FUNDRAISING FUEL BOOK
The practical guide to nonprofit gala planning written by someone who has raised $5.8M for causes that matter.
After years of planning fundraising galas and raising millions of dollars for nonprofits nationwide, Kristin Watkins, founder of Stephanie Rose Events, recognized a pattern: the teams that struggled weren’t lacking passion or dedication, they were lacking a planning system. Fundraising Fuel gives them one.
This is not a theory book. It is a practical, no-fluff guide built from real events, real donors, and real lessons learned on the floor of fundraising galas across the country.
What’s Inside
The book walks you through the strategy that separates successful nonprofit galas from ones that plateau
• How to build a fundraising goal around per-guest math, not just a dollar figure
• How to structure your sponsorship tiers so sponsors have a path up, not just a path back
• How to design a live auction that earns its place in the program
• How to create a guest experience that connects donors to your mission
• How to build Board engagement that actually moves money
• The post-event system that protects next year’s revenue including sponsor renewal and donor cultivation
Who This Is For
Fundraising Fuel and the Companion Workbook were written for the people actually running nonprofit events:
• Executive directors juggling fifteen priorities
• Development staff who weren’t trained as event planners
• Board members who said yes to chairing the gala
• Volunteers who care deeply about the cause and stepped up
If any of those descriptions sound familiar, this is the system for you.
Now with a Companion Workbook
The Fundraising Fuel Companion Workbook turns the strategy from the book into a complete event plan.
Inside the workbook:
• Chapter by chapter exercises that apply every strategy directly to your event
• Ready to use planning templates for budgeting, volunteer scheduling, and sponsor tracking
• A 12-month milestone checklist
• A post event scorecard
• Auto calculating budget worksheets (digital bundle)
• A sponsor wrap up report template – the single highest leverage tool for nonprofit event teams
Available in print on Amazon or as a 4 piece digital bundle on Etsy.