Events

One of our favorite resources about special-events fundraising is “Black Tie Optional: A Complete Special Events Resource for Nonprofit Organizations” by Harry Freedman and Karen Feldman. If your organization does special events or, more importantly, is thinking about doing special events, you really should own a copy. Among the really tasty bits in the book is a whole chapter dedicated to choosing the right kind of event for your organization, which includes page after page of sample events complete with descriptions, planning time, people needs and costs. It includes everything from pancake breakfasts to telethons to food festivals to cruises, and it is not

When the Arby’s Foundation first approached Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bluegrass, based in Lexington, Ky., about becoming a part of the Arby’s Charity Tour, the organization was skeptical and worried that the event would be too much work for not enough profit, and said, “No thanks.”

Organizations from local schools to national nonprofits are using auctions, both live and online, to raise needed funds and fill the gap left by shrinking budgets and dwindling funding sources. If you’re one of them, here are a few tips to help you succeed with your next benefit auction. 1. Create a plan. Ideally, planning should start 11 months in advance of the event to make sure there’s enough time to secure a venue, recruit volunteers, procure items and organize and publicize the event. You’ll also want to put a budget together at this time. Expenses can include invitations and catalog publication,

Founded in 1949, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is the world’s largest voluntary health organization dedicated to curing leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and to improving the quality of life of patients and their families.

FS Advisor -- April 4, 2006 Online auctions are becoming more popular and a preferred solution for nonprofit organizations looking to build their donor bases, engage donors, increase the frequency of giving and connect donors to a social giving network that transcends geography. This, according to Jon Carson, CEO of cMarket, Cambridge, Mass.-based provider of charitable online auction services, in his session Sunday at the 43rd AFP International Conference on Fundraising in Atlanta. Online auctions are successful because donors contribute more via the Web, and they cost less to run than their traditional counterparts. Auctions via the Web offer “a dynamic, interactive environment for

So the race is run, and the party’s over. Your walkathon, golf tournament, masquerade ball or dance-off raised thousands of dollars and introduced hundreds of people to your organization.

Now what? Sure, it’s time to start planning next year’s event. But even more importantly, many fundraising pros agree, it’s time to start thinking about how you’re going to get the people who gave at the event to keep on giving.

In the ‘90s, regional AIDS walks were among the most successful charity events in the country. Corporate sponsorship was plentiful, and businesses sent teams in the hundreds to participate.

But all that has changed, according to AIDS Project Rhode Island, which saw a downturn in corporate involvement for its annual AIDS Walk as early as 2000.

On May 15, more than 40,000 New Yorkers will hit the streets for the 20th annual AIDS Walk New York, the world’s largest AIDS fundraising event. To commemorate the anniversary, FS spoke with Craig R. Miller, the activist fundraiser who created the AIDS Walk model more than two decades ago. Miller is president and CEO of MZA Events, an event-production, campaign-management and grassroots-fundraising firm that produces AIDS Walks in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles, among others. He now pauses to reflect on Ronald Reagan, the Internet and the future of AIDS Walks as fundraisers and awareness builders.

Not many Americans understand the cruel reach of Crohn’s disease. Perhaps because it’s a disease that, while afflicting millions of people of all ages, makes folks undeniably squeamish. It involves blood and guts and diarrhea. It inflames your digestive and gastrointestinal tract and eats away at your colon.

But Roger F. Koman, former for-profit marketing maven and current vice president of new enterprises and new business development for the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America, wants to shatter those perceptions, raise awareness and funds, and afford patients, families and anyone who will listen a comfortable forum to speak freely about the disease.

How Do You Plan to Use the Internet as Part of Your Next Special-Event Fundraiser?