Explore top event ideas to strengthen relationships between donors and beneficiaries, enhance engagement, and maximize fundraising success for your nonprofit.

By Jen Wemhoff

Nonprofit fundraising is about more than just dollars—it’s about connections. Strong relationships between donors and beneficiaries can deepen donor engagement, build trust, and generate more meaningful support for your organization’s mission. For smaller nonprofits, these relationships are incredibly powerful. They humanize your work, turn statistics into human-driven stories, and can help transform one-time donors into long-term supporters.

When donors have the opportunity to see and hear the real-world impact of their giving and meet the people whose lives have been changed because of their contributions, it cultivates a deeper sense of purpose. One of the most effective ways to do this is through events that bring donors and beneficiaries together in intentional ways. Here are four event ideas that can help your nonprofit foster deeper connections between donors and the people they’re helping.

1. Charity Golf Tournament

A charity golf tournament offers a relaxed setting centered around an enjoyable event where meaningful conversations and connections happen naturally. Unlike more structured events, golf tournaments provide plenty of downtime between holes and during post-golf activities like a cocktail hour, reception, or banquet, which provides an organic interaction between donors, beneficiaries, volunteers, and staff. 

Why It Works:

• Participation opportunities for beneficiaries. Invite beneficiaries to join foursomes or serve as event speakers. Their presence adds authenticity and helps donors connect their support to real stories.
• Informal setting. The laid-back nature of the day encourages casual, authentic conversations that can’t be achieved with a formal program. 
• Multi-purpose. You can integrate storytelling, donor recognition, and fundraising opportunities into one event.

Golf Tournament Pro Tips:

• GolfStatus recommends getting creative by adding a theme to your tournament that helps drive home your mission to participants. 
• Invite a beneficiary to share their story during opening remarks or the awards ceremony. 
• Set up a casual “Meet and Greet” session over breakfast or lunch before the tournament begins or over drinks and appetizers after the round finishes, where donors and beneficiaries can connect.
• Add additional fundraising elements like a raffle with items or experiences tied to your mission to spotlight beneficiary needs or milestones.

2. Storytelling Event

Storytelling events, whether hosted in person or online, center on experiences. Beneficiaries share their personal journeys, and donors see the direct results of their support. Both groups get to witness the people behind the mission.

Why It Works:

• Emotional connection to your nonprofit. Stories humanize your work in ways that data and numbers simply can’t. Hearing someone describe how a program changed their life is more powerful than any campaign report.
• Clarity and transparency. When donors hear directly from organizational beneficiaries, it reinforces your mission and impact in a tangible, memorable way. 
• Flexibility. A storytelling event allows you to choose how and when to hold it. You might fold it into another event (like your golf tournament) or host a series of online sessions once a month.

Storytelling Events Pro Tips:

• Use video, photos, and music to amplify the emotional impact of the beneficiary stories and your mission. 
• Tie each story to a specific call to action, such as making a donation, volunteering to help with an event or initiative, or participating in an advocacy effort. 
• To foster meaningful connections, make the event as interactive as possible. Offer live Q&A, breakout rooms, or discussion prompts to allow donors and beneficiaries to talk directly with one another.

3. Community Dinner or Picnic

Want a high-impact way to bring people together? Host a casual community dinner or picnic. These types of relaxed events invite people to gather together in a friendly, informal atmosphere to forge genuine connections and relationships. 

Why It Works:

• Authenticity. A potluck or BBQ can feel more like a family reunion than a fundraising event. That kind of setting opens the door to real, heartfelt conversations.
• Accessibility. These events are typically less expensive than a formal gala or corporate gathering, and are easy to host at a local park, community center, or even someone’s backyard.

Community Dinner Pro Tips:

• Create a “meet the beneficiary” table or booth where willing beneficiaries can chat with attendees and share their experiences.
• Include a special “thank you” segment at the dinner where beneficiaries personally express appreciation to donors. This could be as simple as a few brief testimonials or even thank-you cards distributed at tables.

4. Workshop or Educational Panel

Consider hosting a workshop, discussion panel, conference session, or series of open-table conversations where donors and beneficiaries participate. Center the discussions around topics relevant to your nonprofit’s mission and work, allowing both groups to engage with and learn from each other.

Why It Works:

• Shared learning. These types of sessions position donors and beneficiaries as co-learners, fostering empathy, respect, and shared purpose of your organization’s mission.
• Dialogue and insight. Donors hear firsthand about lived experiences from those who have benefited from the nonprofit’s services, and beneficiaries gain visibility and confidence by sharing their story and letting their voices be heard.

Discussion Event Pro Tips:

• Choose discussion topics that matter to both audiences. You might invite representatives from each group to collaborate on designing the agenda and topics.
• Use a skilled moderator to guide the discussion and ensure equal participation from both donors and beneficiaries. 
• Consider hands-on workshops where beneficiaries and donors collaborate. For example, you might offer a session on financial literacy or resume writing led by a donor with expertise in those areas, which gives donors the chance to learn more about a beneficiary’s journey. 

Final Thoughts

You don’t need a huge staff or a big budget to pull off events like those mentioned in this guide. Think about strategic ways to stretch your resources, such as:

• Leveraging partnerships. Tap into community organizations, schools, or local businesses that might donate space, catering, or supplies in exchange for recognition.
• Securing sponsorships. Local businesses are often willing to sponsor nonprofit fundraising events, especially when they earn positive brand exposure and appreciate the community impact.
• Aligning with corporate social responsibility goals. Reach out to companies already committed to giving back through corporate social responsibility initiatives.

The key to meaningful donor engagement isn’t just showing impact—it’s creating opportunities for donors to feel it firsthand. When donors and beneficiaries connect, it dissolves the distance between giving and receiving. For smaller nonprofits, these events are more than just good ideas, they can be powerful tools for transformation. So, whether it’s on the golf course, around a picnic table, or inside a community hall, start planning your next event with relationships in mind!

Jen Wemhoff came to GolfStatus in 2020 after 20 years in the nonprofit industry. Her favorite things about golf are its ability to bring people together and its capacity to raise money for important causes, and she is one of the co-founders of the Putt Putt Fore Puppies mini golf tournament. She can be found listening to the Interstellar soundtrack while writing content for GolfStatus’ educational guides, templates, blogs, case studies, webinars, and more. She likes to brag about sinking a 25-foot putt at Victoria National Golf Club during her first round of golf in years. Jen and her husband, Mark, have two daughters, Anna and Elsa (who are not named for the movie Frozen), and love to cheer on the Kansas City Chiefs and Nebraska Cornhuskers.