Volunteers In Action: Fundraising

Penny ZentNFPB Vice Chair &

TreasurerStation Manager, KAMU

Penny Zent

Vice-Chair and TreasurerNational Friends of Public Broadcasting

Station ManagerKAMU-FM

College Station, Texas

Why Community Leaders Get Involved

• Belief in cause• Someone asked them• Chance to work with other committee

members• Want to make a difference• Selfish based on personal needs (e.g. lack

of ???? in community and wanting to make something happen)

Why Community Leaders Get Involved

• Reputation of organization• Community needs• Business connections• Political connections• Empowerment• Prestige• Save money for the organizations they serve

Why Community Leaders Don’t Get Involved

• Time constraints• The feeling that if they say “yes” to you, they

have to say “yes” to everyone• Expected financial commitment• No one asked them• Lack of awareness about organization/mission

Why Community Leaders Don’t Get Involved

• Decisions made by committees• Job description not clear• Clique – small groups competing against each

other• Non-welcoming atmosphere of organization

Volunteer Driven Events

• Murder Mystery Party/Dinner• Champagne & Diamonds• Derby Day• Opera & Canapés• Macy’s Community Shopping Day• Painted Object Auction• Miniature Golf Tournament• Other

Murder Mystery Party/Dinner

– Clues given out on TV/Radio– Scripts obtained/written with local

celebrities/well-known business people as suspects

– Sponsor opportunities…..solicit table sponsors where a designated person from each table becomes a prime suspect….only available to sponsor businesses/organizations

Murder Mystery Party/Dinner continued

– Scripts available from capcitymystery.comBrazos County Crime Stoppers, Inc.

Murder Mystery Dinner and Halloween Costume Party

Sponsorship InformationHigh Sheriff Sponsor $2500

Crime Dawg Sponsor $2000 Participant in Murder Mystery Yes NoPawdners in Crime $1000 Participant in Murder Mystery Yes No Jail Bird Sponsor $ 750

Champagne & Diamonds

– Black-tie dinner event at country club or other appropriate venue

– Partner with local jewelry store….they donate a loose diamond (1 or 2 carats)

– Raffle Jimmy Choo handbag and shoes– Hold a fashion show in conjunction with the event

where the models wear jewelry from the store in addition to selected outfits (holiday, etc.)

Champagne & Diamonds (cont.)

• Champagne bar….Patrons can buy a champagne flute containing a small velvet bag from the jewelry store. Only 75 – 100 bags are available. Each bag contains a stone…..only 1 real diamond. Store owner goes from table to table examining the stones until the real diamond is found

Derby Day

– Held in conjunction with the Kentucky Derby “Run for the Roses”…..first Saturday in May

– Hotel ballroom or other appropriate venue– Convene at 4 p.m. for mint juleps and to buy race

tickets. Each ticket is assigned to a horse that’s competing in the race

– Watch the race on large screen projectors at 5 p.m.

Derby Day (cont.)

– Winners in each category (Win, Place, Show) receive a prize…gift certificates for dinners or services (approximately 20 in each category for a total of 60….or more if you can get them)

– Authentic Kentucky Derby dinner served– Dinner dancing– Hat contest or parade– Featured Entertainment– Both silent auction and live auction

Opera and Canapés

– Intimate gathering that begins with champagne and hors d’oeuvres

– Concert featuring well-known talent….opera, chamber music, etc.

Macy’s Community Shopping Day (Shop and Share Day)

– Partner with Macy’s (or other department store, restaurant, etc.)

– Buy a ticket from the station ($10). Each $10 ticket entitles you to receive $10 off any one transaction of $25 or more. The more tickets you buy, the more you save and the more money the station makes.

Macy’s Community Shopping Day (Shop and Share Day) cont.

– Variations include donating $5 at the register and receiving a 15% discount on purchased merchandise. The $5 donation goes to the designated charity

Painted Object Auction– Choose object appropriate to the organization

(e.g. horses, cows, trains, musical instruments, etc.)

– Select well-known artists to paint objects….may include specialty objects made out of glass, jewelry, pottery, etc.

– If appropriate and available, get the objects autographed by famous personality (e.g. violin signed by Itzhak Perlman)

Painted Object Auction (cont.)

– Choose venue(s) to display the objects for a designated period of time prior to the final event

– Hold a party where the items are auctioned. You might have a combo event where some items are sold through raffle tickets, a silent auction, and live auction for the most desirable objects.

Miniature Golf Tournament

– Combo outreach project to local high schools and fund-raising event

– Students form teams; study the golf course; plot geometry solutions in order to shoot hole-in-1 on each hole

– Seek hole sponsors, etc. like regular tournament– Collect entry fee from teams

Other Event Possibilities– Non-gala Gala– Spin-off on CSI TV Show….Cookie Monster Steals a

Cookie– Specialty food tastings; wine tastings; etc.

For more information, please go toNational Friends of Public Broadcasting

http://nfpb.org

Thank you!