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Let’s talk about all the components to your annual dinner/gala. At the end of the day, and by true definition, what will make your dinner successful?
- Everyone had a great time
- The evening ran smoothly
- The silent auction was laid out beautifully
- The food was great
- You made budget
As a fundraiser, I know that everything I do is judged by how much money I raise. Why, because in order for my organization to continue providing services, maintaining its programs, sending money to research, buying equipment and continue paying for all the daily expenses of running our operation, it needs money.
So, at the end of the day, when I have reviewed the income from sponsorship, journal ads, donations, silent auction, live auction and any other source of income for the gala, I best have made budget.
Raising money is the single most important component of your dinner/gala. If you don’t do that, having everything else work really doesn’t matter. Sure, it’s very important for everyone to have a great time, for the evening to have run smoothly, for the silent auction to have looked beautiful, and for the food to have tasted great. All that can still happen while you have worked toward meeting your financial goal.
Let’s look at the single best way to achieve your financial goal – YOUR HONOREE!
Now, I have heard and read different definitions, or should I say, different job descriptions for Honorees.
- They “chair” the event. What exactly does this mean? For some, this means they are the overseer of the volunteer committee which makes sure the evening runs smoothly.
- Sometimes the “chair” lends their name to the organization for them to send out letters on organization letterhead, to past supporters, requesting sponsorship or taking a journal ad
- The person has been supportive of the organization and/or has donated money to the organization in the past; the person is very active in the community and somehow linked to your organization; the person sits on your board and it is now time to recognize him/her – so therefore, you show your appreciation by “honoring” them at your gala which simply means you are giving them an award at the event
- The Honoree is someone of stature in the community, he/she has agreed to be honored, they review and accept the job description, they agree to provide you with their mailing list of contacts, they will sign their name to a letter on their letterhead, they will take a high level sponsorship, they will make a few personal “one on one” asks for money, they will help you identify and secure next year’s Honoree
I vote for #4. And so should you. This is the only way you will raise the money to meet your budget and develop new relationships for your organization. Your Honoree is your springboard not only to the success of your event, but to developing new partnerships between your organization and companies, that without your Honoree’s involvement, you would never have had the chance to forge.
Do not be afraid to let your prospective Honoree know what is expected of him/her – hence, the job description. Anyone worthy of taking on the role of Honoree understands the budget process and what it will take to meet it. If the person you are meeting with cannot comply, maybe, just maybe, they aren’t the right person.
In our next issue, we will discuss “How to Identify and Secure Your Honoree.”
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