January 7th, 2010
Large-scale events – from silent auctions to shareholder meetings – require careful planning, monetary resources and manpower. And a few tried-and-true tips for event planning don’t hurt, either.
In a recent podcast and whitepaper from promotional product retailer 4imprint, Paulette Wolf and Donielle Levine, authors of the book “Event Planning Made Easy,” offer what they consider the first and most important tip for successful event planning:
Establish the 5 “W’s” and 1 “How.”
One by one, those 6 elements include:
1. Who are the guests or attendees?
2. What is the event being planned?
December 28th, 2009
Not all silent auction events are created equally.
But the upcoming Inaugural Integration Auction, Scatter Categories 2010 – hosted by Brand in Entertainment (BiE) – is truly in a class all its own.
You won’t find luxury vacation packages, department store gift certificates or state-of the-art flat screen TVs at this silent auction event. On Jan. 20, corporate and ad agency representatives will gather to outbid one another for the chance at integrating their brands into the hottest upcoming films and television shows.
December 15th, 2009
Whether hosting a fundraising event for a school, church, non-profit organization or any other entity, certain planning requirements remain the same. In a recent post on The Fundraising Authority blog, several steps were identified to incorporate into planning. We’ve added to the list to create the 13 essential steps of any successful fundraising event.
1. Determine the event’s purpose. Is the goal to raise funds, gain publicity or develop a presence in a new market? In some cases, events have a combination of goals. For example, a charity dinner might be hosted to gain publicity for a non-profit organization, with a secondary purpose of raising funds.
November 25th, 2009
For charity organizations, a down economy presents a conundrum of sorts: the worse the economy, the greater the need for fundraising donations—and the greater the difficulty in securing them. When brainstorming fundraising ideas, it’s vital to consider how to maximize fundraising ROI.
But which fundraising ideas produce the best results? And which donor groups should be targeted to gain the most return?
Blogger Norman Olshansky, of non-profit consulting firm NFP Consulting Resources, presents some useful statistics to maximize fundraising (based on “Fund Raising: Evaluating and Managing the Fund Development Process” by James Greenfield) in a recent post.
November 18th, 2009
What did one non-profit organization encourage participants to do on Sept. 17 to show their support for cancer fundraiser efforts?
A. Take a nature hike in honor of cancer survivors.
B. Wear a bald cap all day.
C. Give a stranger a hug.
D. Volunteer an hour of time at a local hospital.
If you chose “B,” you’re correct!
On Sept. 17, Small Army for a Cause held a nationwide cancer fundraiser event encouraging participants to wear a bald cap for the day and collect sponsor donations. All funds raised were given to several cancer-related charities.
October 21st, 2009
From formal dinners, to silent auctions, to celebrity golf tournaments, many school fundraiser ideas are geared toward the adult crowd. But involving the kids in school fundraising events is a wonderful way to teach them a lesson in philanthropy and strengthen family ties.
Get creative with your next school fundraising event by engaging the entire family—from the tiniest tots to grandparents, and everyone in between. Try these 3 school fundraiser ideas to maximize the success and level of interaction for your next event.
October 14th, 2009
When you cast a vote, typically the goal is to choose the best possible option—whether you’re voting on a new school board president or a city ordinance. When was the last time you were encouraged to vote on the worst choice?
The Cotton Land Cluster of Dog Shows is doing just that as part of a fundraising contest to collect money for the Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office K-9 unit in Louisiana.
The charity dog competition honors the ugliest dog and the best owner/dog look-alike. Last year, the contest contributed more than $5,000 to its cause, according to The News-Star in Monroe, Louisiana.
October 8th, 2009
Every year, St. John’s Lutheran Church in Stony Ridge, Ohio, undertakes one major service project. This year’s service project, the Community Rehab Project, involves renovating the home of a local woman in need, according to The Press in Ohio.
To raise $15,000 for the project, St. John’s is hosting multiple church fundraising events—sometimes weekly—to involve as many people and raise as many funds as possible.
One fundraising event, the “Celebrity Serve,” involved local celebrities serving ice cream to town residents. The celebrities, including the church pastor, local politicians and local public figures, were able to raise $450 in tips alone.
October 5th, 2009
In December 2005, Associated Content offered twelve ideas for how to run a silent auction with the article Organize A Silent Auction.
Despite being nearly four years old, some ideas in the article are timeless, including:
- Set a deadline for items to be entered into the auction
- Ensure you have sufficient lighting wherever the auction is to be held.
In the four years since this article was published, silent auction software built into hand-held Communicators from IML has ensured the success of hundreds of silent auctions.
Large-scale events – from silent auctions to shareholder meetings – require careful planning, monetary resources and manpower. And a few tried-and-true tips for event planning don’t hurt, either.
If you answered “D. #BeatCancer”, you know your social media and fundraising trivia!
