Advancement Event Toolkit - Event Planning Tip Sheet

Sep 13, 2026

The Advancement Event Toolkit for the College of Arts and Sciences provides practical guidance for organizing advancement-focused events from start to finish. It covers venue selection and ADA accessibility considerations, audience clarification and guest-list building, registration link creation through Qualtrics or MachForm, and a recommended invitation reminder timeline. The toolkit also addresses funding, travel, dietary restrictions, marketing channels, event preparation support needs, emergency planning, virtual event platform requirements, and post-event tasks including surveys and follow-up submissions.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryPresentations

FormatPDF

Pages15

Reading Time5 min

AccessFree to download

Table of Contents

A) Event Planning Tip Sheet

B) Event Budget Template

C) Event Emergency Plan

D) Post-Event Survey Tips

Appendix

i) Volunteer Guidelines

ii) Helpful Contacts

College of Arts and Sciences Advancement Event Toolkit July 2024 Table of Contents A) Event Planning Tip Sheet i) Sign-In Sheet Template B) Event Budget Template C) Event Emergency Plan D) Post-Event Survey Tips Appendix: i) Volunteer Guidelines ii) Helpful Contacts The College of Arts and Sciences’ Event Planning Tip Sheet • Selecting a Venue o Things to consider: 􀂃 Anticipated attendance 􀂃 Type of event: seated dinner, cocktail hour, lecture, etc. 􀂃 ADA Accessible 􀂃 Parking 􀂃 Cost of rental 􀂃 Rental of tables and chairs 􀂃 Catering restrictions o Make sure to fill out the UERC Form (Required for all events of 50 or more people) -[https://universityevents.iu.edu/events/event-guidance-registration.html](https://universityevents.iu.edu/events/event-guidance-registration.html) • Clarify your audience o Who do you plan to invite to your event? 􀂃 Make a guest list and consider: • A list of department faculty, staff, and students • Alumni invitation list (Can request here) • Faculty, staff, and students from other areas who participate in your regular events • Community members • Local Retirement communities • Upper administration • Legislators (who might be interested in the event) • Local friends and donors (Can request here) • Creating A Registration Link o Can be done through Qualtrics or MachForm o For online programming, please use the registration function affiliated with the virtual platform. Zoom is recommended for all online programming. o Do not forget to send out an event reminder leading up to the event: 􀂃 Ideally the original invitation will go out 4-6 weeks in advance 􀂃 a reminder 2 weeks before 􀂃 a final reminder 2-3 days ahead of the event • Date Selection o It is diplomatic and professional to consult the Religious Holiday Calendar prior to selecting a date for your event o Review the Events Calendar to see if another event might conflict with your intended event day and time • Funding o You are invited to apply for a College Alumni Engagement Grant at: [https://college.indiana.edu/landing-pages/forms/alumni-grant-application.html](https://college.indiana.edu/landing-pages/forms/alumni-grant-application.html) o Consider using our budget template • Travel o Consider if your guests will be traveling from out of state and if booking hotel rooms at the Indiana Memorial Union's Biddle Hotel would be beneficial. You are able to place room blocks ahead of time and have them released prior to your event if guests do not need them. • Food o It is recommended that you ask for any dietary restrictions in your registration so that you can accommodate guests and communicate this with your catering vendor. o Consider placing your catering order as early as possible. • Marketing o Need help creating an event invitation for your alumni and friends? Contact the College’s Office of Advancement. 􀂃 Utilize social media and send personal invitations to your network. o IU Branding-[https://www.iu.edu/brand/tools-resources/downloads/custom](https://www.iu.edu/brand/tools-resources/downloads/custom)marketing-lockups. html o Add your event to IU LiveWhale. Tag the College of Arts and Sciences and the College’s Office of Advancement. • Preparing for the Event: o Make sure to ask for staff support ahead of time. Keep in mind that you will need support for: 􀂃 Checking in attendees – sign in sheet , nametags 􀂃 Communicating with vendors 􀂃 Interacting with attendees 􀂃 Maintaining run-of-show • Emergency Plan o It is important to have an emergency plan for your event , like this example. • Volunteer Guidelines o Volunteer Agreement • Virtual Events o At minimum, a virtual event platform should offer: 􀂃 Live event streaming. 􀂃 Event registration pages. 􀂃 Event emails. 􀂃 Live chat, polls, and Q&A. 􀂃 On-demand access. 􀂃 Performance analytics. o The College's Executive Dean's office utilizes Zoom f

FAQs

How should the event team select a venue?

Evaluate anticipated attendance, event format (e.g., seated dinner, cocktail hour, lecture), ADA accessibility, parking, and rental and catering restrictions. Fill out the required UERC form for events with 50 or more participants.

What are recommended steps for invitations and registration?

Clarify the audience, build a guest list, and create a registration link using Qualtrics or MachForm (or the virtual platform’s registration feature). Send reminders: initial invitation 4–6 weeks ahead, a reminder 2 weeks before, and a final reminder 2–3 days before the event.

What should be included in virtual event planning and post-event follow-up?

Choose a virtual platform that supports live streaming, registration pages, event emails, live chat/polls/Q&A, on-demand access, and performance analytics. After the event, thank participants and staff, send a post-event survey when applicable, and submit attendance lists to the Office of Advancement for a catering credit entry.

Sep 13, 2026

Uploaded by Taylor Morgan