Meet the Blog’s Host
Hank Lewis with Development Consultant Associates has over thirty years as a fundraising consultant and is a specialist in Board and Leadership Development, Capital Campaign, Bequest Program and Major Gifts. [Read more ...]Fundraising: Special Events
How Do You Pay A Fundraiser???
That was the subject line in a recent email in which the writer asked: “We have a skilled fundraiser who wants to do an event for us. She is willing to do it for 10% of profits after expenses. She is passionate about our cause and has worked hard for us for a couple of [...]
Special Events: Cost Per Dollar Raised
A recent email asked: “Do you have an article or statement on what is the standard “special event fundraising equation” used to determine financial success? Obviously, one would set a goal, and if that goal is set, you have been successful. Raising awareness and “making friends” is priceless. But, is there a basic non-profit formula [...]
Special Events and the NPO Staff
In many organizations, the announcement of a future event moves staff to wave their hands and raise their voices, saying that, “I want to help, I love events.” The theme and the goals and objectives of an event are (often) determined by the organization’s development team – the event being part of their annual fundraising [...]
Celebrity Auctions
Recently, someone asked a question about Celebrity Auctions, and what immediately came to mind was how much money could I get for auctioning off a celebrity? If it is the right celebrity, probably a lot !! But seriously folks…. Celebrities are a great way to bring out the crowd. Having a celebrity at your event [...]
To Auction or Not to Auction….
Live auctions can have large payouts, and can be a lot of fun for the audience – especially when a bidding war on an item becomes major entertainment. I speak from experience. Many years ago, at a VIP reception prior to an event with both a silent and a live auction, the emcee for the [...]
A Change Of Pace
Whoever said an event had to be a dinner or a luncheon to work? The key to making any event succeed is to learn, well in advance, what will bring out your audience: existing donors, new donors, corporations, government officials, community leaders, etc. Almost every event can benefit from an occasional change of pace … [...]
Corporate Support of Special Events
Reading Hank’s postings on “Corporate Fundraising,” made me think about a recent series of conversations my firm has had with a potential client about managing a conference (including a major dinner event) for them. During one of those conversations, I was asked about assisting them with getting corporate sponsors for the conference. My response to [...]
Constructing The Gift Table
“Hank,” the email said, “can you send me a gift pyramid that my organization can use in preparing for a capital campaign.” My response leaned somewhat toward the academic…. Gift Tables and Pyramids are great fundraising tools, but their construction and usage are often very much misunderstood. They are most often associated with capital campaigns, [...]
How Do I Get My Board to Do What They’re Supposed to Do For Our Event?
To be sure that all board members will do all that’s required of them, the Planning Committee meets with them to outline the board’s role and emphasize that a visible demonstration of the board’s support is essential to “set the example” for potential leaders and donors. And, as the planning process proceeds, it’s part of [...]
How Do I Put Together an Effective Event Committee?
A couple of questions appeared in my email recently … from an organization getting ready (!!??) to plan an event, ”How do we put together and structure our event committee?” Should our board be the committee? The answer to the latter question is an emphatic “No!!” The board should not be the committee. Some key [...]
