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For nonprofits and fundraisers

Skip the lost email.
Host a night they join.

A simple, step-by-step plan for nonprofits that want a community, not just a donor list. Stop counting on one big gala and a year-end email that sinks in the inbox. Invite supporters, volunteers and newcomers, tell your story in person or online, team up with the local groups they already trust, and follow up with everyone who came.

Start free

8 steps · about 6 minutes · Max will guide you

Build a community, not just a mailing list.

The usual way

The annual gala and the year-end email

  • One big night a year, and a lot of work to pull it off
  • An appeal that lands in a full inbox and gets lost
  • Supporters hear from you mostly when you need something
  • Most guests leave without a next step

The Pulse way

Gatherings all year long

  • Small, warm events your supporters actually enjoy
  • You invite supporters, volunteers and newcomers together
  • Everyone who signs up lands in People, ready to follow up
  • They see your work up close and want to be part of it

Your Circle of Influence

You in the middle. Eight partners around your supporters.

Your next supporter already shops at a local business, banks at a credit union, sits in a pew or a classroom, or belongs to a civic club. Each of these partners serves the same people you do. Where their circle overlaps yours, that’s a shared audience, and a co-hosted event waiting to happen.

Tap a circle

Local business owner

They want to give back, and they know customers, staff and neighbors who care about the same town you do.

Host together

Community Impact Night. The business opens its doors, you share what your work made possible this year. Both of you invite your lists.

  1. Local business owner
  2. Restaurant or brewery
  3. School or parent group
  4. Faith community
  5. Civic club, like Rotary or Lions
  6. Bank or credit union
  7. Local media or podcaster
  8. Corporate volunteer program

The playbook

Eight steps to your first room, and the next one.

Do these once and you have an event. Do them every month and you have a community.

  1. Step 1

    Picture the supporter you want more of

    Skip “anyone who cares.” Describe one kind of person: their age, their work, where they live, what they do with free time, and who they listen to. Then name the moment that makes them want to help.

    • A personal story
    • A neighbor in need
    • Kids in school
    • A milestone or loss
    • Retired with time
    • New to town

  2. Step 2

    Find who else serves those supporters

    Look at your circle and pick two or three partners to start with. The best ones already have your supporters’ trust.

    • Ask your board and volunteers which clubs, shops and congregations they belong to.
    • Interview them for your newsletter or social. It’s an easy first call.
    • Thank your sponsors in person and ask what they would enjoy hosting.

  3. Step 3

    Choose one gathering to co-host

    Pick a theme your supporters care about, and a partner who can bring their own crowd. Keep it short, warm and welcoming.

    • Share, don’t pitch. 60 to 90 minutes, one story, one easy way to help.
    • Small is fine. 30 people who care beat 300 who came for the free food.
    • In person or online. A restaurant, a church hall, your own space, or a video room.

  4. Step 4

    Create it in Pulse

    Set up the event once. Pulse gives you a registration page in your brand, takes the sign-ups, and sends each guest a confirmation and reminders on its own. A paid ticket can be the fundraiser itself, and any extra gifts keep coming in the way you collect them today.

  5. Step 5

    Fill the room, together

    This is where co-hosting pays off. You invite your list, your partner invites theirs, and everyone who signs up comes through your page.

    • Your list: invite donors, volunteers, families served and newsletter readers.
    • Your partner’s list: send them the link and a ready-made post.
    • Ask your guests to bring a friend who has never been to one of your events.

  6. Step 6

    Host the room

    Greet people by name. Introduce a longtime donor to a first-time volunteer. Let your partner shine and let someone you serve tell their story. People give to people they feel they know.

  7. Step 7

    Follow up and nurture

    The event starts the relationship. The follow-up builds it. Thank every guest, share the replay, and invite them to the next one.

    • Thank before you ask. A warm note the next day means more than any appeal.
    • Make the next step easy. “Want to volunteer next month, or bring a friend to the next night?”
    • Close the loop. Tell your partner what came of their guests, and send a handwritten thank-you.

  8. Step 8

    Repeat with a new partner each month

    Every event adds a partner, their audience, and a room full of new contacts. Your circle grows, and so does the number of people who show up for your cause.

Host your first community night this month.

Start on the Starter Program: your first 5 events are free, then just $5 a month. No credit card to start.

Start free Get 3 event ideas from Max

Want help planning it? Join free Tuesday Office Hours.