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Putting It All Together Two organizations had been holding events in the same communities for years. One was a statewide organization and the other a national organization, both with local committees doing the fundraising. The statewide organization was a splinter organization of the national one, the result of a long past dispute between leadership in the national organization and members in the state. So it evolved that these organizations went head to head in competition with events in the same communities . Event organizers and attendees were cut from the same cloth. The organizations’ cause was the same. One event appeared the same as any other. Funds raised were used to accomplish the same mission, and the kinds of raffle and auction items available at the events were the same. Volunteers and event workers would float between the two organizations, sometimes a result of continued inabilities to get along. Many people contributing to the cause supported both organizations, which was the real strength of both organizations. Getting people to attend the events was relatively easy, as both organizations knew exactly what prospective attendees wanted, and the events were stocked full of irresistible raffle and auction goodies. The fiercest competition was not for attendees and the dollars they brought to the events but for the much harder-to-get event volunteer workers, the folks who do the hard work of hosting an event. Asking for donations, making arrangements, getting publicity, selling tickets, and so much more are chores. Getting people who have busy lives to volunteer to put on an event is not easy. And if something should go wrong with an event, event volunteers get all the grief. Who needs that? So the two organizations vied in small and large communities for the limited pool of people interested in the cause of the organizations, and the even 18 PUTTing iT all TogeTher 201 When volunteer event workers were asked why they liked to work the statewide organization’s events, they said working these events was more fun because they won more prizes. Volunteer workers can also be participants in the events held by both organizations. Attendees also said the statewide organization’s events were more fun because they won more prizes. The national organization’s events were more efficient and, attendee for attendee, made more money for charitable mission-related work. In the world of charitable giving, the amount of money going to fund an organization ’s mission versus the amount it costs to put on an event is an important measure of event efficiency and fundraising success. I would have expected attendees and volunteers to take that into account in making choices between the two organizations. I know some people did, but not to the extent I expected. When presented a choice, many attendees and volunteers really just wanted to win prizes and have fun. The Mix oF fundraising activities, length of time for each, and the types, values, and number of prizes can have a significant effect on attendees’ spending as well as enjoyment of an event. at some point in the process of planning an event, planners must make a series of important decisions about the number and types of fundraising activities to provide attendees, the exact mix and number of prizes to obtain for each of the specific fundraising activities, the length of time to make available for each fundraising activity, and the price to set for each activity (e.g., raffle ticket and game-play prices). this is the process of “putting it all together.” it can be a daunting , complicated task. Choices made at this point will make the difference between a cost-effective event returning significant net revenue and a cost-inefficient event that results in low revenue. planners could perfectly set up the trappings for the event, get great publicity, sell an unprecedented number of event tickets, but smaller pool of volunteers who had not already had their fill of putting on events. Both organizations paid for many of the items used in raffles and auctions. Event planners also sought underwriting to finance such purchases, meaning both organizations carried considerable overhead for purchased merchandise and services into their events. Despite this overhead, in competing with each other, the organizations ’ approach could not have been more different. The national organization focused volunteers’ attention on earning net revenue, efficiency ratios, and numerous other event-related measures. Event fundraising was subject to intense analysis. Events held in communities in this and other states were judged and...

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