Curate Your Event for the Audience You Want to Attend

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by Samantha Swaim

Well curated events where the audience, the program and the goals for the event are in line, help pave the way to success

When we start talking with non-profits about what they hope to achieve with their fundraising events they often reply, “We need big money from our big donors AND we need a bunch of new supporters, too.” Sometimes these two can go hand-in-hand, but only if very special care is taken to curate the attendance.

Throwing the dice and waiting to see about who will be attending your event is not the way to do either the friend-raising or the fundraising. We regularly encourage our non-profits to get very clear about their goals and let those guide the event development.

The purpose of acquisition events is to bring new people (who may become potential donors down the road) into your organization and introduce them to the great work you do. Major donor events are all about taking the folks who are already significant donors to your organization and getting all of them together to continue, and maybe even increase, their support.

When you are trying to do both kinds of event at the same time, can you see how the intersection is at odds with fundraising? You’re trying to take two different audiences on different journeys at the same time. For people new to your organization, there is a certain amount of cultivation and education needed to move them into being a major donor. This is the same work you have invested in your major donors, and continue to invest if you’re doing it well.

Curate your events to suit the audience you are seeking to attend them. No event can be everything to everyone. And while doing one big event for everyone seems advantageous in terms of workload, it often runs counter to the event’s maximum potential. Make your acquisition events specific to the crowd you’re targeting and more about education than fundraising. Don’t assume this audience knows who you are and what you do. Tell them your story and build the compelling case for their involvement and future financial support. Often these are smaller, very targeted events like meet and greets at your offices or a happy hour where you bring targeted staff members to talk about their work.

For the big fundraising, invite your major donors to an event that shows them what you’ve been up to, and what you hope to continue to do with their help. To celebrate the hard work you all do together. These can be large or small events depending on your fundraising goals, but if your primary focus for an event is fundraising, you must make sure you have put together a very specific room of donors. Sending out an invite and waiting to see who comes leaves too much to chance. Get strategic. Develop a targeted invite list, reach out personally and engage donors with a specific solicitation to be a sponsor, a table host or a guest.

Most often, supporters are friends of an organization before they become donors. That’s the cultivation process. Think about your events and where their purpose falls on this spectrum to help shape your event.

Keep Things Fun

A fundraising event with a fun, festive, social atmosphere focused on the positive impact of the donor's gift, increases individual giving and fosters a more successful relationship with major donors than an event with a more formal, business feel.

Community Action decided to transform their annual gala from a formal affair with a keynote speaker focused on corporate giving to a much more socially-focused evening celebrating the impact of their donors and were met with incredible success. People were there to socialize and mingle, and many came with their spouses and partners instead of just with their business associates.

It is common that, in a business formatted event, a vast majority of attendees have their tickets purchased by their company and are seated around the company table, so, in turn, attendees expect their business to write a check at the end of the night. But being there amongst friends and companions, instead of business associates, can make attendees feel more personally responsible for donating and maybe even create a bit of positive peer pressure to be generous with their giving.

This was very clearly reflected in the astounding increase of donations during Community Action’s special appeal.

This social environment appeals more to attendees’ emotions and less to their more logical sides. And appealing to the emotions is an important strategy in getting people to donate. Given too much time and opportunity to rationalize and ponder a donation, a person will quite often decide to give less. You want to create an immediate, emotional reaction in your audience through social interaction, a compelling story, and the desire to gain social approval. You never want to give them too much time to consider and weigh their decisions.

In “Rational Thought Can Override a Generous Intuition,” an article in the March/April 2013 edition of Scientific American Mind, author Michele Solis discusses a recent study of this phenomenon, saying:

“To peer into this aspect of human nature, Rand [David Rand, a psychologist at Harvard University who led this study] and his colleague gave study participants 40 cents, then asked them to decide how much to keep for themselves and how much to donate to a common pool that would later be doubled and split evenly among those who donated. Those who quickly made up their minds donated more than those who took longer, suggesting that quick decisions based on intuition were more generous than slower, deliberate decisions.”

So, keep your fundraising events fun and social, avoiding a more staid, logical business atmosphere in order to encourage your attendees to stick with their initial emotional impulse to donate generously.

Samantha Swaim Honored with the Equity Foundations's 2013 Leadership Award

We were proud to attend the sold-out Equity Foundation Women Who Lead Luncheon, honoring women in the community who blaze the way so that all of the community can flourish.

We were even prouder that our founder, Samantha Swaim, was honored with the Leadership Award at the event. So we wanted to share her introduction and speech from the event. 

She was introduced by her friend and hero, Christopher Acebo, associate artistic director at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

Christopher Acebo and Samantha Swaim.

Here’s what he had to say:

“What an honor for me to be here today in celebration of these great leaders and what a privilege to introduce my friend Samantha Swaim.

For those of you who know Samantha, you know she is an artful connector of people, a champion for strengthening community and a life force that enables others to find success.  These are qualities that define leadership.

Samantha Swaim Fundraising is a company built on the belief that non-profits are at the center of change in the world and in less than 10 years her company has helped over 70 organizations raise more than $60 million dollars. So, how does that happen?

Well, let me tell you a story. Or actually, let me tell you about storytelling.

Storytelling is a cornerstone of Samantha’s work and was in many ways the catalyst for our friendship—our shared passion for theatre. And it comes down to this simple truth: In hearing someone else’s story we may find unexpected connections that can awaken our capacity for empathy and understanding. And in that moment, when fear or skepticism disappears, we can change the world. It’s what’s at the core of great art and at the core of Sam’s work.

She is about seizing the moment to create opportunity and the key to her success lies in believing this without artifice. 

Sam throws her authentic self into her life and work. Whether it’s the way she interacts with organizations to reimagine their outreach or her own personal journey with friends, community and wellness. 

Let me give you an example of finding opportunity: Sam couldn’t just take on the personal challenge of losing weight and becoming a healthier person. She also had to find a way to make that goal resonate in a wider way.

So her goal for wellness led to cycling, which lead to finding community, which led to philanthropy. And in a few weeks she will ride 545 miles for the third straight year for AIDS Lifecycle with her beloved Team Portland helping to raise thousands of dollars for that organization, as well as, for Northwest Parkinson’s Foundation. She doesn’t just talk the talk. She rides the ride.

And let’s remember, as the old adage says, behind every great woman . . . sometimes is another great woman. And Sam’s capacity for success must be equally measured by the contribution of Kristin Steele — her love and partner of 14 years.

Seizing opportunity when it presents itself. Aligning storytelling with vision. Revealing our shared humanity with our capacity for compassion and tapping into our intrinsic need to help others. These inspirations are at the core of success as defined by Samantha.

I recently came across this quote by John Wesley, which I think speaks deeply of Sam and how she navigates through the world and why she’s being honored as a change agent today:

‘Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can.’

Ladies and gentlemen, our Leadership Award winner, Samantha Swaim.”

                                                                                         

Samantha then took the stage and offered her insight into leadership and community responsibility:

“This is such an incredible honor to be recognized by all of you. So many of you here are personal heroes. Especially you, Chris. Because, like Equity, the work you do everyday gives people a voice. 

I believe that we create overlap in this world when we start to share stories. We start to see ourselves reflected when we start to walk in other people’s shoes. 

I believe that story creates community. 

Our stories open those little windows where we see injustice, where we learn of a world outside of our own, where a different perspective becomes clear. We open hearts and move mountains every time someone comes out to a family member or a friend. 

It’s a brave act to share your truth. And it’s a life-changing act.

It is the reason why the work of Equity Foundation is so important. I think there is nothing more important than giving people a voice. I am grateful that Equity is here to empower, remove barriers and provide opportunity.  Thank you to Equity, to Karol, to Carl and to the board for this leadership award. 

Leadership, to me, has always been about creating the world we want to be a part of. It has always been about making the lives, hopes and dreams of others as important as my own. It has always been about equity: practicing it, creating it, demanding it and leaving it as a legacy.

When we have a voice, we have the ability to write our own stories. If we see something in the world we don’t like, we can change it. We can stand up and speak out. We can connect to people and find common ground. We can dispel fear and myth. 

And magically, when we have a voice we create community. We create equity.

Being a part of a community that supports me is what gets me going every day. Doing that in return for others is what matters to me every day. I give to the world what I hope to receive. I hope to inspire others to do more than they thought they could.

To speak up more, to give more, to be more.

Because if a young boy in Eastern Oregon is afraid to go to school because he’s gay, we haven’t done enough. If a trans woman is pursuing her career as a medical file clerk instead of her dreams of becoming a doctor because she thinks she needs to be invisible, we haven’t done enough. If an athlete isn’t going pro in order to protect their partner, we haven’t done enough.

Until we can ALL live authentically without fear, we haven’t done enough.

This is why we share our stories. This is why we speak up for injustice. This is why we come out. This is why we share our truth. This is why we support Equity. 

It seems so much better to be a part of a life where we, are a WE. Where the long haul is done TOGETHER. Where we take care of each other. And where we all have a voice to tell our stories.

So thank you. I am humbled and am so honored by this award. I am grateful for all of you who have given me so much. A leader never leads alone. 

And I am only able to accept this award because of what each of you in this room do every day. Especially my partner Kristin, who dares me to dream bigger. To my friends who share their stories to remove stigma, open hearts and remove fear. And to my team Dwight, Debbie and Kristin who have joined forces with me to make this community stronger.

I hope each of you will lead by telling your story. Find your voice. Share your truth. And then go beyond that and support others in finding their voice by supporting the great work of Equity Foundation. 

Because together our voices are too powerful not to be heard.”
                                                                                         

Kristy Fleming, Samantha Swaim, and Kristin Steele.

It was an amazing event. Thank you to Equity Foundation for the honor and to all of you for allowing us to be a part of your stories.

Getting to the Heart of the Special Appeal

At the heart of every successful event, is a successful special appeal. And at the heart of every successful special appeal, is a compelling story with characters whom the audience can relate to and care about. Basic Rights Oregon got this spot on when choosing their most recent special appeal film subjects, Paul Rummell and Ben West.

Both Paul and Ben were eloquent speakers who were willing to open up their lives to Basic Rights Oregon in order to help the audience understand how marriage equality would affect their lives in very real and understandable terms. They spoke of building their family and taking care of their child and, also, taking care of each other. They spoke both of their struggle to find acceptance in their extended family and the community that had embraced them fully. They fearlessly shared issues that all families face and other issues that most families will never have to face. All of these things that they shared spoke directly to everyone in the crowd, demonstrating the importance of marriage equality on a small scale so that it could be more easily understood on a grand scale.

In just four short minutes of video, Paul and Ben were able to share an emotionally compelling story that resonated with the audience. They showed the audience members how they could insert themselves directly into their incredible story—by supporting Basic Rights Oregon, the audience would be supporting Paul and Ben. They were able to build an experience for the viewers, transporting them into the story. By choosing just the right people to tell just the right story, every non-profit can improve its fundraising dramatically.

All of the incredible storytelling and honesty in Paul and Ben’s story lead to an exceptionally successful appeal with energy and excitement increasing in the room all the way to the end. And Basic Rights Oregon raised significantly more than they had anticipated, allowing them to fight for families like Paul and Ben.

Thank you to Paul and Ben for sharing your lives with us all. And great job Basic Rights Oregon on another successful Oregonians Against Discrimination Business Leaders Lunch!

Putting the Party in the Party

How can a VIP experience help you raise money? Auction it off!

At the recent Mount Hood Kiwanis Camp Prom gala, the live auction was kicked off by the sale of a VIP table. This ramped up the excitement right off the bat, building momentum that ran into the rest of the live auction.

The VIP table was a front-row table set specially with elegant tableware, centerpiece, and linens. At each of the 10 seats were a VIP gift bag, delicious Dagoba chocolate and a cupcake from Cupcake Jones. The table had an upgraded menu, consisting of a steak and lobster 5-course dinner served by their own dedicated wait staff. It looked like the ultimate party.

The VIP table creates a party within the party.

Dianne Hosford, from Oregon Brand Management, was the icing on the cake. She displayed her extensive knowledge of wine and indelible charm as the table’s private sommelier, serving wine pairings with each of the five courses. The constant action at the VIP table drew attention throughout the evening.

As guests entered the event, the VIP table took center stage, but no one knew who the VIP guests were. As the program began, the attendees learned that they would have the chance to sit at the VIP table, as it was the first live auction up for bid. The winning bidder moved his entire table of 10 up to the VIP table for a party within a party.

The VIP table ended up being the highest selling auction item.  As the table required minimal procurement (just some donated chocolate and cupcakes) from MHKC staff, the cost to benefit ratio was very high. And the excitement that this party within a party created in the room was priceless and undoubtedly helped MHKC to raise significantly more than they had expected.

The VIP table helped to create a fun, celebratory atmosphere for everyone at the dinner. There was a lot of interest at the table throughout the night with the special courses, wait staff, and sommelier. Key bidders were already talking about bidding on it again in 2014. Having a VIP table proved to set an exciting, celebratory tone for the entire night.