Blog Post by: Jennifer Downes
As spring travel is winding down, I sit back and reflect on all the different elements that occurred during the season. Whether it was amazing Shoe Guy fundraising, exploding sponsorship dollars, marvelous Mission Moments, over the top productions, or crazy travel stories, it’s a journey to look at all the pieces.
One of the biggest highlights was experiencing some of our long term partners increasing their overall live auction and cash call revenue lines significantly. To express the joy that occurred with our clients is indescribable. The “secret sauce” to this achievement was that our partners trust us, our coaching, and with that we went “Back to Basics.”
As we begin the current year’s planning process, we review the prior year’s event and all the different elements. What became apparent with some of our clients was that they had swayed too far from our best practices and needed to reestablish the foundation that was created in year one. And that’s exactly what we did.
Always keeping our guests’ experience and revenue focus at the forefront, we adjusted and tweaked different areas to ensure our revenue activations occurred in just the right way.
A few examples of elements we adjusted were: narrowing down the revenue activations to only a handful for the entire event, creating the correct flow within the space, and selecting the right individuals to go onstage during the seated program. These are only a few examples of the different pieces we adjusted, but every detail matters as it all adds up when producing high caliber events.
One of the biggest adjustments we made was who would take the stage to conduct the live auction and cash call. Ensuring you have the right person for this piece is incredibly important as this can make the energy in the room either feel awkward if done incorrectly, or it can become a special moment where a community gathers together to support an amazing cause if done right! We worked with our partners to outline the best auction packages, ensure their impact statements were strong, and that our motto remained in the forefront – “Back to Basics”. Guess what?!?! It WORKED!
Whether you’re a Director of Development, CEO, or a volunteer supporting a nonprofit organization with an event, I highly recommend taking the time to evaluate where the event started and where it is now. It is easy to focus on refining and refreshing the guests’ experience, but unfortunately that means that the basics that were created in the beginning years can sometimes get lost. Take some time to compare the growth that has occurred, areas you can adjust, and always keep the guests’ experience and revenue flow at the forefront. Going “Back to Basics” can never steer you wrong.
Want to learn more about STUDIO 4Forty and how we serve nonprofits across the country? Email me at jennifer@studio4forty.com.