A successful battle of the bands fundraiser will require some thoughtful planning beforehand. Check out the five steps we recommend you complete to pull off an unforgettable night full of music and fun. 

1. Secure a concert venue. 

Not every venue is conducive to an evening of rock ‘n’ roll. For example, choosing to host your battle of the bands in your church’s chapel might not sit well with all of your parishioners. Likewise, hosting your event in the spacious open field behind your local high school might seem like a great idea at first, but might not be the best choice when you realize the sound equipment you have access to can’t accommodate a large outdoor space. 

Where you host your battle of the bands will set the tone for the entire event, so it’s worth getting the setting right. Reach out to local concert venues, performing halls, and schools or churches with roomy auditoriums or gyms to get an idea of all of your options. Remember to consider the rental fee for each space as you budget for your event. If you need to offset the cost of the venue, you might ask the owner of the venue to sponsor your organization and donate the use of the venue to your organization for the night.

2. Reach out to local bands. 

You can’t have a battle of the bands without some excellent musicians! Scour your local music scene for up-and-coming performers who want to get their names out in the public eye, and invite them to perform for the chance to be crowned the champion of your event. Once you’ve gotten one band to sign up, encourage those performers to invite other groups they know to join in on the fun. By tapping into your musicians’ personal networks, you’ll soon have a lineup of incredible talent slated for your big night. 

If you want to include judges as part of your battle of the bands, you’ll also want to start reaching out to potential participants at this point in the process. You might recruit local music teachers or professors, retired performers, or local celebrities. To add even more fun to mix, you might ask each judge to take on a character. For example, many of your attendees would likely get a kick out of seeing one of your judges mimic Simon Cowell’s famous sarcasm throughout the night. 

3. Advertise your event. 

Once you have the who, what, when, and where of your battle of the bands fundraiser planned, it’s time to start promoting your event to your supporters. To be truly effective, your marketing strategy should target your donors where they already are. We recommend taking a segmented approach when deciding how best to make your marketing dollars stretch. Employ strategies that have worked before. For example, if you know your audience responds well to social media posts about upcoming fundraisers, make sure to leverage that strategy. 

One great tool for a battle of the bands fundraiser is an event landing page on your organization’s website. On your landing page, you can include all of the information your supporters need to know and the online tools necessary for securing tickets. You can direct your supporters to this resource when they have questions or concerns about your event and link to it in email newsletters, blog posts, social media posts, and text reminders. 

4. Sell concessions or branded merchandise. 

On the big night, you’ll want to employ several revenue-boosting strategies. Two of our favorites for this type of event are selling concessions or branded merchandise. 

Everyone loves a treat while listening to a great concert. Consider selling concessions like soda and water, or popcorn, cotton candy, and soft pretzels to your concert crowd. They’ll be excited to see there are refreshments available throughout the night, and they’ll be happy to spend a few more dollars knowing that they’ll be further helping your cause. 

Branded merchandise, like concert t-shirts, can also sell like hotcakes at a battle of the bands fundraiser. Many people enjoy collecting concert t-shirts and would love to commemorate their experience at your event by adding another shirt to their collection. Design a shirt that includes the date of your event, a reminder of your cause, and the lineup of bands, and sell it during the event. 

5. Have attendees vote for their favorite band and announce the winner!

Once the last chord has been strummed, it’s time to crown the champion of the battle of the bands! Give your attendees (or judges) a moment to deliberate among themselves to choose their favorite performers. To earn extra cash, you could have them place their vote by paying a dollar for their favorite group, or you could measure the cheers and applause that each group gets. 

After the winner is determined, invite them up on stage for an epic encore!

Wanting to learn more about you can take your battle of the bands fundraiser to the next level? Check out these additional resources: 

• Donor Data Management: A Quick Guide for Nonprofits. It’s important to understand your donors when determining what fundraisers (like a battle of the bands) they’ll respond to best, and you’ll need donor data to do so! Learn about the ins and outs of donor data management. 
• 20+ Fundraising Products To Help Your Org Raise More. A battle of the bands can easily be paired with a product fundraiser. Check out these amazing fundraising product recommendations so that you can sell something your donors will love!