Events: Are They Really Worth It?

You may recall from reading some of the articles of SchoolAdvancement.com that, as educators, we are all about change! And over the past couple of years, things have changed SO MUCH MORE than we’ve ever imagined possible!

In the classroom, you may think you’re planning the same lessons from year to year, but the dynamics of your classroom change with each year. Not only the historical and community circumstances surrounding the time when you’re teaching, but if the classes you teach have different students in them, then your life could change from hour to hour.

Do you realize how awesome this is?

Compare this to the factory worker, who may have graduated high school and gone to work in the factory…doing the same thing every day for the next 40 years.

Sometimes, change happens in an instant. We also perceive “change” in the “macro” sense, as in, “big” changes.

Planning for change, however, is different, since that’s really not change.

What’s known in corporate circles today as “change” is actually “transition.” Transition takes time and energy, just as developing “Advancementality” (a mindset that realizes advancement as a living system of Asset Management, Retention, Marketing, Enrollment and Development) does.

So here’s an article to perhaps “change” your mind about events.

Events can be considered fundraisers – but are they really “development” activities?

And, if so, are they worth it?

I’ve seen both ends of the spectrum.

The timing of this article is quite appropriate, as the non-profit organization my wife and I founded 15 years ago and we still head up (with some very dedicated volunteers and great friends) is once again holding its “almost annual” Fall event next Saturday night!

What started out as a way to raise a couple thousand dollars to meet the organization’s year-end goal has become the major event of the year for the organization, selling-out and raising $10,000 or more. The event had always sold out a week or two prior to the event, but in 2019, people were still coming to the door, and needed to pass by three signs that stated the event was sold out (confirmation, by the way, that people no longer read today).

While we were only able to accommodate about 140 people at the previous venue where it was held, the new venue accommodated 225 supporters and their friends!

With restarting the event three years ago, we kept the number of people down to allow for distancing, and for the past 2 years, 160 people were scheduled to attend. Last year, we learned that people STILL don’t read, and thought that “Small Plates” meant an all-you-can-eat buffet, and we ran out of food. Someone even had the audacity to contact one of our food vendors by writing a letter to complain they didn’t donate enough food! The letter was signed by 8 people – all were just first names, and none of those names were on our list. Therefore, these people either came in without tickets, or didn’t have the courage to sign their own names.

Indeed, times have changed.

So we changed.

Last year, we implemented wrist bands allowing each guest a limited number of particular food items. We’re also addressing the shortage of water by having guests pay $1 per bottle.

This year, we began using an online ticketing solution used by our local school district for their sporting events. Our previous partner had a Web site that made the event available to the surrounding area, and people who had no association with the organization attended because it was “something to do.” Unfortunately, it was those same people who complained about the the music, the food portions, or the fact they had to pay for water.

Hopefully, things go smoothly this year so we don’t have to hire a security guard/bouncer next year to stand at the door.

In the past, our committee had noticed more and people they weren’t familiar with coming to the event, allowing it to grow and the organization to become more widely-known. In fact, other school districts have taken notice to what we’re going, and their directors have contacted us to see how they can implement such a program for their students.

Last year, however, we realized that more new people bring unrealistic expectations with them. Once guest commented, “There are 5 door prizes and 40 baskets for basket raffles. It that it?”

These are signs that our development, advancement and growth has hit a new milestone – and that’s “sustainability.”

When things grow to the point at they’re not controllable, the thinking needs to change. In the body, it helps to remember that uncontrolled cellular growth is called “cancer.” And all of us know what that can do to a living and growing entity – whether human or organizational.

Here’s an opposite example.

An organization I’ve worked with planned a concert with a local popular band, but made it into a two-day affair. The evening before the concert, there was a dinner at a very nice restaurant for a limited number of people along with members of the band. Diners paid a fee to have the privilege of attending the event, and the restaurant donated the room and the food. The servers were also compensated for their attentiveness that evening. The concert was open to the community and held at a local popular theatrical venue. There was a silent auction, and the band got to sell their promotional items. Two musical instruments signed by members of the band were auctioned off between the opening act and the main performance.

Funds realized – about $40,000 for the organization!

What happened the following year?

They couldn’t repeat the same type event, so they sponsored a play from a touring theater group. Same theater setting, same food arrangements.

Funds realized – about $15,000 for the organization.

With that in mind here’s an SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) type question for you: What is the main purpose of events?

Remember that in an SAT question, one or two of the choices can be eliminated because they are incorrect. One of the remaining choices is the “best” answer to the question, but both choices could very well be the correct answer – it’s just that one of them is the “better” answer.

a) To raise a lot of money in a very short period of time

b) To build community awareness of the organization

c) To involve the larger community with the hopes of engaging more people in the mission of your organization

d) To bring members of the organization together by working toward a common goal

Let’s eliminate the incorrect answer, b). There are certainly other ways marketing can occur. While this is also a benefit of an event, it is not its main purpose.

That leaves a), c) and d).

a) is usually what is expected to happen, and is therefore a possible answer, but, as we have seen from the examples given, not the best answer. Fundraising is short-term, and expected to generate lots of money in a short period of time. Although this is why most organizations plan events and invite people to them, so many things (like weather, conflicting schedules, and other more popular events) can contribute to an event’s financial success or failure. The other issue is one’s mindset. If this is a fundraising event, that’s great…but since we’re talking about Development here, it helps to remember that Development is a long-term concept.

d) is also a possible answer, since fundraising provides a benefit to the school, group, or organization by scheduling, planning and executing an event. As I’ve stated in my book on “Retention: A Systems Approach to Growing Enrollment,” one of the main purposes of a fundraiser is to build the community. However, it’s not the main purpose of a major Development event.

That leaves c) as the best answer. The goal of Development (since events are part of Development – which consists of Appeals, Rest (yes, Development Directors need to rest), Communication, Happenings (or Events), Associations, Networking, Gifts and Grants, Energize/Educate, and List Management) is to continually engage more and more people in the mission of the organization. Not just involve – engage. It is this engagement which will lead to gifts in the forms of time, talent and treasure.

In terms of Advancement, the real success will lie in what happens the following year, and what lessons are learned as the organization advances. It will lead to growth.

But growth will lead to sustainability.

Indeed, in the greater scheme of things, fundraisers are “gravy.” If your organization relies on them as a main source of income, especially in difficult economic times, your organization will continue to experience the impact of difficult economic times since during those times, people cut back on buying popcorn and cookie dough when the don’t have the money to do so.

To answer the question, “Are they really worth it,” the answer is “Yes” – as long as it is a Development event, and not a fundraising event.

If you’d like to know more about the difference, send an email to [email protected] and include the words “What’s a Development Event?” in the subject line. I’ll share an example from a school in New York that hired a new Advancement Director a number of years ago, and the reaction from the parent community.

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