I think you should keep N-E at the centre of it. Not just saying that, but if you branch it out... split it up... well, I dunno, just seems like you're going to saturate the experience a little. You might end up with lots of tiny events and nothing big, which will could get less donor interest overall. Instead maybe it just needs more of a push, directly suggest it to lots of people. Get something on the main site, I could put something at the top of the forum.
I realise that even though this is a cool idea, I never really ventured into these threads, something about it just didn't feel overly inclusive. That was obviously a mistake, but could still be a problem with others.
If not already obvious, I'd like to join in this year. If I'm still living in the same place come November, I offer up my place to use. If not, I'll travel to wherever.