Rex says
Money math without the spreadsheet headache. Plug in your numbers and I'll show you exactly where the dollars land.
Try a scenario
Click to load — tweak from there.Inputs
Result
Net after staff time
$74,760
Net cash raised
$92,400
Gross revenue
$131,300
Cost per dollar raised
$0.43
True net per attendee
$340
Break-even attendance
-219
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One click, a permanent link with your numbers baked in.
How to use this
- 1Enter attendees.
- 2Enter ticket price ($).
- 3Enter sponsorship revenue ($).
- 4Enter auction & raffle net ($).
- 5Enter paddle raise per attendee ($).
- 6Enter venue & catering per person ($).
- 7Enter production, av, printing ($).
- 8Enter staff hours invested.
- 9Enter loaded staff cost per hour ($).
- 10Read your net after staff time on the right — it updates as you type.
- 11Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
Galas look profitable until you count staff hours. The sector benchmark is a cost of about $0.50 per dollar raised for special events — far worse than mail or major gifts. Run the real numbers before committing a year of staff time.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
Inputs
- Attendees: 220
- Ticket price: 175 $
- Sponsorship revenue: 45000 $
- Auction & raffle net: 28000 $
- Paddle raise per attendee: 90 $
- Venue & catering per person: 95 $
- Production, AV, printing: 18000 $
- Staff hours invested: 420
- Loaded staff cost per hour: 42 $
Results
- Net after staff time: $74,760
- Net cash raised: $92,400
- Gross revenue: $131,300
- Cost per dollar raised: $0.43
- True net per attendee: $340
- Break-even attendance: -219
What each field means
Inputs
- Attendees
- The attendees used in the calculation. Starts at 220 so you have a working example on load.
- Ticket price ($)
- The ticket price used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 175 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Sponsorship revenue ($)
- The sponsorship revenue used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 45000 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Auction & raffle net ($)
- The auction & raffle net used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 28000 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Paddle raise per attendee ($)
- The paddle raise per attendee used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 90 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Venue & catering per person ($)
- The venue & catering per person used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 95 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Production, AV, printing ($)
- The production, av, printing used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 18000 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Staff hours invested
- The staff hours invested used in the calculation. Starts at 420 so you have a working example on load.
- Loaded staff cost per hour ($)
- The loaded staff cost per hour used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 42 $ so you have a working example on load.
Results
- Net after staff time
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Net cash raised
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Gross revenue
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Cost per dollar raised
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- True net per attendee
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Break-even attendance
- Returned as a whole number. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
Are galas worth it?
Rarely on pure ROI, often on relationship value. Judge an event by how many new major-gift prospects it identifies, then track whether those prospects actually convert within eighteen months.
What is a good cost per dollar raised?
Roughly $0.05–$0.10 for major gifts, $0.20 for direct mail renewal, and $0.50 for special events. Anything above $0.60 needs a strategic justification beyond revenue.
Accuracy and limitations
- Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.
- Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.
- This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant.
Related tools
Cite this calculator
Writing about this topic? Grab a citation — every link helps keep these tools free.
RevenueLab. (2026). Fundraising Event ROI Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/fundraising-event-roi
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/fundraising-event-roi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fundraising Event ROI Calculator — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [Fundraising Event ROI Calculator — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/fundraising-event-roi) (2026).