Social media is not just a place to announce your fundraising event.
Used well, it is where you build anticipation, drive event ticket sales, open pre-event bidding and raffle ticket purchases, and arrive on the night with a room full of guests who are already registered, already excited, and already thinking about which auction items they want.
Used poorly, it is three posts that nobody saw and a flurry of last-minute activity the week before that generates polite engagement but no real revenue.
This playbook covers what to post, when to post it, and how to connect your social media activity directly to the GalaBid campaign so that every piece of content moves people closer to participating and giving.
Why Pre-Event Social Promotion Changes Your Fundraising Numbers
Here is the number that should change how you think about your pre-event social strategy: up to 40% of total campaign sales on GalaBid can happen before a live event even begins.
That means pre-event social promotion is not just about filling seats. It is a direct revenue channel. Every person who registers on GalaBid before the night and places a pre-event bid, buys a raffle ticket, or makes a donation in advance is revenue that does not depend on what happens in the room. It is money in the bank before you have poured the first drink.
The social posts you write in the weeks leading up to your event are the mechanism that drives people to your GalaBid campaign link. The more clearly and consistently you use that mechanism, the higher your pre-event total will be when guests arrive on the night.
Before You Start: Set Up Your Campaign for Social Sharing
Before you write a single post, make sure your GalaBid campaign is ready to receive traffic from social media.
Your campaign should have a compelling banner image and your organisation's logo in place. It should have a home page or description that clearly explains the cause and what the funds will support. Item descriptions should be complete, with strong images and enough detail to make someone who has never heard of your event understand why each item is worth bidding on.
GalaBid provides a unique campaign link and a downloadable QR code from the Share section of your dashboard. These are the two assets that should appear in every social post you publish. Participants can browse your campaign without registering and are prompted to register when they place their first bid or make a purchase, which means the link is a low-friction entry point: click, browse, decide to participate.
Individual items also have their own shareable links, which GalaBid participants can share on Facebook and X directly from the campaign. These item-level links are particularly useful for promoting specific prizes without sending everyone to the homepage first.
The Pre-Event Social Calendar
Six to eight weeks out: announce the event and open the campaign
This is the moment to let your community know the event is coming and, crucially, that your GalaBid campaign is already live. Even if the full auction catalogue is not yet complete, opening the campaign early and directing social traffic to it begins building an audience before you need one.
What to post:
An announcement post with the event date, venue, and a one-sentence description of what you are raising money for. Include your campaign link and a strong call to action to register now and browse what is already listed.
Sample caption:
"Our annual fundraising night is coming! Mark your diary for [date] at [venue]. We are raising money for [cause] and tickets are on sale now at [link]. Our auction and raffle are also already live on GalaBid, so you can start browsing (and bidding) from anywhere in the world, right now. Register at [campaign link] and be the first to see what is on offer this year."
Platform notes: Facebook and Instagram benefit from a strong visual. Use your event banner or a cause-related image. LinkedIn is worth using if your event attracts corporate attendees or sponsors. Email to your existing supporter database should go out at the same time, with the campaign link prominently placed.
Four to five weeks out: prize reveals and item spotlights
This is your most powerful content window. Prize reveal posts consistently outperform generic event promotion because they give your audience something specific to get excited about. Someone who sees a luxury accommodation package they want is motivated to register and bid. Someone who sees "fundraising event coming soon" is not.
Aim for two to three item spotlight posts per week during this period. Each one should feature a high-quality image of the item or experience, a description of what is included, an indication of starting bid or ticket price, and a direct link to that specific item or to the campaign homepage.
Sample caption for a raffle prize reveal:
"Prize reveal. This week's addition to our raffle is a two-night stay at [property name], including breakfast and a spa session. Valued at [amount]. Raffle tickets are $[price] each or [bundle] for $[bundle price]. Every ticket goes toward [cause]. Register and buy yours now at [campaign link]. Draw takes place live on the night of [event date]."
Sample caption for a silent auction item:
"Now listed on our GalaBid auction: a private cooking class for eight at [restaurant name], including a three-course menu and wine pairing. Starting bid is [amount]. If you have been eyeing this kind of experience, now is your chance to win it for a great cause. Bidding is live at [campaign link]."
Tips for this period:
Lead with the image, not with the charity ask. People scroll quickly. The item should earn their attention before the cause does.
If you have a video of an experience, use it. A fifteen-second clip of a resort, a chef at work, or a behind-the-scenes look at an exclusive experience will stop the scroll far more effectively than a still image.
Tag local businesses who have donated items. Their networks will share the post, extending your reach beyond your existing followers at no cost.
Do not save your best items for the event night. Reveal your headline prizes in this window. The people most likely to bid on a luxury item are also the people most likely to register early when they see it promoted.
Three weeks out: social proof and urgency
By three weeks out, your most engaged supporters will have registered. Now your content should do two things: demonstrate that participation is already happening, and create mild urgency around what might not be available for much longer.
What to post:
A bidding activity update: "Bidding is live on our GalaBid campaign and the competition is already heating up. [Item name] has attracted [number] bids in the first week. Have you placed yours yet? [Link]"
A ticket or registration milestone: "Over [number] people have already registered for our auction and raffle. The event is on [date] and tickets are still available at [link]. Join them."
A countdown post: "Three weeks to go until [Event Name]. If you haven't registered on GalaBid yet, now is a great time to browse the auction items and grab some raffle tickets before the early bird window closes. [Link]"
Tips for this period:
If you have GalaBid's campaign activity feed active, you can screenshot real bid activity to share as social proof. "Twelve bids have been placed on the Bali holiday in the last 48 hours" is more compelling than any promotional copy you could write.
Avoid the temptation to become purely administrative in your posts at this stage. The tone should still be excited and appealing, not a list of instructions.
Two weeks out: stories, cause content, and the ask
Two weeks before an event is the right moment to pull back from prize promotion and spend a post or two on the cause itself. Why does this matter? Because guests who understand exactly who benefits from the funds raised give more on the night and are more likely to share your posts with their own networks.
A single post that tells a specific, human story about who your fundraising supports, without statistics and without jargon, will consistently outperform promotional content in terms of shares and emotional engagement. It also serves as the emotional setup for the paddle raise and donation appeal you will run on the night.
What to post:
A cause story post: a photograph, a quote, or a short video (under sixty seconds) that puts a human face on the work your organisation does. End with the campaign link and a line connecting participation to impact: "Every bid, every ticket, every donation on [campaign link] goes toward [specific impact]."
A sponsors recognition post: "We are incredibly grateful to our event sponsors [names] for making [Event Name] possible. Their support means more of what you raise tonight goes directly to [cause]."
A "how it works" post: a simple explainer for anyone who has not used GalaBid before. "Not sure how the online auction works? It takes about thirty seconds to register at [link], then you can bid on any item from your phone. Outbid notifications come straight to you. Checkout is fast and secure. Here's how to get started." A graphic or short video walkthrough works well here.
One week out: final push
The week before the event should have your highest post frequency of the campaign. This is the period when undecided guests make their decision to attend, when the urgency of a closing ticket window drives action, and when pre-event bidding can meaningfully move if you promote the right items.
What to post:
An event reminder with practical details: date, venue, start time, dress code, parking, and a direct link to buy any remaining tickets.
A "last chance" item spotlight for any auction items or raffle prizes that have not yet been promoted but deserve attention.
A countdown post: "One week to go. Are you registered on GalaBid? If not, do it now before the night and save yourself thirty seconds at the event. [Link]"
A behind-the-scenes post if your team is setting things up: table arrangements, prize displays, the GalaBid campaign on screen. This kind of content humanises the event and builds excitement.
A personal share request: "If you are coming to [Event Name] next [day], the most valuable thing you can do right now is share this post with someone who might want to come, bid, or support from home. Our GalaBid campaign is open to anyone with the link, not just people who can attend in person. Share at: [link]"
Tips for this period:
Stories and Reels on Instagram perform well in this window because they feel immediate and current. A quick video of your team finalising the event, a clip of a prize, or a countdown timer in Stories all keep your event top of mind without requiring heavy production.
Ask your board members, volunteers, and table hosts to share your posts individually from their personal accounts. Peer-to-peer sharing within existing networks consistently outperforms posts from an organisation's own page in terms of reach and credibility.
Day of the event: real-time engagement
The day of your event, post at least twice: once in the morning building excitement, and once in the early afternoon reminding people who are attending to register on GalaBid before they arrive if they have not already.
Sample morning post:
"Tonight is the night. [Event Name] is happening this evening at [venue] and we cannot wait to see you there. If you have not yet registered on GalaBid, do it now and skip the queue at the door. Browse the auction, grab your raffle tickets, and come ready to bid. [Campaign link]"
Sample afternoon post:
"Doors open tonight at [time]. A reminder that our GalaBid auction and raffle are already live. Guests who register before arriving have more time to browse and bid from the moment they walk in. Register in thirty seconds at [link]."
Platform-Specific Tips
Facebook remains the primary social channel for many nonprofit and community fundraising audiences, particularly for events targeting parent communities, alumni groups, and established supporter bases. Event pages on Facebook are useful for managing RSVPs and allowing attendees to share the event with their own networks.
Post your GalaBid campaign link directly in the body of your posts rather than in comments. Posts with external links in the body typically reach fewer people organically, but a comment-based link means most people will never see it. The link in the post is the better trade-off.
Facebook Groups are often more effective than Pages for community fundraising events. If your school, sports club, or charity has an active Facebook Group, post your campaign updates and prize reveals there as well as on your public Page.
Instagram is a visual platform, and your auction item photography makes or breaks your performance here. High-quality images of desirable prizes, cause photography, and event atmosphere shots all perform well. Short Reels (fifteen to thirty seconds) showing prize reveals or event setup can significantly outperform static posts in reach.
Your campaign link should be in your bio for the duration of your campaign, and your posts should direct people there. Instagram does not allow clickable links in post captions, so "link in bio" is the standard approach. Alternatively, use Instagram Stories with a link sticker pointing directly to your GalaBid campaign.
LinkedIn is worth using if your event targets corporate guests, sponsors, or professional communities. Posts on LinkedIn should frame the event in terms of community impact and corporate giving rather than entertainment. Sponsor recognition posts perform particularly well on LinkedIn because they give businesses visibility to a professional audience.
WhatsApp and direct messaging
Do not underestimate direct channels. A personal message from a board member, committee volunteer, or event organiser to their individual contacts with the campaign link will convert at a far higher rate than any social post. Ask your team to send a personalised message to ten people each in the two weeks before the event. That is ten times the reach with far more personal weight than a shared post.
Connecting Social to GalaBid
Every social post should have one clear destination: your GalaBid campaign link. Participants who arrive at the campaign can browse without registering and are prompted to register when they want to bid or buy. The path from a social post to a registered bidder is as short as possible.
If you are promoting individual items, use item-specific links from your GalaBid campaign so that the person who clicks your post lands directly on the item they just saw, not the homepage. This reduces the friction between seeing a prize on social and placing a bid on it.
Your GalaBid campaign also includes a downloadable QR code that can be embedded in social graphics, email signatures, printed flyers, and event materials. This is particularly useful for any printed content you are circulating in the lead-up to the event.
For guidance on accessing your campaign link and QR code, visit the Share section of your GalaBid dashboard or the help centre at support.galabid.com.
After the Event: Close the Social Loop
Your social activity should not stop when the event ends. Within 24 to 48 hours of the night, post a thank-you and a total raised announcement.
This post does two things. It gives your donors and attendees a moment of shared achievement, which builds community. And it signals to your broader audience that your events are successful, which makes them more likely to engage with next year's campaign.
Sample post-event caption:
"We did it. Last night, [number] incredible supporters came together at [Event Name] and raised [total] for [cause]. That means [specific impact, e.g. 50 scholarships funded, a new piece of equipment purchased, six months of programme delivery]. We are overwhelmed and grateful. Thank you to everyone who attended, bid, bought a raffle ticket, and gave so generously. See you next year."
Planning your next fundraising event? Start your free GalaBid campaign and give your social promotion something worth sharing from day one.
