Frequently asked questions

What type of services does GFS Events provide?
GFS’s mission is to help your nonprofit reach your mission. We provide all types of services that can help you achieve your fundraising event goals. We can plan an event from start to finish or help you with day of event management. GFS can also assist in first time event development.
We have always run our nonprofit events through a volunteer staff—why should we hire a professional like you?
For most nonprofits, volunteers are the lifeblood of their organization. They provide the needed help to get most nonprofits through events such as an auction or gala. However, volunteers do not always have the fundraising expertise nor the time, reliability or bandwidth that you need to take your event to the next level. GFS Events has worked on numerous events with a variety of organizations. We come to your event with a completely new set of eyes and can offer innovative ideas and fundraising solutions that can help your nonprofit achieve a fundraising goal that you thought was out of reach.
Our volunteers are overworked and burned out from doing all the work for past events. How do you help with volunteer engagement and prevent burnout?

Too often, nonprofits use the same volunteers each year and this can lead to volunteers who feel over-worked and underappreciated. A single volunteer chairperson will handle the entire event and then want nothing to do with it the next year. GFS Events helps guide even your most experienced volunteers so that they know what to do, how to do it and are able to carry through on their tasks efficiently and with less stress. We bring timelines, scripts, agenda topics and a variety of tools that can have even your most over-worked volunteers eager to help out again.

What types of nonprofits do you work with?
GFS works with both large and small nonprofits. Some of our clients have a large staff and established board yet still look to us to provide insight, ideas and management for their fundraising event. We have worked with very small nonprofits as well that have no staff and use volunteers and board members to help with the event.
We have no budget to hire someone to run our event but we still need your expertise, what can we do?
Let’s sit down and talk. We like to get to know our potential clients first and see what their needs are and how we might be able to meet those needs. We have successfully worked with nonprofits that initially had no budget to hire a professional for their event but in the end decided they would never do another event again without us.
Do you plan corporate events or weddings?
GFS works with nonprofits to raise money through galas, auctions, golf tournaments, walks, or other fundraising events. We do not provide services for company events, corporations or weddings but we have an extensive list of other event planning specialists to whom we refer.
How much do you charge?
GFS Events works within your nonprofit’s budget. We look at the entire event or engagement and work with you to figure out the cost for our services. We do not work on a commission basis. We are consultants and work on a per project basis.
Why should I hire GFS Events?
GFS Events strives for excellence. We want to exceed your expectations so you can exceed your goals. We achieve this through listening to your Board Members, staff and volunteers and creating an event proposal that will meet your needs. You will raise more money using GFS than you ever could using a team of volunteers.
What does GFS stands for?

GFS stands for Growth and Fundraising Solutions for Nonprofits. We believe in growing the organizations we serve so their great work can flourish and perpetuate. Our partnership with nonprofits focuses on fundraising solutions for every client. By helping our clients grow, we grow their fundraising events, their event strategies, sponsorship, donors and audience base.

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Nice Things  PEOPLE SAY ABOUT US

Deciding to work with GFS Events was one of the best decisions I have made as a non-profit leader!

"They helped us plan and organize our first major fundraiser and we raised nearly 30 times more than we’ve ever raised. You read that right 30 TIMES. The excellence with which they coordinated everything raised awareness about our organization and we made valuable connections that resulted in additional funding, support and collaboration. The team is knowledgeable and professional. Make the investment, you won’t be disappointed."

-Cortaiga Collins

Executive Director, Foundations for Strengthening Families

GFS made event planning and execution seamless and easy for our organization.

"They are detail oriented, organized, and thorough in their processes. They also worked extra hard to ensure we received what we expected from our vendors. We loved working with GFS, and look forward to our next collaboration."

-Michelle Hammer

Events and Engagement Coordinator, Executive Director of Planned Parenthood Great Northwest, Hawai'i, Alaska, Indiana, Kentucky

This is a STELLAR team of seasoned event planners.

I've worked with GFS at 20 or more events in the last 5 years and I am impressed by them each and every time. They lead super organized and detailed planning meetings.  On event day they are prepared and ready to rock on behalf of their clients.  Speaking as an auctioneer/emcee, I feel fully supported in doing my job excellently when GFS is the event planning team.

-Sasha Cousineau

Auctioneer/Emcee

Gazala and her team provide valuable insight

“I worked with an organization that typically brought in a fundraising assistant each year and instead, we decided to hire GFS events and I absolutely believe it was the best choice. Not only did they provide a skilled auction coordinator to help us plan and execute our second virtual event, as importantly, Gazala and her team provided valuable expertise in guiding us with options and decisions to consider throughout the process. I highly recommend GFS!”

-Elizabeth Richmond

Development Director
The Jewish Day School of Metropolitan Seattle

If you're looking for a team to help you plan your next event, look no further than GFS!

GFS went above and beyond helping us plan and execute Community for Youth's annual fundraising gala, and to say that they were absolutely crucial is an understatement. The entire team is truly committed to their clients, and it really shows from the first day of planning, to the day of the event, and through the event closing period after the night is over! They will do it all, and they will do it with kindness, flexibility, and genuine investment in your organization's mission and what you hope to accomplish through your event. THANK YOU!

-Ellen Throneberry

Development & Communications Manager, Community for Youth

Thank you, GFS!

This spring, Seattle Country Day School set out to run a fundraising event with a truncated timeline and a great number of tasks, ranging from auction item procurement, to video creation, to the use of an online event platform. We greatly appreciated the group’s organizational skills, technological expertise, contacts, and events savvy, and together, we created a successful event in under four months. Thank you, GFS!

Delia Ward

Director of Communications

Such a huge help!

"Couldn't have made a better decision in hiring GFS Events!  The commitment they showed made us feel like we had our own dedicated part-time employee!"

-Kevin Hoppes

Executive Director, Epilepsy Foundation

We highly recommend GFS!

"WPSR was fortunate to have GFS support us for our major annual fundraiser and we couldn't have been more fortunate to have their deep experience and expertise throughout the process. The entire team are incredibly skilled and professional. They made a huge workload feel manageable, and made a nerve-wracking fundraising undertaking feel doable and even fun at times!"

-Max Savishinsky

Executive Director, Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility

The whole team is incredibly easy and fun to work with and they make our job so much smoother.

"My company, 6162 Productions has collaborated with GFS Events' clients on multiple projects over the years. They're incredible partners who lend their expertise in logistics, creativity, and strategy to each project. The whole team is incredibly easy and fun to work with and they make our job so much smoother."

-Michael Sharon

Producer, 6162 Productions

It has been a pleasure to work with Kavitha, Gazala, and team for the last two years.

"The GFS team is caring, open, highly organized, and professional. I trust their advice and ability to manage multiple aspects of events (live, remote, hybrid, etc.). It has been a pleasure to work with Kavitha, Gazala, and team for the last two years."

-Helen Banks Routon

Director of Development and Community Relations, KidVantage

If you're looking for an event partner to help create, manage, and execute the event you've always wanted, hire GFS Events today!

"Organized, dynamic, and highly professional event visionaries!
That's how I would describe the talented team at GFS Events.

As a benefit auctioneer, I've been working with Gazala and GFS Events for several years. They always exceed expectations! GFS gets to know the client and their mission, helping them tell their best story, which in turn delivers maximum fundraising results.

If you're looking for an event partner to help create, manage, and execute the event you've always wanted, hire GFS Events today!"

-Matt Lorch

Auctioneer

Gazala and her team always stayed super calm

"I worked as a photographer for one the fundraising event managed by GFS Events. Gazala and her team always stayed super calm and in control, dealing with every last minutes details, wile keeping everything moving very smoothly. Which made my job easier!"

-Pierre Frevol

Photographer, Folrev Photography

Thank you, GFS!

"This spring, Seattle Country Day School set out to run a fundraising event with a truncated timeline and a great number of tasks, ranging from auction item procurement, to video creation, to the use of an online event platform. We greatly appreciated the group’s organizational skills, technological expertise, contacts, and events savvy, and together, we created a successful event in under four months. Thank you, GFS!"

-Delia Ward

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