Behind the Headlines

By Paula Wethington / paula@monroenews.com

So … you’re planning a fundraiser event for a favorite cause or charity. You need to recruit business sponsors, vendor reservations or customers. But it can be hard to attract attention from the public for a new or first-time event and make it a success.

In my job as Community Page reporter, I often speak with fundraiser and event chairmen on how best to publicize their fundraising activities. Some events sell out well in advance, or become so popular they move to larger locations. But I also hear about events that get canceled or fall short of their goals because donations or ticket sales were disappointingly slow.

Sometimes, the problem is a schedule conflict with another event. (Hint: check out our calendar section at www.monroenews.com before firming up your date, and send us the information as soon as possible so other groups know what you’re planning for that day.) Sometimes there is bad luck with the weather. (Even indoor events have been hit with this problem, because potential customers didn’t want to leave home.) Sometimes the appeal letters and event fliers get misdirected or missed a critical deadline. (Clubs that meet once a month need publicity notices five to six weeks before the event so they can discuss plans at their next meeting.)

But I don’t have all the answers. So I’d like to get a conversation started among our veteran and rookie community volunteers. Some thoughts:

What are the logistics to consider when you are working on such a project?

How do you recruit enough volunteers or sponsors to make a fundraiser event happen?

How do you turn initial interest and attention into customers calling in with reservations or showing up at the door?