event on their radar; so they mark it on their calendar. A “save the date” can be sent up to six months prior to the event date, which helps supporters mark their calendars and plan their giving budget for the coming months.
Showing potential sponsors the exposure and benefits included for particular levels of sponsorship is a crucial step.
Branding for Gala Sponsorship Materials
A main component of gala event branding, and one that is often overlooked until it’s too late, is sponsorship packets. Showing potential sponsors the exposure and benefits included for particular levels of sponsorship is a crucial step to help secure your larger sponsorships as well as giving background information about your organization and how their sponsorship will support the organization’s mission. We indicate sponsorship logo placements for some materials as well as how many planned communications will include their brand. Sponsorship materials can be a single letter, tri-fold brochure or PDF. For all events, a webpage or web portal can allow sponsors to register and pay online, helping to streamline the process and alleviate the time that a volunteer or staff member needs to dedicate to these tasks.
Branding the Gala Invitation Design
One of the required items that needs to be designed for a non-profit’s gala event is the invitation package. There are varying degrees of complexity and costs involved with designing, printing and mailing an invitation. The invitation format that you choose and the types of papers, printing and special finishings can have a real impact on the people receiving it. There is a direct correlation between the care and attention given to designing and printing the invitation to the level of enthusiasm a recipient has for your event when they receive it.
The invitation package usually consists of an outer envelope, the invitation, a response card, and a response envelope. Additionally, it’s common to have an honoree card or sponsorship card, too.
Galas Need a Dedicated Landing Page
Whether or not you are considering online registration for your event, you will still want to create a landing page on your website that provides all of the details of your gala. You can provide the most up-to-date information, including sponsors or details that will inevitably change as the event date gets closer.
Your website landing page can also help provide some data for your marketing and advertising efforts with the help of a remarketing pixel and GA-4 tracking code. With the help of these pieces of code on your website landing page, you can use digital platforms such as Facebook to remind those people who visited your gala event webpage.
Gala Email Campaign Design
While we would love it if everyone who received your invitation responded immediately to attend your gala event, it’s not realistic. Everyone is very busy and with the help of a nicely designed email template for your gala event, you can share new developments for the event and provide reminders to RSVP. The email campaigns also provide a valuable platform to thank and recognize your sponsors—adding more value to your sponsorship levels.
Branded Gala Social Media Assets
As you push toward your gala event, you will want to update your social media presence. Header images or art can be replaced with gala-specific branding and your profile avatars can also be updated. Some thought should be considered for how you can include the gala event branding into your individual posts. Your social media efforts should also link back to your website landing page where full details are provided.
You’ll want the event space to feel connected to all of your branding efforts.
Branded Gala Venue Signage
When your patrons and supporters arrive at your gala venue, you’ll want the event space to feel connected to all of your branding efforts. Entry signs and banners, pop-up banners, branded color palette—for tablecloths and decorations, table signs, action signage and more—all help bring a festive and cohesive tone to your event. See the Pop-up Banners/Posters section below for more details.
Gala Dais Card/Podium Sign
If you plan on having a dais or podium at which presenters or a keynote speaker will be standing, remember to have signage on it. Many photos are taken of these people and it’s always a great way to reinforce the event and brand. The dais cards we create are usually in the 24”x18” range.
Keep Consistent Branding On Projection Screens
Many gala events utilize projection screens and/or large monitors to present information such as sponsor logos, presentation information, videos and gala event branding. Confirm the formatting with the audio-visual team and if there are any special file requirements such as PowerPoint dimensions or image resolutions.
Pop-up Banners/Posters Continue the Brand
Pop-up banners and posters are an affordable way to have high-impact visuals at your gala venue. The pop-up banner is very easy to transport and set up. Posters can be mounted to foam core but will need an easel to display them on. The posters are inexpensive but are a little harder to transport without damaging them. Poster designs can be as small as 18”x 24” or as large as 40”x 60”. Additionally, there are vinyl signs that can be printed very large and are easily transported, rolled out and hung at the venue.
Branded Gala Journal, Program or Brochure
Nearly all gala events have a program where major sponsors, including individuals, can purchase advertising space. Letter-sized sheets of paper that are collated, folded and stapled together is a very common and standard size for gala journals. Major sponsors will have back covers and inside covers reserved for them, followed by highlighted pages for top donors. These highlighted pages can be printed in full color while others can be either black and white, have a colored border or paper, or just have larger space allocated for them.
Don’t underestimate the time it will take to gather sponsorship materials.
The gala journal should also prominently feature leadership, honorees, gala committee, letters from leadership, a schedule of the event, and some overview of why the event takes place.
Don’t underestimate the time it will take to gather sponsorship materials and the content for the gala journal. Sponsors are notorious for sending low-resolution logos and artwork that are not sized properly. You must allow ample time for back and forth in order to get it right before printing and distributing: a solid two weeks for layout and another two to five days for printing and finishing. Materials for larger organizations and events can require even more time to complete.
In lieu of a printed journal, a digital program may also be created where supporters and sponsors are displayed digitally on screens at the venue. This option saves both time and production costs.
Branded Gala Experience
Build out your branding into a cohesive theme that extends to the decor, refreshments, music and entertainment at the gala. Galas can get creative with Instagram flower walls, video-mapped ceilings that evoke Tuscany or a city skyline, or cocktail bars that resemble speakeasies. For The Green Vale School Gala, the Roaring ‘20s aesthetic was continued through decoration. Trillion designed a branded photo booth so that guests could enjoy a themed photo op and then keep the pictures as souvenirs.
Great Gala Branding Begins with Trillion
At Trillion, we’re branding experts and experienced graphic designers who know how to make gala events and promotional materials look truly spectacular. Check out some of our event branding campaigns—some of which had record fundraising and participation when we designed the look and feel of the gala.
If you’d like to discuss your next major gala design or special fundraising event, give us a call at 908.219.4703 or use our contact form to get the conversation started. We can answer your questions and give you an idea of the options you have based on your budget.
