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.

Inspiring Your Audience to Join You in the WHY of Your Organization

We spend a lot of time with our clients developing their Special Appeal video. It’s your largest fundraising opportunity on the night of your event. But it’s most effective when you’ve taken time at your event, before the Special Appeal, to educate your audience about who you are and what you believe.

This does not mean standing at the microphone listing all of your many programs. This does not mean talking about your staff. This does not mean patting yourself on the back. It means outlining your organization’s vision of the future and what you are in the business of making happen every day through the work that you do. It means streamlining the story of your work into a narrative that a guest—who has quite possibly come to your event with no idea of your mission—can repeat on the elevator the next day.

It means influencing your audience to align with your commitment to make the world a better place. This work will help them want to give you money later during the Special Appeal.

The Anti-Defamation League has been around for 100 years. They are a civil rights/human relations agency fighting anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry, defending democratic ideals and protecting civil rights for all. That is the WHAT of their work. They have a ton of educational programs. They have legislative and advocacy programs. Those are the HOWs of their work. But all of that work is driven by a vision. It’s driven by a WHY. And in a one-minute and twenty-second video they communicate that mission in a way that is both impactful and specific.

Imagine A World Without Hate

One minute, twenty seconds. Simple. Beautiful. And quite memorable. That’s what you want your organization to be isn’t it? When you start with WHY, you connect to your audience emotionally and bring them on board. The WHAT and the HOW come in time. You are telling your story to an audience with limited attention spans, make the most of them.

Storytelling and the Special Appeal

Everyone wants to know the key to successful fundraising.  And while that sweet spot has a host of different elements, at its heart is always a well-told story—getting your audience to pay attention and go on a journey with you.

 

The essence of good storytelling is a lot like the essence of the work of many non-profits: the journey of an individual who starts in one place, works through internal and external conflict, and is then delivered to another, better place. For your special appeal your organization is the change agent for that journey.

A successful special appeal is a result of great storytelling.

We have been acting on this storytelling impulse for all of recorded history. Humans felt compelled to draw on the walls of caves. And while it happens through vastly different technology now, it’s pretty much exactly what we’re still doing. Facebook does call them “wall posts,” right?

 

And audiences engage at the hint of a good narrative.

 

Why?

 

As humans, we’re actually hardwired to absorb information via story better than via a litany of facts.

 

Buffer co-founder Leo Widrich says it this way:

 

“It's in fact quite simple. If we listen to a PowerPoint presentation with boring bullet points, a certain part in the brain gets activated. Scientists call this Broca's area and Wernicke's area. Overall, it hits our language processing parts in the brain, where we decode words into meaning. And that's it, nothing else happens.

 

When we are being told a story, things change dramatically. Not only are the language processing parts in our brain activated, but any other area in our brain that we would use when experiencing the events of the story are too.”

 

That means that, in a way, storytelling actually creates the experience for the listener. They are taken on a journey simply by listening. Your statistics—while great for a lot of things—can’t transport a listener in the same way.

 

So, when you want your potential sponsor, guest, supporter or champion to connect with your organization and your amazing work, don’t throw numbers at them first. Tell them a real story. One with cause and effect. One where there’s a hero on a journey. One where your organization is the change agent creating a better trajectory for their journey.

 

Narrative will engage your audience and connect them to you and your work in a way no spreadsheet or PowerPoint presentation ever will.