Читать книгу The Community Table - Susan Cole Urano - Страница 10

CHAPTER ONE

Ask the Right People

TEAMWORK

MY BEST piece of advice is to find the right chair! When the Roanoke Valley Arts Council undertook a fundraiser in conjunction with the opening of the new regional airport, we knew that a well-connected committee was the only way we could raise the big sum of money budgeted for a new arts fund. We worked for several weeks carefully selecting each member of the committee, considering the talent and resources each could bring to the table. The woman we approached to chair the event was married to the contractor who built the airport. We knew she was a high-powered and well-organized leader with great connections in the community. The committee decided on a travel theme and got to work planning the gala. We didn’t know our new chairwoman loved Cajun music. When she paid to bring one of the leading Cajun bands in the country to play at the opening, the result was an event that will be etched in the memories of the guests for years to come!

The Bounty on the Bricks committee sets up the day of the event. Photo courtesy of Jo Carpenter

The predictor of a fundraiser’s success is the quality of the team assembled to do the work. An effective chair is the glue that holds the team together and steers its members to success. A chair should be well connected in the community and have those phone numbers that allow access to the resources needed to pull the community together to do the work. A good chair understands the mission of the organization and how the money raised will be used to improve the community. This person can articulately and passionately tell your story. A good chair will be highly praised and sought after, yet motivated, not by praise, but by the community’s needs. This individual has the skills to organize and motivate people to get the job done—not by micromanaging—by empowering others to rise to the occasion.

Finding the right person to chair a fundraising event sets the stage for success. Look for someone who has demonstrated leadership or potential leadership ability—the capacity to understand and motivate people, see the big picture, and hold a clear vision of success. A strong leader is a master delegator who makes every member feel as though each contribution is invaluable to the success of the event. A good leader knows when to roll up the sleeves and pitch in and when to stand back and let others work through challenges. This person is not afraid of conflict.

Bounty on the Bricks event chair, Cheryl Sylvester, and her husband Tony arrive the night of the event. Photo courtesy of Jo Carpenter

Our Bounty on the Bricks chair honed her leadership skills over years of running a large insurance office while managing her family businesses at the same time. She is as comfortable at a black-tie gala as at a corn-hole-pitching barbeque in the backyard. She finds everyone she meets intriguing and is a great listener, asking clarifying questions and making connections. She probably wouldn’t write a $50,000 check for a name band, but she’s a woman of integrity that no one can say no to!

The event chair is a volunteer, possibly a member of the organization’s board. Although people working in business and the corporate world are usually considered desirable, don’t overlook other folks who support your cause, have strong leadership ability, and are well liked in the community. Remember, the added value of fundraising events is to connect and build community. Those connections last far beyond the dollars raised.

Who should ask someone to chair an event? Ideally, the invitation should be delivered by a representative of the nonprofit, either the CEO or the board president. When you approach prospective chairs, emphasize the potential benefits of the fundraiser on the mission of the organization or the community. Because these people are accustomed to seeing the “big picture,” they will understand the need that exists in your community and the potential value of the additional money that a fundraiser could generate. They enjoy fundraising and inviting others to become involved in an event. When you ask, be direct and clear about the responsibilities of the position.

The first job of the event chair is to decide what subcommittees are needed, what their job descriptions are, and who would be best to chair each. Subcommittees, a great way to disperse the many tasks of a fundraiser so that all the work doesn’t fall on the chair, could include the following: volunteer coordination, finance, food and beverage, decoration, logistics, marketing and ticket sales, and entertainment. If you are having an auction as part of your event, you’ll also need an auction chair. The chair and subchairs will serve as the group that plans and makes most of the decisions about the fundraiser. However, some decisions will have an impact on the sponsoring nonprofit and will need to be made jointly with the CEO or board chair. For instance, licensing will need to be done through the nonprofit. Most major financial decisions are also the responsibility of the nonprofit. (See sample organizational chart above.)

THE FUNDRAISING chairperson is responsible for coordinating and planning an event to raise money for your organization or cause. The chair will recruit and develop volunteers to help with the planning, setup, and teardown of the event. The workload for this position will be intense throughout the entire year. To be successful, the chair must develop and use systems that allow volunteers to participate with minimal direction when helping with fundraising events.

Tasks

1. Develop strategy to implement fundraiser.

2. Invite volunteers to fill committee positions.

3. Work with CEO or board chair to secure sponsorships for the event from local businesses.

4. Work with auction chair (if applicable) to secure donated items to sell.

5. Work with marketing chair and staff to ensure timely and accurate information about the event reaches the public.

6. Network in the community to generate support, enthusiasm, and attendance.

7. Oversee work of subcommittees.

8. Implement event in a timely and successful manner.

9. Celebrate success.

10. Evaluate event results and prepare recommendations for next year.

Qualities and Abilities of a Fundraising Event Chair

1. Motivates: Keeps the focus of the group on the outcome of the event.

2. Plans Strategically: Can see what needs to happen and asks the right people to carry it out.

3. Uses Diplomacy: Fluidly interacts with different people in the community.

4. Communicates: Is clear, easy to understand, and transparent in all interactions.

5. Delegates: Empowers and motivates others to do the work.

6. Oversees: Works within a budget and in a timely manner.

7. Fundraises: Is not afraid to ask for money!

Written job descriptions with enough detail about deadlines and lines of communication will be invaluable to the chair and subchairs. These could include their main tasks, the amount of time they have to accomplish the tasks, the available budget and income goal, who they will work with, what they will need to do the work, and how success will be measured.

Next, each subchair can begin recruiting a team of volunteers. The following paragraphs treat the general responsibilities of each committee and give some ideas about what skills are needed to fill each role.

The volunteer coordinator seeks people to do all the tasks necessary for the fundraiser: selling tickets, setting up the event, hauling trash, serving guests, displaying auction items, tending bar, cleaning up, and returning the many borrowed items used at the event. A good coordinator is highly organized and calm, confident, and comfortable in almost any situation. He or she likes people, knows how to navigate egos and conflict, and has a good understanding of others’ strengths and an ability to match those to the tasks at hand. This individual should be an excellent communicator, with the ability to give clear and precise instructions concerning tasks, dates, times, and locations. A coordinator may train volunteers or assign specific jobs to the subcommittee chairs, such as teaching how to set a proper place setting, how to time a race, or what constitutes an appropriate drink-serving size. People who have these skills are often teachers, coaches, nurses, and other members of “helping and teaching” professions. Above all, a good volunteer coordinator can thank, praise, and encourage easily, making everyone feel appreciated and that the success of the event was due in part to each volunteer’s contribution!

The finance chair or treasurer will oversee expenditures and income. People who enjoy working independently with numbers and Excel spreadsheets are a good fit in this role. When looking for a finance chair, consider individuals who run their own businesses or work in banking or finance. The finance chair will often work in conjunction with a paid staff from, or the chief financial officer or executive director of, the sponsoring organization to design a budget and monitor expenses and income. Unless the fundraiser is independent of a nonprofit, the ultimate accountability falls on that nonprofit sponsor, and its representative may have to authorize expenditures, sign checks, and write thank-you letters to donors and sponsors. (An example of an independent fundraiser would be a club raising money for the Red Cross: the event would not be sponsored by the Red Cross, and the club isn’t a legally incorporated entity.)

Marketing chairs should understand how people hear about events in their community. They develop promotional pieces and decide when and through what outlet these messages will be delivered. The marketing chair will be responsible for ticket sales or registrations, although this task can be assigned to a subcommittee of marketing. Choose someone with good communication skills, the ability to write a clear compelling message, and connections to media. Add an understanding of video, and you’ve got a dynamite chair! Sometimes this person can be found at a local newspaper or television or radio station. If you know someone who understands marketing, social media, and/or sales, ask him or her to chair this committee.

To find a volunteer to seek sponsors for the event, look for people who like to raise money in the community. These folks may have chaired or worked on local campaigns before. They are confident and not afraid to ask for money or goods—in fact, they enjoy talking to people. Sometimes the event chair, CEO, or development director will take on this responsibility. But I have seen highly effective committees raise sponsorships on their own quite effectively.

The logistics chair has a huge and invaluable job: to design where everything goes, including tables, bars, check-in stations, food service areas, tents, service lines, and trash cans. This chair works closely with the volunteer coordinator to find enough people to get the job done, checks in with the finance chair when ordering supplies for the event to align with the budget, and works with city and county officials or property owners to make sure everything complies with fire and health department regulations and provides access to adequate power and water sources. The logistics chair arranges for access to bathroom facilities, finds a place to store ice, and assigns parking for supply trucks. You need someone who is practical and detail oriented, yet able to visualize the big picture. This individual must be able to tackle problems head-on and negotiate solutions. Look for someone who already manages people or situations well, perhaps one holding a leadership role in an organization or running a private business.

The food and beverage coordinator works with the chefs, the caterers, or a restaurant to design a pleasing menu. If your event is a fancy meal, look for someone who knows food, possibly a person already in the industry or someone who likes to plan dinner parties. If food doesn’t play a big role in your event, then this assignment is a simple volunteer job. Working with the food industry requires an ability to express clearly what is needed, negotiate prices, plan menus and determine what quantities of each item are needed, arrange for deliveries, and oversee serving requirements. Look for a creative person who understands the business of food!

Designing the look of the event is left to the decorating committee, often people who prefer hands-on jobs. Look for these folks in more creative parts of your community. Florists, party planners, or natural hosts are good choices. They will know what looks good and how to make your guests comfortable. I have found that one of the challenges of working with the decorating committee (and, sometimes, the food coordinator) is keeping costs within budgets. At one event I dealt with costs by using a local landscaper as a volunteer to create a gardenlike entryway in exchange for recognition. A tasteful card strategically located in the display pointed guests to the company and its contributions.

Good entertainment volunteers know the industry and are comfortable inviting performers, negotiating fees and contracts, and determining staging requirements. Look for performers, presenters, or other artistic folk to chair this committee.

Once the subchairs are in place, they can begin to form their own teams. Some volunteers will come through the nonprofit and be assigned a subcommittee; others will be recruited by the subchairs. The chair will call the subcommittee chairs together to schedule and coordinate most aspects of the event. How often the committee meets as a whole is up to the temperament of the group, but I suggest meeting no more than once or twice a month. Most of the work should be done on the subcommittee level with only major decisions coming to the group of subchairs. It’s important to respect a volunteer’s time, so don’t meet too often! Keep your meetings concise with brief reports, either written or oral, and allow time for addressing problems. Committee time should be spent addressing joint concerns, bringing up new ideas and solving problems. Don’t micromanage! Keep brief minutes and share these with the committee before each meeting. Use them as a checklist for the following meeting to determine what needs to happen next.

The event entryway was donated by Greenleaf Gardens Center. Photo courtesy of Ben Siegel

Here’s a glimpse of effective teamwork. During interviews about their experiences serving as a committee member of a recent fundraiser, everyone mentioned the ease with which the committee functioned. One volunteer said, “This is a good event, good cause. The chair is great at navigating. Everyone is here for the right reason. The event is highly organized. Everyone knows what their job is.” Another member said, “The committee is really supportive. They agreed to the goals and are receptive to new ideas. They talk ideas through, are thoughtful. They integrate new ideas, are cooperative yet autonomous.” How do you generate that level of cooperation?

A sense of community grows from the respect, trust, and friendships that develop within the group. The committee checks their egos at the door as they enter into the work of raising money to support their cause. There is no place at the table for self-aggrandizement and no spare energy to assuage the ego or promote the righteousness of a volunteer or guest. We’ve all worked on projects that derail because of the needs of one person, so pick your team carefully!

This takes time. A good event starts about one year out. This head start allows for time to assemble the perfect team, test ideas, and secure a date and venue. Every member has a chance to get to know the team, to explore their ideas with others, and to really listen. Questions and ideas are raised and worked through as a group. The time it takes to build cohesion and trust is not wasted time. Once in place, the group will navigate choppier waters with ease. And don’t forget to throw in a little humor and make it fun!