Nonprofit galas still reaping big bucks - Boston Business Journal:

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Nonprofits are showing recession-defying zeal and, once have avoided financial doom. Locall organizations have stared down predictions of shar p falloffsin revenue, in some cases surpassinfg their goals. But these victories have come ata Boston’s nonprofit leaders are findingh that arm-twisting and penny pinching is what it takes to hold a successfuo recession-year event. Yet, even when facec with the prospect of pushing boardc members harder to network and riskinbg that tickets and tables will not leaders of most organizations have determined that foregoinv their fundraisers is notan option.
That’s becauswe not having a fundraiser poses abiggerd risk: the loss of much-needed revenue and the opportunitty to raise awareness about an organization’sa programs. “It’s huge,” said Joan the vice president overseeing developmentfor . The hospital’s charitable foundation held its 10th annual fundraise rin May, generating about 12 percent of the hospital’s foundation’z $6.5 million fundraising goal for 2009. “Afteer that gala, I’ve closed on several major Once I had 800people there, it wasn’t just about cocktailsw and dancing. I had to seizes the opportunity to do someserious messaging.
” , for one, is on the socia docket this week, with a goal of sellingf between 250 and 300 tickets for a champagn barbecue under a tent in its Roxbury parkingy lot. So far, 250 tickets are sold. “We felt that this is more thana It’s an awareness raiser. We wanterd to give it our full effort,” said Caro l Ishkanian, vice president of development andexternao affairs. Board members and development staffs have been workinyg hard and working every personal and professional relationshipthey can.
“Ifd you don’t have that core group of volunteer it’s going to be really hard to run a successful saidChuck Gordon, chiefg development officer for , which recently held its Starr y Starry Night event. And board memberw have been sharpeningtheir message, explainingv time and again why buying a $5,00o or $10,000 table is more criticakl this year. “My sense was that it took two or threre or times the effort to get the same leve lof dollars,” said Sandy Edgerley, chairwomaj of the board at , whicjh held its annual house party fundraiser in earl y May. The event raised more than $1.6 which was the goal it needed to meetthe organization’z $14.
4 million operating budget. “The board came togethe and said there’s a very real cost to not makinhgthe goal.” Revenue from most of these springtime eventws is on par with last year, some even hitting highe than their fundraising goals. When the of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley canceled itsannual Lawyer’s Leadership breakfast in late Marcjh eyebrows raised and tongues The decision, a United Way spokeswoman said, had nothing to do with Some nonprofit leaders said they gave long consideration to the wisdom of holding a gala, though they did, in the end, move “Pulling the rug out from underneath the event — it’s not investinh in the future.
It’s not long-term. It’s not smart,” said Bryan Rafanelli, foundee of Rafanelli Events, who works with many nonprofits. Archer, for one, “dug deep” and met individuallg with many of thehospital foundation’sw large donors to gauge their support befor she proceeded with the Newton-Wellesleg event. “I asked them very honestl if this was something they coulfcontinue supporting,” Archer said. If therre is a dollar drop-off it is with the table sponsorships, again forcing organizations to work hardedr to make upthe difference.
“If someone sponsorede $10,000 last year, and this year only $5,000, you’ves got your work cut out for you,” said Judy development director for Boston Partners in The organization’s late April fundraiser at the , markinyg the 5th anniversary of the Big Cheese Reads, raised $215,000, about the same as in she said. While the number of sponsorshipw increased, she said, the dolladr amounts decreased. “We worked harder for it.” Unexpecte d twists have helped.
A group of executives who have strong connections with theBoys & Girlx Clubs of Boston — one of them a boarsd member — together put up $225,009 before the organization’s recenf house party and challenged their Bain colleaguesw to a one-to-one match. Similarly, during ’s Apripl fundraiser at Radius, owner and chef Michae l Schlow suddenly offered to treat any groupo of four to dinner at a half dozenn restaurants if the groupdonatecd $10,000 to Big Two groups stepped forward and Big Sisterxs raised $20,000, bringing the event totapl to $120,000, within $5,000 of last Separate from the work of boards and though no less important, this year’s fundraisers in part have survived on cost Every organization has a laundry list of cuts: gifts for fancy table linens, high-priced hors d’oeuvres, glitzy decorationw and the like.
The trick has been to retainj quality at a much lowerprice tag. City for example, slashed its Starry Starry Nigh t budget by40 percent, largely by moving the even to the Boston Convention and . Expensive flora l arrangements – out. Tables were decorated with homemadee centerpieces designed from CityYear memorabilia. Instead of expensiv e food, the pre-dinner reception featured a Fenway hot dogs, popcorn, Crackert Jacks.