Chronolio for Fundraisers & Galas
A gala has one job disguised as an evening: raise money. Every block — cocktails, dinner, the paddle raise, the video — either builds toward that ask or steals time from it. Chronolio keeps the whole evening timed around the moment that actually matters.
The problems you know too well
The ask has one shot, at one moment
Unlike a wedding, a gala has a single make-or-break minute: the appeal or paddle raise, timed for peak energy and peak wine-to-sobriety ratio. Schedule it too early and the room isn't warmed up; too late and half the tables have left for the valet.
The board wants updates you don't have time to write
Committee members, the auctioneer, the AV crew, and the venue all want "the latest timeline" — and every honorary chair edit means resending a document to a dozen people who may or may not open it.
Volunteers run the room, not staff
Table captains and check-in volunteers are donors, not employees. They need to know exactly when their two hours of duty happen, in a format that doesn't require training.
How Chronolio handles it
Draft the evening's arc with AI
Describe the event — "150-guest gala, cocktails at 6, paddle raise before dessert, live auction after" — and get a complete draft with realistic durations for each moment, so the appeal lands exactly where it should in the evening.
Learn more about AI Timeline Generator →One change, no resend
The keynote runs long or the auctioneer needs ten more minutes: shift the block and everything after recalculates. Share the live link once at the start of planning and every future edit reaches everyone automatically, all the way through to the night of the event.
Learn more about Bulk Editing & Assignment →Volunteers see their two hours, not the whole gala
Assign table captains and check-in staff to their windows. They open one link on their phone and see exactly when their job starts and ends — no training, no printed instructions to lose.
Learn more about Contact & Vendor Management →A committee document that looks like the cause deserves
Export a clean run-of-show for the board, the auctioneer, and the venue. It is the kind of document that makes a volunteer committee look like professionals — because the plan actually is one.
Learn more about Exports →Sample timeline: Black-tie gala, 150 guests
Generate a timeline like this for your own event in seconds — try it free.
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Common questions
When should the paddle raise or appeal happen?
After dinner is served and a mission video has reminded the room why they came, but before dessert clears and people start thinking about leaving — typically 90 minutes to two hours after doors. Build the ask into your timeline early so nothing else crowds it out.
Can volunteers see their schedule without training?
Yes — share the public link and each table captain or check-in volunteer opens it on their own phone, no account needed. It shows the whole evening, so they see their duty window in context.
Can I reuse this timeline for next year's gala?
Yes — save it as a template. Next year's committee starts from a proven run-of-show instead of reconstructing the evening from memory or last year's email thread.
Plan your next fundraisers & gala with Chronolio
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