Programme open days for donors and partners

An open day lets people see the work first-hand. Donors, partners and neighbours move through spaces that are usually quiet. For staff and participants, it can be tiring, and for some it can feel intrusive. Photography should be planned so that it does not add to that.

This page is part of our guide to fundraising and NGO-event photography. For a smaller, private visit, read donor visits to operating community projects.

What is an open day for?

Be clear about the goal. Common aims include thanking supporters, introducing the programme to partners, recruiting volunteers or showing a new facility. Each goal changes the images. A recruitment day needs friendly images of volunteers and staff. A partner day needs a record of the setting and programme areas.

Write a sentence and share it. It tells the photographer what matters.

The day as a route

Most open days follow a route or a set of stations.

Station or area	What the photographs can show
Welcome desk	Arrival, signage, greeters
Programme rooms	Sessions in progress, with agreed participants
Display area	Posters, materials, exhibits
Facilities	Kitchens, workshops, outdoor spaces
Talks	Speakers and audience
Closing	Thanks, farewells

Mark restricted areas on a map and give a copy to the photographer. Our venue photography checklist is useful for this.

Participants should not perform

Participants are there for the programme. They did not volunteer to demonstrate their lives. Some enjoy showing visitors what they do. Others prefer to carry on quietly.

• Do not ask people to repeat activities for the camera.
• Do not require participants to share personal stories with visitors.
• Provide a quiet space or a signal for participants who prefer not to be photographed.
• Give staff permission to step in if a visitor or photographer asks too much.

Our guides on organiser instructions and individual guest preferences and camera-shy adults explain how to balance wishes.

Visitors and their phones

Visitors often photograph on their phones. Decide the rule and say it clearly. Options include asking visitors to photograph displays only, to ask before photographing people, or to avoid photography in certain rooms. A short sign and a mention at the welcome desk help. Our guest photography communication builder can help you word it.

An example

Imagine a skills programme open day with four rooms, a display corridor and a short talk. Participants were told a week earlier about photography and given a card to wear if they prefer no photographs. The photographer receives the map, the list of rooms that are open and the contact of the host. They record the corridor early, the talk, the sessions from the doorway and the hosts guiding visitors. Rooms with private meetings are skipped.

Working with hosts

Hosts who guide visitors can also guide the photographer. They know who agreed, which doors are closed and when a session is about to end. Agree a short signal with them, such as a hand gesture or a message, to pause photography. For official visits by agencies or public bodies, our page on uniformed-service community open days shows how another type of institution handles access.

What we confirm in writing

The quotation states the hours, crew and delivery. We also confirm the restricted areas, the participants who opted out and how the photographer is introduced to staff.

Questions for the programme team

• Which areas must stay private during the open day?
• How will participants learn what photography will happen?
• Who is the point of contact for questions on the day?
• Which three images would show the programme honestly to a first-time visitor?

After the open day

Review the images with the programme lead before anything is shared. Check that no one appears who opted out, that restricted rooms are not visible and that captions say what each image shows. Thank participants too, not only visitors. Our post-event photography review worksheet helps you record what worked and what to change next time.