Event Overview

The Event Manager is designed to assist with the planning and execution of special events such as dinners, sports tournaments, conferences, and meetings. Using the Event Manager, you can define the event parameters, invite participants, track RSVPs, assign attendees to tables or other groups, and record attendance. You can also track all donations related to the event, including sponsorships, ticket purchases, in-kind gifts, and sales.

If you wish to invite people via email, you can create a link where they can respond on-line. In addition you can host an event page on your website where people can sign up. This information can then be brought directly into ExceedFurther.

Because different events have different requirements, you can define a separate set of user defined fields for each type of event. For example, for a golf tournament you may need handicap and shoe size, but for a dinner you may need food preference and parking pass status. You can also track expenses related to an event.

If you have an event that repeats each year with mostly the same parameters, you can copy the event set up from one year to the next rather than starting from scratch with your event definition.

Each time someone is invited to an event, their status is recorded in their activity list and appears in their journal. In this way you can see a complete history of all of the events a person has been invited to and which ones they attended.

Getting started with events

To use the Event Manager to set up and follow through all the steps in carrying out a successful event, do the following:

  1. Use the Event Manager to create a new event. This opens the Event Setup window at Step 1, Create New Event.
  2. Name your event and enter the date and other details that you know, such as the event capacity and the goal. You can always return and add these and other details later.
  3. Decide what extra information you will need to collect about each participant. These are added to user defined fields.
  4. Use the Custom Page Layout in Admin to add the fields you need and to lay out the Event Attendee page they way you want it to appear.
    1. If you already have a similar event set up in ExceedFurther, you can use the Copy feature as a short cut to create your new event. After you have copied a previous event to a new event, you can then customize the new event as needed.
  5. If your event includes sponsorships, use the Codes tab of the Admin tab to create Sponsorship Level codes.
    1. The sponsorship levels you set can be used in other events also, so after you have created the sponsorship levels, you add them to this event using the Event Sponsorship choice on the Codes tab in Admin.
  6. If you plan to use volunteers for this event, use the Volunteer manager to create job descriptions, schedule volunteers into those jobs, send reminders, and keep track of hours.
  7. If you are going to set up various ticketing options, use Step 2 of the Event Setup window to define each option, including the price and the number of seats.
  8. Decide if you will need groups, such as tables or foursomes, for this event. If so create the groups using Step 3 of the Event Setup window.
  9. If you are going to accept responses online, set up your online page for this event.
  10. Create your participant list using the Event Setup window, Step 4, Add Participants.
  11. Create and send the invitations to your participant list.
  12. Use the Online Transactions Navigator to process online responses.
  13. As offline responses are received, use the Event Manager to update the RSVP list and record donations.
  14. As the event gets closer, assign the guests to their tables or other groupings, using Step 5, Assign Groupings, in the Event Setup window.
  15. Send email reminders or updates to your guests if you wish, using the Icon bar mailing icon or the Event letter template in the Mailing tab.
  16. If you want to track expenses and the net amount raised by this event, use the Event Setup wizard, Step 1a, Edit Event to add expenses.
  17. Print table charts and other lists to assist in setting up the actual event and checking people in.
  18. After the event, use the Event Manager to mark those who did not show up, and send thank-you letters or emails to your volunteers, sponsors and other guests.
  19. Once everything has been recorded, run event reports to see how you did this year and how this event compares to ones in the past.
  20. Make sure you have added all your notes and attached relevant documents so that next year your event will run even more smoothly.