Why Registration Is A Necessity For Both In-Person And Virtual Events
Holding an event without a registration system would be like heading into a foreign city without a map. It is a sure way for you to head in the wrong direction, guaranteeing that you never reach your goal.
Having a registration system for gathering and correlating information is crucial to planning and organizing a successful event. A registration system will create a collection point for all the data you need from your attendees.
The system will allow you to customize a web page, add all the information pertinent to your event, and include the ability for attendees to register from the page.
The best systems for managing fundraising dinners will even provide a guest list manager page where a table host can send out invitation emails to their network, register guests, and update their list when changes arise without contacting the event coordinator.
An efficient registration system is an invaluable tool for a nonprofit, no matter the size of the organization or the event. Nonprofits thrive through relationship building, and those solid, lasting relationships can start with a stellar registration system.
Here's why a registration system is a must for in-person and virtual events.
First and foremost, a registration system is an engine that will keep your event running smoothly and efficiently. The registration system you use for your event is the first contact registrants will have with your nonprofit's event.
You will either send a message of expertise and trustworthiness to registrants, or registration inefficiencies will leave potential donors questioning whether your nonprofit would manage donated funds properly.
Having an efficient registration method for your event, whether in-person, virtual, or a combination of both, will also save you time. The time you spend on a manual process or using an inefficient system will be better spent on other value-creating tasks.
With a registration system, you will have all the information that you need in one place for all staff to access. You will see who is registered, who has canceled, those on a waitlist, etc.
All administrative work related to registration and participants will be in the same system, making the process streamlined and requiring less effort on your part.
Using a well-structured registration system will allow your nonprofit to email existing and past participants. According to Mojo Media Labs, 90% of registrants prefer to register online.
When you provide registrants with an efficient, straightforward way to register, you are more likely to increase the number of attendees to your event. Having a simple, efficient registration system is also providing good customer service.
Three Best Practices for Registration
When choosing a registration system, use a system that is multifaceted, providing more than just a list of who said “yes.” A good event registration platform is a one-stop system with everything you need to put on a remarkable event.
Attendance by FundEasy is a registration system that delivers an efficient, time-saving, and user-friendly way to provide registration for attendees. Often used for fundraising dinners, golf tournaments, and other registration-based events, Attendance is a one-stop application; it simplifies the process, gives you pertinent information, and allows you to concentrate on other aspects of the event.
Planning a Peer-to-Peer fundraiser? It’s important to have a system that provides registration and personal fundraising pages for your participants all in one place. That’s precisely what Peer-to-Peer by FundEasy was designed for!
No matter the type of event, an effective registration system should provide your nonprofit with these three essential best practices:
1.) Vibrant, yet straightforward, event web page
Our world today is cluttered with information and attention-grabbing notifications. We grow weary of having to sift and sort through detailed processes.
Your event web page should have all the details that a potential attendee needs, but not a conglomerate that gives them information overload.
Include key information, a clickable map for directions, and an "add to calendar" option so they don’t miss the big day! If your event is open to anyone who may wish to attend, then providing buttons for easy social media & email sharing is so helpful. The event web page should be linked to your nonprofit's web page and marketing emails.
2.) Easy registration process for attendees
Your potential attendees are much more likely to sign up when registration is streamlined and painless. You absolutely wouldn’t want your registration process to be a barrier to sign-up.
Registration can sometimes be the first meaningful interaction that your nonprofit has with potential attendees. A good registration process will minimize the number of questions, pages, and forms to be completed.
At the same time, you will still need to gather needed signup information from supporters. Your registration format should identify the essential information and make sure that it is listed first.
3.) Immediate email to attendees after they register
Getting attendees to register is the first step, and the next step is retaining those registrants. Engaging them immediately with a welcome email will help keep them stay engaged and excited about the upcoming event.
According to Experian, a welcome email that is triggered in real-time makes a great first impression and has an open rate four times higher than other promotional emails.
Registration is just one part of the interaction with your potential supporters, and engaging them early with a welcome email will set the tone and create that great first impression.
After The Event, Measure Your Registration Success
When the dust settles after your event, it is vital to assess your registrations. You’ll want to look at how many people registered, how many registrants checked in for the event, and how many donated to your cause.
An important metric that involves registration is the ability to see which types of attendees are most active as these people will be some of your more loyal supporters.
Knowing these numbers, and the people who attended will help in planning future events, especially those that are in-person.
Final Thoughts
Having a stellar registration system is an indication to potential attendees that your event will be conducted professionally.
Registration is at the heart of events and is often the first impression your attendees will have of your organization. An attendee's confidence, or lack thereof, will be impacted by this first contact.
Using a registration system that meets the needs of attendees and streamlines the process for the nonprofit benefits both parties with organizational efficiency and accuracy, building strong relationships from the start.
If you'd like to learn more about our Attendance, Peer-to-Peer or Crowdfunding Products, please reach out! We'd love to chat.
Also, if you haven't joined already, we have an exclusive Facebook Group just for our customers! If you are a current FundEasy Customer and would like to join, go here to learn more and request to be added!
Crystal Hoag
This article was inspired by our customers and written to encourage your fundraising efforts. Although we work with nonprofits and events daily, our team members are not Event Consultants. We encourage you to consult with your event consultant, executive team, and/or affiliate organization before making any major changes to your events.