Fundraising Event Net Calculator — Net Proceeds and Cost per Dollar Raised

1. The room

Paying guests

Comped seats (board, sponsors, speakers)

Ticket price ($)

Value a guest receives, dinner and drinks ($ per ticket)

2. Money coming in

Average extra gift per paying guest ($: paddle raise, fund-a-need)

Sponsorships, total ($)

Auction proceeds, total ($)

Raffle and games, total ($)

3. Cost of the night

Meal and bar per head ($, paying and comped)

Venue and rentals ($)

Sound, lighting, entertainment ($)

Printing, invitations, marketing ($)

Planner or staff time you pay for ($)

Insurance and permits ($)

Other fixed costs ($)

Cost of auction items you bought ($)

Card and platform fees (% of card revenue)

4. Goal

Net you need ($)

Enter your numbers, or load the example, then click Model this event.

Result

If attendance comes in lower or higher

Attendance	Paying guests	Gross	Cost	Net	Cost per $ raised

If the ticket price changes

Change	Ticket	Net	Cost per $ raised

The arithmetic, and what it leaves out

Gross is tickets (paying guests times price), extra gifts (paying guests times your average), sponsorships, auction proceeds and raffle. Card fees apply to everything except sponsorships, which usually arrive by cheque or transfer.
Cost is fees, meal and bar for every seat including comps, your fixed staging costs, and what you paid for auction items. Net is gross less cost; cost per dollar raised is cost divided by gross.
Each extra paying guest adds the ticket and their gift, less fees and their meal. Break-even and goal headcounts are solved from that, and rounded up to a whole guest.
The attendance table scales paying guests only: sponsorship, auction and raffle stay at the totals you typed, which is optimistic if the auction depends on the crowd.
Not modelled: sales tax, raffle or gaming licences, volunteer time, unpaid pledges, tiered tickets and table sales, and the later value of new donors.

Common questions

How do I know if a fundraising event is worth running?

Compare what it nets with what it costs. Cost per dollar raised is total event cost divided by gross revenue; a figure often quoted as a ceiling for special events is about $0.50 per dollar. Check yours against your own past events, because a gala that grosses a lot can still net less than a direct appeal.

How do I find the break-even number of guests?

Each paying guest adds the ticket and any gift they give, less card fees and their meal. Sponsors, the auction and the raffle are fixed totals you type. The break-even is the smallest headcount where that adds up to at least the fixed costs; the tool solves it and shows it.

How many guests or what ticket price reaches my goal?

Type the net you need. The tool shows how many paying guests reach it on tickets and giving alone, and separately the ticket price that reaches it at your expected headcount. It also tells you when more guests cannot help because the ticket does not cover the meal.

Should sponsors pay for the event?

The more of the venue, staging and catering bill sponsors carry, the more of every ticket and gift reaches the cause. The tool shows what share of those costs your sponsorships cover.

What is the deductible part of a ticket?

Generally the part of a payment above the value of what the guest receives, such as dinner and drinks. The tool shows that difference per ticket so you can see it. Rules differ by country and by amount, so confirm with a tax adviser.

What does this leave out?

Sales tax, gaming or raffle licence costs, volunteer time, pledges that are never paid, early-bird tiers, table sales with different prices, and later fundraising value from new donors. It is a planning aid, not a budget approval.

Is my data uploaded?

No. Everything runs in your browser tab and nothing is sent anywhere. There are no accounts. The share link keeps your numbers in the link itself, which you choose whether to send.