No More Homeless Pets Forum May 17, 2004 Events on a Shoestring

Events can be expensive, but there are ways you can save money and still have a first-rate event. Megan Newman of No More Homeless Pets in Hillsborough County and Jill Borkowski, a Special Events Consultant formerly with the Toledo Area Humane Society, will offer tips and share their experiences with planning a frugal event that nets serious results.

Introduction from Megan Newman:

Special events don't have to be expensive to be successful.

Our Summer Adoption Expo, held last August just 10 months after our coalition was formed, was our first big community event. It was more successful than we could have imagined! Total attendance was nearly 3,000 people, but our expenses totaled less than $1,100. The best part of all was that over 100 animals from 27 different rescue groups found new homes. It was our first major collaborative effort, and it proved to be worthwhile from all points of view.

Collaboration is one of the keys to success, and we definitely used all of our available resources to pull the event off. We wanted to hold a large event that would draw lots of media attention and get the public to embrace our mission. We weren't sure where to start, so we just jumped in and hit the ground running. We have now held a total of three similar events, each with a fairly low budget.

We've learned a lot from our efforts, and I look forward to sharing our experiences with you to help you make a difference in your community.

Introduction from Jill Borkowski:

Although the Toledo Area Humane Society is lucky enough to have a large shelter and staff (as far as shelters go, that is) and lots of financial and volunteer support, the bottom line is that it's still a nonprofit organization and always in need of additional funding.

I started out as a volunteer, and later spent two and a half years on staff. During that time, we increased the revenue from all of our events, cut the expense budget from our Walk and 5k Run for the Animals from $15,000 to under $5,000, and added several new events like "The Great American Mutt Show, Toledo" and "Dog Days of Summer" (take your dog to a minor league baseball game).

Since that time, I've been doing freelance work for much smaller shelters and animal rescue groups, many of whom have never put on an event.

This may be hard to believe, but whether you're a large shelter with a history of support, or a small group just getting started, there are lots of ways to raise money with little or no expense budget or volunteers. The secret is to be creative, network and call on other shelters across the country for ideas, and devote lots of time to procuring in-kind donations.

I am looking forward to this week on the forum and can't wait to answer your questions and share my secrets in more detail (okay, they're not really secrets, since most of them are things I've learned from colleagues and other nonprofits!).

Questions

Getting people to a dinner and auction event
Raising funds for cats
Low-cost events that have worked
Getting volunteers to chair events
Cheap forms of advertising events
Approaching businesses for pro bono
Deciding if an event is worthwhile or not
Getting radio coverage for events
Setting a budget
Setting timelines for events
Determining how many events to do annually
Making donation canisters work for your program
Tips on what to do and what not to do for events

Getting people to a dinner and auction event

Question from Barb:

We are planning a nice dinner and auction event in October. We know it will only be successful if we have people there who are willing to spend some money, and we are unsure about how to go about inviting people. Should we just stick to our donor list, or should we try to get mailing lists from somewhere else? Someone suggested having our sponsors provide their mailing lists for us to send mailings. Is this a workable idea? Any ideas you have for things we can do to get the "right" people there will be appreciated.

Response from Jill:

I would definitely send an invitation to your donor list (or, if you can't afford to mail to the entire donor list, then mail to your top donors like anyone who gives $100+ annually). You might also want to ask a couple of your top donors to sit on the planning committee and really get involved in the event. They should have a lot of ideas on how to promote the event to an elite crowd, since they probably belong in that category themselves.

Ask one of your top donors or someone who supports your cause and is well known in town (a well known business person with a lot of contacts, a top donor who's in tight with the social circle, etc.) to host a kick-off party at their home. They will invite a lot of their friends and colleagues and tell them about the event and use it as an opportunity to sell tickets.

You might also think about what other charity galas in town are well attended (art museum benefits, the Opera's annual event, etc.) and see if you can purchase an ad in their event program promoting your benefit. Place information about your event at high-priced salons, jewelry stores, boutiques and other places where people often go and spend lots of money.

I'm not sure about having your sponsors provide their mailing lists - I don't know if they're allowed to do this. Depending on who the sponsors are, their customers might not be of interest to you anyway. You might want to consider contacting the Auditor's Office and ask them to provide the list of people who purchased dog licenses. You can mail to this list, or if it's too big, you can choose to mail to certain zip codes where you think your target audience lives.

Response from Megan:

I'm glad you are thinking about your target audience for this event. It's important to know your audience as you are doing the planning, so you can spend your time and money wisely.

I like the idea of asking sponsors to provide their mailing lists. It would be even better if the sponsors would personally invite people that they know to be big spenders. A personal invitation will go a long way. You could also ask other people involved in your organization - such as your volunteers and board of directors - to do the same. If they don't have the time to contact people on an individual basis, they could send out pre-printed invitations and include a hand-written personal message on them.

Another way to get big spenders there is to have one or more honorary chairpersons for the event. Their primary responsibility would be to get the word out to the right people. You should choose someone who is well known to do this so the use of their name can attract people to the event. For instance, you could approach a radio or TV station to get a well known personality. Professional sports teams are also a good option for this type of thing because the players typically know a lot of high-dollar individuals.

You could also have a large, well-known company as the premier event sponsor. They could help you promote the event to their high-end clients, and in exchange you could give them something special, such as a VIP party prior to the event where they can view the silent auction items before anyone else. A local children's charity did that with JPMorgan Chase, and the company was able to give out complimentary tickets to the event to people they knew would spend money on the auction items. It made the company feel good to be able to give something free, and also benefited the non-profit by getting the right people in the door.

As far as purchasing mailing lists, I'm not that familiar with that, but I would think you should look into the cost vs. benefit aspect of it. For instance, if you could get a targeted list based on certain income levels or spending habits, then it might be worth it.

I asked Carole Lewis, founder of one of our coalition member groups - Big Cat Rescue - to provide some additional ideas for this, based on her experience with a large silent auction event:

"We haven't tried buying or using other people's lists yet, but that sounds like a good idea. Getting onto the board of similar types of organizations, in order to access their successful lists and ideas is a good place to start.

"If you are a non profit, the media has to post a certain number of charity events. If yours sounds exciting the media will give it preference. We did our first big, offsite gala last year [The Fur Ball] and only expected 200 people, but due to the excitement generated by the press we had 300 show up and had to start turning people away because of the over crowding. Target media that appeals to your donor demographic. Offering free tickets to the event that the media can give away for call in prizes is a great way to get the word out.

"This year's event is online at: http://www.bigcatrescue.org/2004FurBall.htm."

Good luck!

Raising funds for cats

Question from Linda:

We are a cat rescue organization affiliated with the city's Humane Society who does help with some money. But we need a beginner moneymaker event with a cat theme... much harder to think of one than events for more social dogs.

Response from Jill:

I know of a cat shelter that does a typical dinner/auction event and gives it a cat name, such as the Black Cat Strut or the Cool Cat Strut. You can probably take any fundraiser (I suggested several in the answer to another forum question today) and give it a cat name and use cat themed decorations.

One specific idea could be "Coins for Cats" in which you put donation canisters all around town to collect people's spare change. This could be as simple as placing canisters at local businesses and restaurants or taken to the point of involving local schools, partnering with a local radio station, and/or placing large funnels to collect change at the mall or other businesses. Consider setting a goal (e.g., 10,000 pennies) and ask one of the local radio stations to broadcast their morning show live each day for a week from a different business or location that can be a drop-off point for people to stop and leave their spare change.

Response from Megan:

Here are some ideas I have heard about that might get you started:
We have a local sanctuary for abused and abandoned exotic cats called Big Cat Rescue. They recently hosted a "Fur Ball" which included an evening of music, entertainment and a silent auction. Attendees were asked to come dressed in their favorite safari attire. People seemed to like the theme, and the event was very successful. They raised around $30,000 on the event. You could do a variety of things using the "Fur Ball" name.

Big Cat Rescue also did an event one year titled "Catsparilla." The City of Tampa does an annual Gasparilla parade, so the term "Gasparilla" is familiar to everyone around here. You could look for opportunities like that in your local area, where you could replace a word with the word "cat" or "fur" or the like.

I asked Carole Lewis, founder of Big Cat Rescue, for some ideas, and she provided the following:

"Small start ups can make leaps and bounds for their cause by partnering with someone bigger who will benefit from the association. I would suggest going to Veterinarians, zoos and any animal related venue with a Cause Related Marketing approach. Please visit our web site: http://www.bigcatrescue.org/cause_related_marketing.htm. You help them look good to the public because they are helping you.

"Donation kitties at their counters, referrals to your web site or selling a product, like a screen saver that you provide are a good ways to generate interest. Try to get tickets to attractions donated that you can sell or give to sponsors. Eventually you will want to go the big gala dinner thing, but you have to have a supporter to draw from and this is a good way to start your mail list.

"Screensavers cost you about 1.00 to produce, but easily sell for 10.00 to 20.00. These could be rescued cats, or exotic cats. Stardust sells a screen maker program for about 20.00 (I think). It is simple to use and we have been using it for years. We will co-partner with cat rescue groups as Tigers Helping Tabbies and offer our 12 Tiger CD for 5.00 each, which we sell for 10.00 online and in our gift shop. These would be welcome items for many venues to offer their animal loving patrons, and the proceeds would then benefit your cause. Screensavers are cheap to make and cheap to ship and since lots of people have computers now, so it makes a great gift. Schools and businesses can even be employed to sell these with the profits going to your charity. It is a win-win situation."

NMHP in Utah did a cat-themed event to benefit their feral cat program, in which they partnered with Harley Davidson and played into the "wild" theme. Big Cat Rescue recently received sponsorship for some rescued jaguars from a Jaguar car dealership. You could look into these types of opportunities to collaborate with companies that have a cat theme.

Another idea is to find some cheerleaders or dancers from professional sports teams in your area and ask them to dress up in cat suits and hand out autographs at your event. You could also look into other entertainment venues that are doing something cat-related and partner with them, such as the musical "Cats" or a theater playing a movie related to cats. You could do a "Cat-a-clysmic taste fair" and ask local companies to provide food samples at a park. In keeping with the food theme, you could ask a local bar to host something like "Cat Tails and Cocktails" and feature specialty drinks in which the profits would go to your organization, such as "Cat Scratch Fever," "Tiger or Tabbi-tinis," etc.

Hopefully those suggestions will help get your juices flowing. Best of luck in your fundraising efforts!

Low-cost events that have worked

Question from Cassandra:

Our shelter is in desperate need of funding right now. We are planning on closing our doors at the end of this year if we do not make a lot of money over the next few months. Unfortunately, we do not have a lot of manpower to organize huge events, but we do have a lot of volunteers that are willing to participate in events. Do you have any ideas for an event that would rake in a lot of money, but wouldn't cost a lot, or take a lot of people/time to organize? Thanks!

Response from Jill:

The first idea that I have is by far the easiest way I've ever raised money. It's called "Give a Buck to Change Their Luck" and it's a paper card with this message and a bone printed on it. Vet offices, pet supply stores and other local businesses sell them for $1 each, the person who buys the bone writes their name or their pet's name on the card and the business displays them in the window. We develop a list of the places we're going to sell the bones and assign a volunteer to each location who is responsible for dropping off the bones to the business and picking them up at the end of the promotion (we usually sell them for a 4 - 6 week time period). We give each business a little sign (which we make on the computer and print on 8 1/2 x 11 paper) to display and help in their selling efforts. We have five Pet Supplies Plus stores in Toledo and about 20 vets that participated. We raised over $7,500!

One key is that we got our local Pet Supplies Plus area manager to support the program, and he really pushed the fundraiser on all five of his local stores making a competition between each of his stores. This was so successful when we did it in the springtime that we repeated it again during the holiday season and made another $5,000 or so. You can have a local ad agency design a square card with a bone on it (pro bono of course!) or you can probably do something similar on your own computer.

Another super easy and profitable fundraiser for us was the "Hogs for Dogs" Harley Davidson motorcycle raffle. Our local Harley Davidson/Buell dealer agreed to let us purchase a motorcycle at cost (about $10,000) and sell raffle tickets for $10 each. We promoted the fact that we would only sell 2,000 tickets so chances of winning were better. We also promoted the fact that if we did not sell enough tickets to cover the cost of the bike, that the raffle would become a 50/50 raffle instead of a motorcycle raffle. Harley did not make us buy the bike upfront, so this way, there was really no risk if we did not sell enough to cover the cost of the bike. A big factor is that the Harley Davidson employees really got behind this and sold tickets on our behalf at different bike nights around town and other events they were involved with. We sold almost 2,000 tickets during a six-month time-span, which covered the cost of the bike and made almost $10,000 for our local Humane Society to keep.

Other ideas that might not be big of moneymakers but are easy and require little manpower...

- Keep your eyes open for local craft shows, festivals and other events and ask if you can have a free booth at these events. You can have volunteers make and donate baked goods and crafts to sell and you can put out a donation canister. It also helps raise awareness of your organization and mission. Be sure to hand out literature too!

- Do you have a minor league baseball team in your area? If so, suggest they have a "dog days of summer" event and pick a game where people can bring their dogs. Each dog has to buy a special dog ticket ($5 each), and all of the proceeds from dogs' ticket sales benefit your cause. Our minor league team likes to do this on a weekday in late May or early June when kids are still in school, because it draws people to the ballpark during the week when they don't normally come. We even did a silent auction of autographed sports memorabilia at the game (we contacted different pro sports teams and asked them to donate something). That, coupled with dog ticket sales, raised over $3,000!

- Finally, something really fun and unique... put on a "Mutt Show" - a dog show that only mutts can enter! Charge an entry fee and have different categories like "mostly lab" or "mostly hound." It's a lot of fun and something different than what every other non-profits are doing, so it usually gets a good response.

Response from Megan:

What a great question! I wish I had the magic formula for this, but I can give you some information from our experience and things I've learned from other groups.

Our adoption events have not had a lot of up-front expenses, but they have required manpower. Our original committee that planned our first event was 10 people, and they were all extremely organized, dedicated, and willing to put in the necessary time to make the event happen. If you have enough people who are that dedicated, then you can get by without a huge planning committee. In other words, quality can be better than quantity when it comes to manpower for pre-planning.

If you have a lot of volunteers who cannot devote large amounts of time, the best thing to do would probably be to set up small sub-committees to make the tasks more manageable. Depending on your event, these committees could consist of: logistics/venue, refreshments, volunteer coordination (both before and after the event), vendors, etc. You would have a core group of planners to run each of those committees, and they would just delegate small tasks to each committee member to make it more manageable.

As far as what type of event to do, I think it depends a lot on your community and the audience you want to attract. For instance, if you have a lot of higher income individuals, then a wine tasting or silent auction might be the best bet. If you can get space and some materials donated, then a silent auction might not have a lot of up-front expenses because the prizes can be donated or given on consignment. If you have a lot of people who are dedicated to your cause, you could do a small walkathon, bowl-a-thon or the like without a whole lot of preparation or cost.

I also suggest you look into what other non-profits in your community have done successfully. We have a local comedy club that works with non-profits and allows them to sell tickets to a performance and keep a large percentage of the profit. This doesn't require any up-front costs, and the only time it requires would be selling tickets, which is something almost anyone can do to their family, friends and co-workers.

Animal Coalition of Tampa, one of our member groups that work with feral cats, recently did an Italian Dinner and Silent Auction fundraiser. They made $3,535 on the event and spent $709 up front, which included the rental of the hall. Volunteers cooked all of the food the morning of and served food at the event. The only pre-planning involved was collecting silent auction items, selling tickets and purchasing the food. They provided incentives to their volunteers to encourage them to sell tickets.

I was just reading the weekly news on Best Friends web site and noticed that NMHP in Utah made $2,500 in one day by partnering with Ben and Jerry's ice cream. People were asked to make a donation to No More Homeless Pets in Utah in lieu of paying for their cones. This is something that most likely didn't take any up-front money, but rather just finding the right person at the right company to ask for their help.

Best of luck!

Getting volunteers to chair events

Question from Ceily:

Our organization has over 150 members, but only about 5 - 15 actually attend meetings and are considered active. These regulars will do just about anything they are asked to, but no one ever wants to be "the" coordinator. Heck, we are lucky if we can fill our officers positions! Most of the time, I feel like if I won't do it, we won't have any even. So I feel guilty. But, like everyone else, between full time work, family, taking care of my home and pets, I just can't do it all! Without sounding like a martyr, how can I encourage members to step up and chair an event?

Response from Megan:

It's always a challenge finding the right people to lead events, and then encouraging them to do so. One thing you might try to make things less overwhelming is to utilize event committees as much as possible. The committees would vary depending on the type of event, but some suggestions are: location/venue, publicity, volunteer coordination, refreshments, vendors, etc. If you have one event leader who is delegating things properly to each committee, it isn't as overwhelming for that person.

Each committee chair would be responsible for his/her own specific tasks, and they would also delegate accordingly among their committee members. Once you have set up your committees, you can contact your membership with a list of specific tasks that need to be done (i.e., posting fliers, buying refreshments, signage, etc.). It's easier to get help when things are broken down into small, manageable tasks.

You can also try to increase participation at your planning meetings by making them more than just a meeting. For instance, you could ask a local restaurant to donate snacks and make it a party-type event, complete with homemade decorations. Or, ask attendees to bring their favorite dessert.

A local non-profit here had a lot of success with monthly volunteer meetings to get people engaged in the projects they were working on. Each meeting would have a different theme, and they would make them really exciting with things like door prizes, confetti, games, etc. You could market the meetings as a chance to meet new people, rather than a time to take on more responsibilities.

Another idea to identify more leaders for your organization is to seek out volunteers who are specifically interested in taking on leadership roles. You could contact local leadership organizations and see if they would allow you to speak briefly at one of their meetings about volunteer leadership opportunities you have in your organization.

Another good resource for volunteer recruitment is: http://www.volunteermatch.org. It's free to non-profits, and you can define the types of volunteers you are looking for and specify that you are looking for people to take on leadership roles.

Response from Jill:

I'll be very honest - I never use an event chair because I experienced many of the same problems you are. I never found someone that I felt comfortable enough with to hand an event over to him/her. I just felt better about the event knowing that I was in charge and that things were going to get done... and if something went wrong, I had nobody to blame but myself. Even when people offer to chair an event - although they have the best of intentions - if they don't have any experience in event planning or fundraising, it's hard to make the event work.

That being said, it's totally understandable that as a volunteer with lots of other commitments, you cannot continue to do it all yourself! You might want to consider asking someone to co-chair the event with you. That way they'll have a lot of responsibilities, but as a "co-chair" they might not feel so much pressure or feel like they're taking the entire event on themselves.

If you're putting on an auction/dinner or a "glamorous" event, you might want to consider approaching a big donor who runs in the social circle to chair or co-chair the event. Often these are women don't work and have the time to devote to planning an event. Lots of times they've been involved in other charity galas and have some experience.

Finally, see if your town has an Advertising Club chapter, a Public Relations Society of America chapter (PRSA) and/or an Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) chapter. These are organizations made up of professionals who do PR, marketing and fundraising on a daily basis. Approach these organizations and let them know you're looking for some help. It may result in a great volunteer or a chairperson!

Cheap forms of advertising events

Question from a member:

Our shelter has been working with other area shelters and rescue groups for the past 8 months. We have held several adoption events and have had good success. However, it always seems that we could have advertised better. What is the cheapest form of advertising that reaches the most people? What is the best way to advertise when time is short? And finally if you need to spend money on advertising what is the best way to do it?

Response from Megan:

We did surveys at our adoption events, asking people where they heard about the event. For all three events, the majority said the local newspapers. The articles we had in newspapers didn't cost us anything because all we did was send out press releases. We contacted the people who typically write animal-related stories for the major local papers and developed a relationship with them ahead of time.

We were also fortunate enough to find a columnist who loves animals and is a big supporter of our cause. We asked her to emcee the event, and she wrote a column about it the week before, explaining that she would be there. Another good way to get media attention is to have a heart-warming adoption story. You could send in a press release that includes a picture of the animal and tell people that he/she will be at the event for adoption.

When it comes to newspaper, television and radio press releases, it helps to have a volunteer who knows a little about it. We have someone who used to work for a newspaper, and she knows a lot about what the media likes to see in a press release, as well as the best time to send them in. We typically send the first press release six weeks prior to the event, and then follow up one week prior.

You might also ask the venue that is hosting your event if they have any relationships with the media, and if they would be willing to send out press releases on your behalf. For all 3 of our events this was the case, and it helped us get media attention. I would also suggest that the event location is key to getting media exposure. The bigger and more well known location you have, the more the media - and the public - will think it's a worthwhile event.

We had a volunteer graphic artist create professional-looking fliers for our events. We copied these in black and white on bright colored paper for a minimal cost, and then asked volunteers to distribute them anywhere possible - including pet supply stores, vet offices (vets seem to love promoting adoption events because if their clients adopt more animals, it means more business for them!), places of business, etc.

It also helps to ask the rescue groups who are participating in the event to help promote it. Some of our groups posted the events on their web site and handed out fliers at their adoption days prior to the event. Our Humane Society and County Animal Services handed out fliers to people who visited their shelter. Animal Services also distributed the press releases through the county's media department, which was a big help because they have well-established media contacts. They even put it on the county's web site, which gets a lot of traffic.

As far as paying for advertising, I would just make sure you consider the demographics of the advertising medium you choose. There is a lot of information out there, such as in the Pet Ownership Demographic Source Book, that outlines typical demographics for adopters. You can try to find a medium that matches that demographic. Also, be sure to ask if they give discounts to non-profits, or if they would be willing to provide pro bono advertising in exchange for event sponsorship. One of our small local newspapers provides us with free ad space in exchange for distributing their newspapers at the event.

Response from Jill:

The best way to advertise and promote an event is through e-mail, because you can send one e-mail to a group of people; it's free and not very time consuming! If you're not already doing so, start to ask people for their e-mail address on everything you do - adoption applications, registration forms at fundraising events, etc.

I would also contact your local papers and ask them to donate pro bono ad space. Big papers in big markets may not be able to do this, but if you're in a smaller market, you'll probably have luck. Or contact some of the "smaller" papers that go to a specific neighborhood or suburb that may be more willing to help.

Reaching a lot of people is good, but it some cases, it might be more cost efficient and produce better results if you focus on your target audience. For example, if you're promoting an adopt-a-thon, you might want to try reaching as many people as possible in the general population, but if you're advertising a fundraiser, you might want to focus on "animal people" who are more likely to support the organization and obtain the list of people who purchased dog licenses from the Auditor's office and mail to that list.

Or, if you're putting on a glitzy event, you might want to spend your money advertising in the papers that go to the upscale suburbs. Even though the papers are "small," your target audience (e.g., the upscale suburb of Sylvania) reads them!

With any event - be it an adopt-a-thon or a fundraiser - you can contact your morning radio shows and ask them to have you on as a guest. I also know of several organizations that have had good luck placing a classified ad in the newspaper under "pets". You can promote your adopt-a-thons, location, hours and adoption fee, fundraisers, etc. If you can afford to run the ad on a regular basis (daily or weekly), many supporters will look for your ad each time they open the paper to see what's new with your organization.

Approaching businesses for pro bono

Question from a member:

Can you share some ideas on how you approach businesses about doing things pro bono? We have tried approaching companies before but don't seem to have much luck. We don't know if it is because we are asking the wrong person, or if it is the way we are asking, or if we just aren't making it attractive enough to them. Please help!

Response from Megan:

I can offer the following suggestions for getting things pro bono:

1. Have the right person do the asking. It really helps to have someone who is energetic, upbeat and excited about the cause, as well as outgoing and good with people. Not everyone is good at doing this; so make sure you select this person carefully. You could also see if any of your volunteers have connections to the companies and can make introductions for you.

2. Ask the right person at the company. It's always best to approach a manager or key decision-maker so you don't get the run-around.

3. Ask in person, if at all possible. This may take some additional time, but it will be worth it. It's harder for the company to turn you down face-to-face than on email or phone.

4. Approach the company with the attitude that you are going to help them feel good about helping you, not that you are desperate and are begging for their help. We've also found that sometimes a humble attitude helps, such as "I'm not a professional but a volunteer, and I'm calling to take a chance that you might be interested in contributing to our cause."

5. It helps to have literature with you, as well as information about what the money raised from the event will be spent on, if it is a fundraiser. If the event is not a fundraiser, be prepared to explain the purpose of the event (i.e., we want to find new homes for 100 animals). It gives them something tangible to associate their donation with.

6. If you are a non-profit, be sure to let them know that, and remind them that their in-kind donation will be tax deductible.

7. Tell them exactly what you would like them to do, rather than "anything you could provide would be great." This makes your request more meaningful and tangible to them. If what you are asking for isn't doable, then you can ask them what they would be able to help you with.

8. Be sure to tell them what you are offering in return, if anything. Think about different types of publicity and sponsorship opportunities you can give them. Tell them what kind of attendance you expect at the event and what kind of people will be there. At our last event, we received free pizzas from Papa Johns to sell at our refreshments stand. Everywhere we promoted the pizza sales at the event; we promoted it as "Papa Johns pizzas" rather than just "pizzas."

9. Sometimes letting them know about other companies who have donated makes them feel comfortable about doing their part. It's groupthink and a bit of peer pressure at times that makes them want to join in.

10. Some of the phrases our volunteers have used in the past to secure pro-bono items have been: "If you knew you could help decrease the 80% companion animal euthanasia rate in Tampa, might you consider helping our cause?" "In what ways might your company be able to partner with us in our goal of saving every animal in our community?"

Response from Jill:

This is one area that I've had a lot of success in! Part of it is luck, I suppose, but I set aside a lot of time to go after pro bono donations. It's very time consuming, but worthwhile in the long run!

I like to treat big in-kind donors just like I do cash sponsors and give the in-kind donors the same perks and benefits that we would give our sponsors. For example, if a business donates the t-shirts for our walk and it's a donation valued at $1,000, then I would give them the same benefits that a $1,000 cash sponsor would get.

In most cases, the more you can promote their business, the more appealing it is for the donor! Suggestions are putting their name/logo on the event brochure/invitation and the event poster, recognizing them on your Web site and possibly even a link from your site to theirs, recognizing them in your newsletter and annual report, giving them signage at the event and verbal recognition by the event emcee, giving them the opportunity to include promotional material in the goodie bags for each event participant (if applicable), giving them a booth at the event (if applicable, etc.).

Also, think of businesses that have an interest in your target audience and the people who are going to be attending your event. For example, a local pet supply store stepped to the plate and donated all of the prizes for our walk, which was very generous, but they were also very interested in being recognized and promoting themselves to their target audience who was going to be at our event!

Finally, ask for an "occupation" on your volunteer applications - you might have volunteers working for businesses that you're pursuing and the volunteer might be able to help you get your "foot in the door." The same goes for your donors, but it's often more difficult to know what your donors do for a living!

When I contact the business, ask for the business owner, CEO, manager or simply tell the receptionist why you're calling and ask with whom it would be best to speak.

Deciding if an event is worthwhile or not

Question from Jen:

How do you decide if an event is worthwhile or not? Every year we get offered an opportunity to raise $2,000 if we staff a music event, but we need to have 200 volunteers. I feel like this is not worth the time and effort, but others in our group disagree. What criteria do you use to determine if you will do an event and if it is worth it?

Response from Megan:

This is a challenge I'm sure a lot of groups face on a regular basis, including us. It's important to manage your volunteers' time well so they don't get burned out and feel like their contribution isn't worthwhile.

One thing you could think about is how large your group's budget is and what other opportunities you have to raise funds. For instance, our group is still relatively small and new, so we are more likely to consider events that will raise a few thousand dollars, even if it means a lot of work. However, a larger group that is more established in the community might consider opportunities more carefully. Do you have other ways to raise $2000 that require less work and volunteer time? What percentage of your budget is $2000? Is it guaranteed that you will make $2000 on the event? If so, that is an important consideration as well. A lot of events don't have any kind of monetary guarantee, so they are more risky.

Another thing I would consider is how many volunteers you have and how easy it would be to get that many to participate. Could you ask them to work in shifts, so one person isn't giving up a large amount of time?

Another important consideration for events is what other benefits they will have, other than fundraising. I've heard a lot of experts say that special events are not necessarily the best or easiest way to raise funds, but they are necessary because of the other benefits they provide. Some of these benefits include getting your name out in the community and marketing your organization's goals.

What kind of audience will this music event have? If they are people who probably haven't heard about your organization, you may consider it more of a marketing opportunity than a fundraiser. Would you be allowed to hand out literature about your group at the event and/or bring signage to let the participants know who you are? Will your group's name be included in any of the promotional literature for the event?

We recently did a fundraiser where we sold beads for people to throw from floats in local parades. It took a good amount of time and brought in under $1,000, but more importantly we were able to get our spay/neuter message out to a target audience we wouldn't have been able to reach otherwise.

Another way to try and gauge your group's interest in the event is to ask your volunteers what they want. I'm a big proponent of getting feedback from as many constituents as possible before making a big decision. Perhaps you could ask your volunteers if they would be willing to put in the time if it meant raising only $2000 for the organization, or if there are other things they would rather do that might bring in more money.

Response from Jill:

I have a hard time turning down an opportunity to raise money and probably should develop some criteria like you're trying to do! I will say that I never get involved in these types of events if my organization is required to get the liquor license. I used to get calls all of the time from bars, restaurants and festivals who wanted to do parking lot parties at their establishment or "fundraisers for us," but they always required us to get the liquor license and my executive director at the time felt it was too much of a liability issue. And even if you aren't required to get a liquor license, if you're volunteers are serving beer at the event, you'll have to be confident that they will check driver's licenses and not serve to under age friends (plus, your volunteers will all have to be over 21 years of age to serve).

That being said, I would take advantage of this opportunity if you are confident that you can line up 200 reliable volunteers pretty easily because it's a one-day commitment (and for only a few hours at that) and it's probably going to be one of the fastest and easiest ways to make $2,000. And, it doesn't require a lot of work or advance planning other than lining up the volunteers! In fact, a Humane Society in my area is participating in the same type of event that you're describing this July, and I volunteered to work at the event. They've been doing it for years (they aren't required to get a liquor license, but their volunteers do have to serve beer as part of their job assignments) and have enjoyed making a couple thousand dollars in one day. They're also a small shelter that really needs the money!

However, when considering any event, I would think about what your overall fundraising dollar goal is for the year and take into consideration what other events you're already doing. If you're putting on other big events and think you will meet your fundraising goal, it might not be worth it to take on one additional thing. Then again, it's always nice to exceed your goal and end up with extra money too!

Getting radio coverage for events

Question from Barb:

We are doing a dogwalk event in June and would dearly love to have some radio coverage other than PSA's (the local stations are very good about running those). Any ideas about how we can convince a radio station to do a remote broadcast from the event without it costing us big bucks?

Response from Jill:

We had two media "sponsors" for the last walk I did - a radio station and a TV station. I was able to get them to agree to running PSAs for us prior to the event and to get the radio station to agree to do a live remote at the event by sitting down with the station's promotions department (or the general manager might be a good person to contact also) way ahead of the event and proposing that we enter into an official partnership for the event in return for the station being considered an event sponsor just like any of our cash sponsors would be. This way, instead of just running PSAs sporadically, it was more of an official agreement where they told us how many PSAs would air prior to the event and in what time slots. In return, the station was considered an event sponsor and got the perks/benefits that other sponsors were entitled to like their station logo on the event materials, recognition in our newsletter and on our Web site, signage at the event, etc.

Or, you might consider asking a local DJ or radio personality to emcee the event. Sometimes they'll bring a remote with them if they're emceeing a charity event and don't already have a remote scheduled that day. You might also encourage the radio station's employees to form a team and walk in the event - usually the more involved the station's personalities or employees are, the more likely they are to cover or broadcast from the event pro bono!

Response from Megan:

When we have approached local radio stations about doing remote broadcasts, the response we received was that live remotes have to be scheduled a long time in advance - 6 months to a year in most cases. The stations told us they would be glad to do it for no cost; however we just need to get on their schedule well in advance. What we have done instead is to ask the station to come to the event and play music/make announcements, but not do an actual live broadcast. These are much easier to get on short notice. It would just involve a DJ bringing their broadcast equipment (speakers, microphone, etc.) and providing entertainment. You could still get some good publicity out of this because most DJ's will make announcements during their shows about the event, stating that they will be there and asking people to come out and see them. You can also include the radio station's logo in your pre-event publicity and use phrases like "join Jane Doe from Magic 107."

Overall, I think the best way to get radio station involvement is to find a personality that likes animals. You can listen to the different DJ's on your local stations and see which ones talk about their own animals during their shows. You could also look at the radio station web sites for bios of the personalities to see which ones include information about their pets. Then, approach them in the same way you would approach a company for a donation. Go in person (set an appointment, if possible) and explain your cause and how much you would love for them to be involved.

I asked one of our local radio personalities that we have a good relationship with for some advice for groups wanting to work with radio stations. Following are her thoughts:

"Unless someone with a rescue group already has a contact or relationship with someone on-air, the best approach is to go through a station's promotions department. Those are the people who actually are responsible for getting a presence out to any event. E-mailing a host never hurts, and send a sweet dog picture. But we get an awful lot of requests for appearances at various events. So maybe not all requests can be fulfilled. Whatever you do, follow up with a phone call and then another one if necessary. If they know you are on a mission from the heart, such as your adoptathons, many times radio folks are most eager to help the animals."

Setting a budget

Question from a member:

How do you determine how to set a budget for an event? This is an area we always have difficulty in. We don't always know every little thing we are going to need, especially if unexpected needs pop up. We also don't know what we can get donated and what we can't until we start asking.

Response from Megan:

I think it's important to be as conservative as possible with your event budgets, so you can prepare for the unexpected. You can start by developing a list of things you think you will need, and then researching typical costs for those items. It might be best to assume you won't get a lot of things pro-bono, so that if and when you do, it will just be icing on the cake.

You might also consider setting goals for the event, including what dollar amount of corporate sponsorships you would like to achieve, a maximum expense figure, etc. You can use other events you and other groups have done in the past as a benchmark for these goals. If you haven't done a lot of events, you could talk with other local charities - both animal and non-animal groups - to get an idea of what to expect. You could also allow yourself a certain dollar amount to be used for miscellaneous expenditures that come up at the last minute.

One thing we have been fortunate with is collaborating with other animal groups. For our first 3 events, our local Humane Society allowed us to reserve the venue in their name so we could use their insurance policy, which was required by the venue. We wouldn't have been able to have the events without that. They also came through for us with several items we realized we needed at the last minute, such as cat carriers and slip leads for animals that were adopted at the event.

It also helps to determine your break-even point (the amount of revenue needed to cover event costs). Then, you can go from there to predict how many people you think will attend (if you are charging an admission fee) and what you can and can't afford for expenses.

Jill's response:

I've had a lot of luck in getting pro bono donations for events, but when setting the event budget, I would act as though nothing were going to be donated. That way, if you're not able to get things donated, you'll have budgeted for everything, and if you are able to get items donated, it'll be really nice to come in under budget.

Once you start to get in-kind donations and building relationships, you'll be able to count on some of these things year after year and can always lower your budget for next year. For example, when I first started working at the Humane Society, the expense budget for our walk was $15,000 and we were buying almost everything. The second and third years that I did the walk, I lowered my expense budget to $10,000 and then to around $8,000 the third year, because I had built relationships and knew that I had someone to donate the t-shirts and other supplies year after year.

You'll obviously budget for big expenses that come to mind right away like t-shirts, decorations, food, etc., but you'll want to include a miscellaneous category in your budget and set aside a small amount of money for unexpected expenses or things you don't think about until after the budget is set. Just make sure that other employees and committee members know how much money they have to work with. Make it clear that they cannot exceed the budget or purchase anything that wasn't already approved without checking with you first. And once you've done an event once, it'll be much easier to set your budget for additional years, because you'll have a really good idea of what's going to be required to put on the event having been through it once!

Setting timelines for events

Question from Sharon:

It seems that if you are planning an event with very little money that you have to allow extra time in your timeline to get things done, because if people are doing things pro bono it is not always on your timeline! At least that has been our experience. So, what do you recommend as a good timeline for an event and what factors go into deciding it? Like how far in advance do you start doing radio PR, or getting out flyers and brochures? Making sure to have the t-shirts printed?

Megan's response:

I recommend the timeline be set depending on the type and magnitude of the event. For most events, 6 months is a good target to begin planning, and then go from the planning stage to the doing stage around 3 months out. We've pulled off events in less time before, but it tends to make things easier for your volunteers if you allow plenty of time for planning. As you mentioned, it also makes it easier to get things pro bono.

As far as media and public relations efforts, you might contact your local media to see when they typically like to receive press releases. We usually send ours 6-8 weeks prior to the event and then follow up 1 - 2 weeks out. Television stations might want the information more in advance than newspapers. Radio and television PSA's typically run 1 - 2 weeks prior to the event. Your publicity timeline also depends on what type of event it is and what kind of action you are asking the public to take at the event. For instance, for a walkathon the publicity would need to start well in advance (at least 2 - 3 months) so people will have time to collect pledges. But, for an adoption event or pet expo you might not need to give people as much advance notice.

Timing for flyers and brochures would also depend on the type and magnitude of the event, but I recommend getting them out at least 1 month prior. The t-shirts will depend on how quickly the company can get them done. We've had them done in as little as 2 days before, but that might not be that common.

If you are trying to get corporate sponsorships for an event, you should start 6 months to a year out. Most companies have strict timelines for when they can commit sponsorship dollars, so you will want to contact them to see what their deadline is and make sure you get your proposal in on time. The same thing applies to in-kind sponsorships from radio, newspaper or television stations. They typically set their schedules well in advance, so if you want a live broadcast or sponsorship it's a good idea to get on their schedule at least 6 months out.

The following resources from Best Friends' web site have good sample timelines for events:
Super Adoptions: http://bestfriends.org/nomorehomelesspets/pdf/superadoption.pdf
Walkathons: http://bestfriends.org/nomorehomelesspets/pdf/walkforanimals.pdf

Response from Jill:

How true it is that our timeline is at the liberty of the people doing the pro bono work! You're right on about starting things way in advance so that you can accept a generous pro bono offer and still have things done on time!

With public relations and publicity efforts, I would start to include information in things like your newsletter up to a year in advance, especially if it's a big event, so that people will save the date. Keep including information in each newsletter or e-mailing to remind people! However, with your more concentrated PR efforts - like sending out the registration form or invitation, scheduling radio interviews, putting flyers around town, etc. - I would do that anywhere from eight to twelve weeks before the event. You don't want to do it too soon or people will forget about it and flyers will disappear from your locations around town.

If it's a big fundraiser, you might even want to consider sending out a Save-the-Date card to your mailing list or past attendees (if the budget will allow) at least three months before the event. If you're mailing out a registration form (like for a walk-a-thon) or an invitation (like for a dinner/auction), you should probably send that out At LEAST eight weeks ahead of time. Don't send your Save-the-Date card and the invitation too close together or you'll just be wasting money! (For example, if your invitation is going in the mail eight weeks ahead of time and the Save-the-Date card isn't ready until two weeks prior to that, it's probably a waste of money to send the Save-the-Date and then send the invitation two weeks later.) You should also research to see what other non-profits are having charity events around the same time as yours. If there's a bunch of them, you should try to have your invitation in the mail early to beat others to the punch.

The radio interviews, releases to media and flyers around town should probably be done about eight weeks before the event too. It's nice if you can get the radio morning shows to do a second round of interviews closer to the event too, and, if possible, it's a good idea to have volunteers stop by the places where you distributed flyers after a few weeks just to make sure the locations aren't out of flyers.

You also have to take the type of event into consideration when developing your timeline. For example, if you're doing a walk-a-thon where people are going to be expected to collect donations ahead of time, you want to be sure they hear about the event and have plenty of time to collect donations, so you may want to move your timeline up.

If you get pro bono design work, printing and t-shirts (basically any donation that doesn't have to do with publicity), I say the sooner you can get started, the better! We often start working with the ad agency on the design work six months before the event, because they squeeze our project in between their paying clients and things often move along slowly, like you mentioned. Of course, you may not be able to send things like brochures and t-shirts to the printer until certain details are finalized, like your sponsors who will be included on the brochure, but that doesn't mean you have to wait until that point to get started!

Determining how many events to do annually

Question from Wanda:

How many events would you recommend doing per year, and how do you space them out? We are a mid-sized shelter that has good volunteers who really come through for us. I am concerned about burning them out if we are asking them all the time to commit to helping, because we are trying to do too many events.

Response from Megan:

One way you can have multiple events without burning out volunteers is to set up rotating event committees. For instance, if you have 4 adoption events per year, you could have an "A" team and a "B" team, and they could switch off so that each team works on 2 events per year. The "A" team would work on the winter and summer events, and the "B" team would work on the spring and fall events. Both teams would work year-round, but wouldn't be overwhelmed.

Another consideration when spacing out events is your target audience and how you will be marketing each event. You don't want to have so many events going on in the same time period that the public gets confused as to which one they should attend. For example, you might have two events in one month if one is a seminar on cat health issues and the other is a wine tasting and silent auction fundraiser. The target audiences are much different for those events, and the marketing would most likely be done in different ways.

I would recommend making this decision based on the following criteria:

- Your group's mission - all events should support this
- When determining how many fundraising events to do, consider your group's budget needs and other opportunities you have to raise money that don't require event planning.
- How many volunteers you have and the amount of time each can devote to event planning
- What kind of expertise you have among your volunteers
- The purpose and target audience for each event

Response from Jill:

I would do no more than two or three big events per year (like a dinner/auction, a walk-a-thon, golf outing, etc.). That way, you can space them out by seasons (e.g.: a spring and fall event or a spring, late summer/early fall and winter event), which will be good for volunteers and the people who support the events. Not only do you not want to burn your volunteers out, but also you don't want to burn out the people who regularly support and attend your events either.

When trying to figure out how to space the events, you'll want to research to see what other charity events are already planned in your area. For example, if the Opera does their big dinner/auction in the spring, you might want to consider doing yours in the fall.

As far as smaller events go, I look for lots of opportunities throughout the year for these types of events and do anywhere from 5 - 10 of these events. This may include having a booth at a craft show or festival (to sell Humane Society merchandise, put out a donation canister and hand out literature) or pet photos with Santa/Easter Bunny where you only need a couple of volunteers and you're only asking for a one day commitment of just a few hours. If you have a good volunteer base and can find smaller events like this, I say do as many as you can because they require just a few volunteers, so you shouldn't end up having to ask the same people to help again and again.

Making donation canisters work for your program

Question from Seana:

Please tell me more about donation canisters. How often do you collect them, where do you put them, and do you have them professionally made?

Response from Jill:

I order donation canisters from a company called Displays 2 Go (www.displays2go.com). The canisters are small and clear. They have a lock that opens with an allen wrench key. They're about $14 each, but we like the fact that they lock and although it's expensive to order a case of these (24 in a case), they more than pay for themselves in just one month!

I would recommend having artwork made to go on the canisters and trying to have it professionally done. We were lucky enough to find an ad agency that designed it pro bono for us. I like to put cute photos of dogs and cats on the canister because they tug at people's heartstrings. I also like to include a key message on the canister, such as the fact that we are privately funded and receive no money from the United Way, the government or national humane organizations.

The key to a successful donation canister program is organization! It's crucial that someone be put in charge of this program who will keep good track of where each and every canister is. Too often I see shelters put a volunteer in charge of this program and by the time it goes from one volunteer leader to another to another, they end up having no idea where their canisters are around town.

I would try to find busy locations where people pay at the register and get change back (e.g., the local bagel store, the local sub place, banks, etc.). Lots of times it's hard to get the donation canisters placed in chains or places with a lot of "corporate red tape," but locally owned businesses or food places are great for placing the canisters!

I suggest having each canister emptied the end of each month. If you notice the volunteers aren't turning in their canister money at the end of each month, call them and politely remind them! In fact, I send out an e-mail reminder at the end of each month to the donation canister volunteers.

If the canisters get too full of money, they often get stolen or sit there so full that people can't put any more money in them. Plus, emptying each canister once a month allows you to keep a good handle on the program and know how each canister and each volunteer is doing. If after a few months you notice the canister isn't doing very well, you can consider moving it to a different establishment.

If you only empty the canisters every three months or let the volunteers decide when they're going to empty them, lots of times the canister is stolen or broken and you don't know about it until months later. If the volunteer decides to quit emptying the canister for whatever reason, you may not find out about it for a year!

Response from Megan:

I don't have a lot of experience with these, because our group doesn't use them at this time. We do put them out at events, but don't have any at places of business that we collect on a regular basis.

I would think the more professional-looking the containers are the more likely people would be to donate. This doesn't mean you have to purchase professionally made containers, but if you are going to make them yourself I would make sure they present well and are good quality. I would also suggest you use high quality advertisements with the containers (i.e. the pieces of paper you slip into the top of the container telling people about your organization). Use color pictures of animals, if possible, because that gets people's attention.

As far as where to put them, I think pet-related places would be ideal, including veterinary offices, pet supplies stores, etc. Small, locally owned restaurants and stores might also be good because they probably have a loyal customer base.

I asked Linda Hamilton, founder of one of our member groups that has used donation containers in the past, (Animal Coalition of Tampa), and she had the following advice:

1. Make sure you collect the money from the containers on a regular basis (at least once per month) to avoid appearing unreliable to the place of business.

2. It can become very time consuming going around collecting the money from the containers on a regular basis. Before you purchase the containers, you might want to make sure you have enough volunteers to do this and that it has the potential to be a worthwhile funding source for you organization.

Here are some online resources for donation containers:
http://www.fundraising.com/html/donation_box/donation_box.asp
http://www.displays2go.com/sub3.asp?ID=44
http://www.acrylic-designs.com/drawing_suggestion_boxes.htm?source=fw-ballot-boxes

Tips on what to do and what not to do for events

Question from Beth:

I'd really be interested in your top tips of what definitely TO do when putting on inexpensive events and tips on what NOT to do. What are some of the things we need to keep in mind?

Response from Jill:

If I'm putting on an inexpensive event and don't have much budget to work with, in-kind donations are a must! This is time consuming, so I'm sure to start early and set aside lots of time to focus on obtaining in-kind stuff.

That aside, promote the heck out of the event, but focus on public relations or free publicity. Start to ask for e-mail addresses on everything you do, including adoption forms, appeals, etc. Build an e-mail database so you can constantly communicate with your supporters at no charge! Really focus on pursing media attention and contact local radio and TV shows about being a guest on their show to promote the event. Look for local "event" Web sites where you can list your event for free. A lot of radio stations and TV stations have an "events" page on their Web site and will post charity events free of charge.

Plan ahead so that all event information can be included in your newsletter. You're already paying to develop and mail a newsletter so take advantage of the opportunity to promote the event. Since a lot of groups only send out a newsletter a few times a year, you need to decide on an event in advance so you don't miss the opportunity to advertise it via this method.

And finally, focus on your target audience. If you have a limited budget, you're probably going to waste money doing a mailing to an entire zip code or multiple zip codes. Sure, you might get a handful of people who have not supported your organization in the past to attend the event, but your money might be better spent on doing a mailing to your mailing list, past attendees or people who purchased dog licenses and you're sure own pets. These people, your regular supporters, and past attendees, and pet owners, are more likely to support the event.

If you're looking to draw new people to the event, consider asking past attendees or regular supporters for ideas. Ask them why they attend the event. Ask what it would take to get their family, friends and colleagues to support the event as well. They'll probably be tickled that you took the time to ask for their advice and it might result in some good ideas!

Response from Megan:

DO's:
1. Try to get as much as possible donated.
2. Collaborate with other animal groups in your area for shared resources and contacts.
3. Get free publicity whenever possible, utilizing all available resources.
4. Plan, plan, plan!
5. Have a contingency plan for when things go wrong.
6. Be sure to thank everyone involved in the event - before, during, and after. This includes committee chairs, volunteers, donors and sponsors.
7. Set reasonable, measurable goals.
8. Remember your organization's mission, and make sure all decisions made about the event support it.

DON'T's:
1. Sell yourself short when asking for donations. You have a wonderful cause and a lot to offer potential sponsors.
2. Underutilize your available resources, especially volunteers.
3. Hesitate to get started.

Closing Comments from Megan:

Thank you for the opportunity to offer some resources to you this week. I hope the information Jill and I shared will be beneficial to your event planning initiatives. It's truly amazing to look around and see so many dedicated, talented people across the country working hard to save animals. I look forward to a time when our nation can truly achieve No More Homeless Pets!

I identified the following additional online resources for special event planning that might be of some assistance to you:
Guide to Special Events Fundraising
http://www.nald.ca/FULLTEXT/heritage/ComPartnE/pdfdocs/SpecEv.PDF
Tips for Finding Sponsors for an Event
http://www.nonprofits.org/npofaq/17/28.html#Step1
Tools for Organizational Training, Assistance and Learning
http://resources.tnpr.ca
And, of course, don't forget to check Best Friends' web site for lots of great examples and resources! http://www.bestfriends.org/nomorehomelesspets/resourcelibrary

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