Of the roughly 95,000 nonprofits registered in the state of Florida, it would be fair to say that at least half rely, at some level, on fundraising efforts generated from events. The event planning and the nonprofit industries have always gone hand in hand – and both were among the most impacted by COVID. In Florida the nonprofit industry generates an estimated $105 billion annually and employs nearly 630,000 people. With a payroll of about $33 billion, the nonprofit industry employees account for about 6.5 percent of the workforce, the largest sector after construction and manufacturing.
The event planning industry, which is part of the hospitality industry, generates billions of dollars and thousands of jobs – hotels, event venues, catering, staffing, valet, security, decoration, entertainment, event technology, audio visual, floral, rental companies and more! While some events are for celebration a nonprofit event is more than just fun – it’s a valuable revenue generating resource. And in “the biz” we know that there are two key time periods when 90% of all charitable organizations are hosting their fundraising events – Spring Gala Season (March – mid May) and Fall Ball Season (August – mid November).
In Central Florida, over the last 18 months – it’s been inspiring to witness both the event planning and nonprofit industries adapting themselves to changing circumstances and continually readjusting their business models to best manage change. As we are entering Fall Ball Season, I wanted to spotlight just a few of Orlando’s biggest events.
Give Kids the World Black and White Gala – September 18, 2021 – Give Kids the World Village in Kissimmee, Florida
