Fundraising events have long been a challenge to the PR professional. Getting the desired level of media attention and financial donations requires a double dose of PR
planning and strategy.
Increasingly, PR professionals hosting fundraising events on behalf of other organizations are taking creative steps to attract a greater depth and scope of interest. Going
further into communities on a local level and, on occasion, a global level (the latter courtesy of the Internet), these efforts are redefining how PR can assist raising awareness
and money.
For starters, today's environment is uncommonly difficult for fundraising efforts. "It is no secret that the pool of donor dollars has and will shrink," warns Michael Collins,
a New York-based independent fundraising consultant who has worked on behalf of corporate and nonprofit entities. "These aren't boom years with lots of sexy money around. The
money will go to the one who has proven to the donor that their needs are going to be met. Don't ever forget those two are linked."
To expand the base of fundraising, and to build a stronger sense of community support and visibility at the same time, savvy PR professionals have changed their focus to
thinking locally while keeping donation requests on the smaller side. One of the most vigorous proponents of this strategy is Price Chopper, the Schenectady, NY-based
supermarket chain that incorporates community fundraising activities into the opening of all new outlets throughout the Northeast. At its most recent store opening in Delhi, NY,
the chain hosted a fundraising party to benefit three local nonprofits - a volunteer fire department, a local hospital and a group seeking to raise funds to build a new public
swimming pool.
Barbara L. Page, community and public relations manager for Price Chopper, points out the fundraiser was kept at an affordable level (only $5 per person), and the company
matches all money raised up to $1,000. Sometimes the spirit of giving becomes contagious. "In Delhi, the developer surprised us by saying he would match the funds, too," says
Page.
John Kerrigan, president of The Wilker Group in Austin, TX, took on a pro bono PR campaign to aid People for Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) in its capital
fundraising campaign to build a new facility serving central Texas. Tapping into a general love of pets, Kerrigan wisely sought out a campaign to involve as many people as
possible.
"We felt we could cast a larger net to get the entire community involved rather than stay with a few affluent people," he recalls. Kerrigan also brought in one of his regular
clients, a culinary center, to host a special banquet with the punny title "Bone Appetit for PAWS." "We went to the restaurants around town and asked them to put the poster for
the event on their marquee."
Keeping ticket prices at a relatively manageable price ($125 per couple and $75 per individual), Kerrigan's community-minded campaign raised $18,000 for the PAWS campaign. "We
based this on the Howard Dean example," adds Kerrigan, citing the former Vermont governor's fundraising strategy for his 2004 presidential campaign. "We raised a great deal of
money through a lot of smaller contributions."
Reporters Are People, Too!
Bringing the community into the picture also includes the media, and Nate Towne, president of Xanadu Communications in Portland, ME, stresses that reporters and editors
be treated as guests of honor rather than just "working press" on assignment to cover an event. "Determine which media will really care about such an event and make those your
priority targets for pitching the event," he says. "They'll likely be local, and therefore know the most about your event - make sure to offer to credentials for a reporter, a
photographer, the editor's entire family - whatever gets them there with pad, pen and camera in hand."
Towne notes that in this age of celebrity obsessions, having local TV media as guests of honor is also a key way to snag attention. "Local news anchors are often asked to
'star' at such events, which often gets you coverage in whatever outlet they're from," he says.
For the Price Chopper openings, corporate and political star power is on hand. The company's president and CEO, Neil Golub, travels throughout the region to be present at all
fundraisers tied to store openings. "He's there for the opening party and the ribbon cuttings," says Barbara L. Page, adding his presence inevitably brings out local politicians
for these events (the aforementioned Delhi event brought out all of the town's political brass, including Mayor David Truscott).
Casting A Net
One savvy PR expert with access to genuine A-list celebrities has taken a truly modern approach to community outreach. Julie Kenney, founder and president of the luxury gift
bag design company Jewels and Pinstripes in Pleasanton, CA, reinvented the gift bag medium to score a significant PR and fundraising double-play: Having the celebrity
guests at fundraisers autograph luxury gift bags. Kenney then takes the fundraiser to the biggest community of them all: cyberspace.
"We give the stars a bag to autograph which can then be auctioned online," she says. A recent example of engaging the cyber-world was last fall's Las Vegas fundraiser for the
Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation, which brought in a deep-pocketed audience. The celebrity guest list who autographed that luxury bag included Barbra Streisand, Mary J.
Blige, Robin Williams, George Lopez, Usher and Celine Dion. The online auction of the autographed bag and its contents was held at CharityFolks.com.
Whether the PR reach taps at the Hollywood superstar, the average Joe or the indefatigable Net surfer, Michael Collins believes no one should be overlooked in the fundraising
PR push. "Most of the issues that require fundraising are at the most basic human level," he says. "It's our job to make sure that no one's help isn't asked for."
Contacts: Michael Collins, [email protected]; John Kerrigan, Barbara L. Page, [email protected]; [email protected]; Nate Townsend,
[email protected]; Julie Kenney, [email protected]