How to plan a fundraiser that photographs well

01

Decide what the photos are for before you book

This is the first thing I ask, and it changes nearly everything else. Photographs for next year's marketing want energy, a full room and guests enjoying themselves. Photographs for a grant report want your programme, your people, and evidence the money did something. Photographs for sponsors want their logo somewhere worth sharing.

Most galas need all three, which is fine. It just means we should agree the split beforehand rather than hoping it works out on the night.

02

The half hour before doors is worth more than you think

The room is never going to look this good again. Tables set and untouched, signage straight, centrepieces in place, nobody's jacket over a chair yet.

Those frames end up in your annual report, on next year's event page, and in the deck you show the venue when you negotiate. If the budget only stretches so far, protect this half hour before you protect anything else.

03

Sponsors need to see themselves

A sponsor logo on a banner in an empty corner does almost nothing. The same logo behind a happy guest, a speaker at the podium or a group holding an award is the photograph they will actually repost, and it is what makes renewing an easy conversation.

So put signage where people are naturally going to be, not where there happens to be wall space. Behind the podium, beside check in, near the bar. Tell me which sponsors matter most and I will make sure each one turns up in something usable.

04

The cheque photo is worth two minutes of staging

The oversized cheque, the award, the handshake. These nearly always happen spontaneously in the middle of a crowd, and what you get is a photograph with three backs of heads in it.

Two minutes of staging sorts it. Decide who is holding what, stand them somewhere with a clean background and decent light, and hold for a beat before and after. Everyone goes straight back to enjoying themselves.

• Two to four people, not eight
• Cheque or award held at chest height, facing the camera
• Clean background, ideally with your logo or a sponsor board
• Away from the DJ lights if you can manage it
• Do it before people start leaving, not at the end

05

I will not know who matters unless you tell me

I can photograph a room beautifully and still miss the donor who gave the biggest gift, because to me she looks like everyone else on table nine.

A short list helps enormously. Board chair, executive director, honorees, major donors, anyone being thanked from the stage. Names, and a photo if you have one. Better still, give me somebody who can quietly point people out during the evening.

06

Think about consent early

Fundraisers often involve people connected to the cause, and not everybody wants their face in a newsletter. Much easier to handle this before the night than during it.

The usual approach is a line on the ticket or a small notice at the door saying photography is taking place. If there are people who must not be photographed, tell me at the start and I will work around them. That is far simpler than trying to find and pull frames afterwards.

07

How long to book

Four to six hours covers most galas. That is the half hour before doors, arrivals and the reception, dinner service, the programme, and the awards or auction.

The overrun is almost always the programme. If the run sheet says speeches at 7:30 they will start nearer 7:50, and a photographer packing up during the thank you speech helps nobody. Build the padding in when you book rather than extending on the night.