Secrets to a Fabulous Fundraising Party!

By Gail Perry

3. Give VIPs special encouragement to come. If you want some certain VIPs to attend your event, then make sure they come. They may be reluctant to attend for various reasons. Perhaps they don't have a date or escort. Or maybe they don't like driving at night. Or they are shy.

Call them up and say:

"I have someone special I want you to meet at our party."
"I have a terrific table for you."
"Our 'party van' will come pick you up."

I love the idea of a party van picking up important guests. The Museum of Art in North Carolina once used a corporate jet to travel around the state and pick up key guests. You might not have access to a corporate jet, but I bet you could get hold of a van, or even your own car.

Just extend a very personal invitation follow-up to your VIPs, and make sure they come!

STAGE TWO: AT THE EVENT

1. Right-sized venue. Be sure your room or venue is not too big! Nothing is worse than a huge room that swallows your crowd. The energy will dissipate, and it will feel like nothing's going on. I'd rather have a room that's too small than have one that's too big. When the room is crowded with people, it feels like something is really happening!

2. Turn down the lights. Nothing is worse that bright lights glaring above. Nothing ruins the atmosphere of a party more than overly bright lighting. Turn the darn lights down, and create a sense of mood and atmosphere. At our age we all look better in lower light anyway. 🙂

3. Abundant food and drink. Never, never, never be the event that ran out of food or booze. Have the food tables look abundant. Your fare doesn't have to be fancy at all, but it needs to be ample and look attractive.

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Gail Perry Author's page Gail believes in parties first, rabble-rousing second, and having fun while changing the world. Gail Perry CFRE is an international fundraising coach, speaker, trainer and thought-leader. She is a leader in a new breed of fundraisers who are on the cutting edge of fundraising today. Her Fired-Up Fundraising approach, developed over the past 25 years as a nonprofit philanthropy expert, has helped organizations raise hundreds of millions in gifts. Gail's practical and refreshing approach to raising money in today's world is based on the very latest innovative fundraising strategies. An inspirational and popular speaker, she leads energizing fundraising workshops and board retreats around the globe. She particularly enjoys working with nonprofit board members, introducing them to a new perspective on fundraising and ways they can be successful at it. Gail's book, Fired-Up Fundraising, has been called the "gold standard guide to building successful fundraising boards." Gail got her start in fundraising at Duke University, and then went on to lead fundraising at the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. You can read Gail's weekly blogs at FiredUpFundraising.com, and also find her provocative articles at FundraisingSuccess, Guidestar, and Capital Campaign Magic.

My Secrets to a Fabulous Party!