Archive for the ‘Advice’ Category

How to Become an Event Planner

Tuesday, August 10th, 2010

It has only been in the last few years that colleges have begun offering in-depth event planning courses and for many recent graduates interested in event planning, it can be tough to find the right stepping stone to an event planning role.

So how do you become an event planner?

Volunteer at work, school or with non-profit organizations to handle parts of an event – anything from greeting guests to printing the name tags. Every experience helps.

Talk to other event planners about how they got into the business.  Ginger Donnan interned at a PR firm while in college, aiding account executives in the implementation of special events, and at the Recycling Division of a Department of Public Works, researching and attending community events for recycling promotions. After becoming the Editorial and Production Coordinator in the Marketing Department of the law firm White & Case, she was the only person available to organize client seminars. Ten years later, Ginger Donnan Events manages events for the professional services and non-profit industries, including client-facing marketing events and fundraisers.

To learn more about how Ginger Donnan and others became event planners, visit About.com: Event Planning.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Advice, Blog, Featured | No Comments »

Money for Your Cause and Help for Free

Monday, April 12th, 2010

In preparation for “Tip-Off for a Cure,” an evening to benefit Autism Speaks and The Gillen Brewer School on Wednesday, April 14, we recruited volunteers to work the event. We provide this service to many of our non-profit clients, but if you’re going at it alone, here’s what we suggest:

If you’re just starting your list, try these sources for willing volunteers:
- employees’ friends and family
- associated/similar  non-profit organizations
- local colleges
- idealist.org

Begin your volunteer outreach by an initial email stating the who, what, when and where and requesting a response. If it is the first time you’re reaching out to this particular group or certain individuals, be sure to include information about your organization and why it’s such a great cause to support with their time.

Take copious notes from the responses as some volunteers will only be available for certain times and tasks. It also helps to know who they are connected to so they can partner up, if applicable. Friends like to stick together and if you consider that in their roles, volunteers will be more apt to return to help at future events.

Three to five business days before the event, confirm the who, what, when and where along with the how. Clearly outline each volunteer’s responsibilities and let them know your expectations.

Unpaid volunteers are like attendees of a free event – not all show up. So be prepared by requesting a few “alternates.” Ad hoc tasks will always come up to fill their time.

When working with a new group of volunteers, try and balance them with staff or experienced volunteers and take notes after the event about their particular skills, so that you know the best times to ask for their help in the future.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Advice, Blog, Featured, Non-Profit | No Comments »

Is Your Cause about Gold or Hope?

Monday, March 22nd, 2010

Gold, Silver, Bronze. Patron, Contributor, Supporter. These terms are used over and over to draw attention to the benefits of donating thousands of dollars to many worthy causes. Yet when companies and individuals are receiving hundreds of requests like these, how does yours stand out?

Consider using the mission of your organization or event to describe your sponsorship levels. For this art show fundraiser, we suggested levels from a Master Painter to an Apprentice. For a cancer foundation’s upcoming event, we used the terms from their existing slogan: Hope, Care, Compassion.

To avoid being trite in other writing, including grant applications, review The Communications Network’s jargon finder.

A comprehensive analysis of your action plan may result in targeting specific metrics for a myriad of best practices to roll out.

Or you may just want to change the way you speak to people.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Advice, Blog, Featured, Non-Profit | No Comments »

Kindly In-Kind Donations

Thursday, February 11th, 2010

We’re working on a lot of solicitation these days, including donations that aren’t “funds,” but still play an important part of a successful fundraiser. In-kind donations, including event materials and auction items, limit costs for fundraising events and expand the circle of those with a stake in the event. For individuals and organizations who can’t afford that $400 ticket but still care about the cause and want to contribute, in-kind donations provide an alternate means.

Event fundraising requires a system and just a few tweaks takes a sponsor solicitation strategy to an approach for in-kind donations:

• Create a wish list of contacts.
• Research the best way to contact them.
• Write compelling correspondence that includes:
- reasons to get involved
- ways to contribute
- benefits for in-kind donations, just as you would a cash sponsor, such as seats at the dinner or an ad in the journal
• Call to follow-up.
• Take notes during every conversation.
• Consider their input and adjust your outreach based upon those conversations.
• If they offer something that you didn’t ask for but that costs you nothing, say yes!

And remember, this kind of outreach raises awareness and opens doors for further communications and donor development!

Tags: , ,
Posted in Advice, Blog, Featured, Non-Profit | 1 Comment »

Mending Vendor Relations

Monday, January 25th, 2010

As 2010 events rev up, we’re soliciting vendor proposals and negotiating contracts like rapid-fire. It’s great to see the industry reviving and, as usual during the proposal stage, we’re finding service providers to be communicative, thorough, and enthusiastic, flush with the prospect of new business.

Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case. When vendors underperform, it’s important to remain calm and not rush to any conclusions that can lead to unnecessarily broken contracts. Most of the time, it just takes an honest conversation to reach an understanding.

1. Schedule a meeting with the primary contact, in person if possible, to review the status of the project.
2. Begin on common ground, mentioning tasks that have been completed well or you know the vendor has underway.
3. Be aware of the tone of your voice. Respectful discussions breed compromise and understanding.
4. Explain that each question or request is part of a larger context and impacts numerous tasks down the line.
5. Reset expectations. Review the current situation and outline areas or steps that need to change.
6. Ask for suggestions on how to make improvements.
7. Review written timelines and have both parties sign the document as a sign of good faith.

Most service providers know, especially in this recovering economic environment, that reputations and future opportunities are on the line. Use this to your advantage to seek the best out of your vendors. If a discussion does not improve matters, the situation may need to be escalated to the business owner or to your lawyer to identify additional steps that can be taken to assure the event’s success, even if it means exercising the contract’s cancellation terms and identifying a new vendor who can hit the ground running.

K968VJSMJXDF

Tags: , ,
Posted in Advice, Blog, Featured, Industry | No Comments »

« Older Entries