Don't get me wrong. I enjoy supporting friends who are serving as table captains.
I love a great speaker, inspirational stories, and a chance to catch up with like-minded friends. I don't even mind the hearty salads that have become the fundraising luncheon standard.
But would it be more effective to write a check to the organization and spend the two hours doing something else? At the very least, it's time to develop some criteria for deciding whether to attend a fundraising event.
Here's my first draft:
1. Is the organization's mission in line with my giving priorities?
2. Are the organization's programs effective in carrying out its mission?
3. Do I have a personal connection to the organization?
4. Will the speakers be inspiring or thought provoking?
5. Will the event be fun?
6. Who is inviting me?
7. Does the event conflict with other appointments?
8. Have I attended this event before?
What do you think, am I missing any important criteria? How should I weigh the criteria?
And don't get me started on whether big events are the most effective and efficient ways to raise money. That's a topic for another post.
NOTE: For more on the YWCA event and Patty Stonesifer, please see my Twitter feed.
2 comments:
What about the organizations with which you aren't familiar, so you can't answer the first few questions? (Granted, you could look at the website, etc.) But in that case, I guess you're likely going because someone in particular has invited you. Maybe you are entitled to expect that person to let you know, as a condition for attending the event -- though you'd express it more diplomatically -- how much the event will tell you about the organization so that you can answer those other questions (or maybe the table captain/invite-r will have those answers).
Great point, Irene. An effective luncheon should give attendees a good feel for the mission, programs and leadership of the organization. It's an opportunity for donors to see the Executive Director in action, see a powerful video or presentation on the work of the organization, and hear an update on the organization's latest work.
I think everything about the luncheon should relate back to the organization's mission and programs. I was on the PEPS luncheon committee for a couple years and always asked how the logo, the centerpieces, the speakers etc. related back to the mission. Some committee members saw this approach as overly complicated. Why can't a centerpiece simply be a centerpiece?, they wondered.
Do you go to many luncheons where you don't know the organization? Do you go because of your relationship with the table captain? Would table captains be more effective if they provided more information about the organization and relied less on the "I went to your luncheon, now you come to my luncheon" method?
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