Special Events: Proven Strategies for Nonprofit Fundraising

It's been said that the reason so many new restaurants fail is that everybody who can boil water thinks he or she can be a successful restaurateur. A similar rule might apply to special event fund-raising - if you can pull off a successful dinner party, then maybe you figure you can plan a successful fundraising banquet. But as Alan Wendroff makes abundantly clear in the recently-released second edition of his book "Special Events: Proven Strategies for Nonprofit Fundraising," special event fundraising, to be truly successful, requires detailed planning along multiple fronts.

The centerpiece of Wendroff's hands-on approach to the topic is his Master Event Timetable, essentially a detailed 26-week task list that covers all the bases. Throughout the book, he stresses that financial success is only one of many goals to be achieved with special events, something that's easy to forget in the heat of battle. Most significantly, special events provide a convenient and comfortable opportunity to establish personal contact with current and potential stakeholders. And this book offers a host of ideas on how to capitalize on this unique opportunity to present your organization's mission and programs to a happily captive audience.

Chock full of charts, check lists and real-world examples of a variety of successful special event ideas, readers are taken from the initial step (should your group even put on a special event?) to the post-event wrap-up and evaluation. I found the chapters dealing with the recruitment and function of event chairs and community-wide event committee particularly valuable, but there is also an excellent chapter on the intricacies of budgeting for special events. But even an expert like Wendroff knows his limitations as he explains that the most detailed event budget is only an "educated guess."

The portion of the book dealing with using the Internet and e-mail in connection with special events offered less than I expected, but this area is evolving so rapidly that we might be better off just keeping tabs on the Howard Dean campaign's "meet up" concept to get some cutting edge ideas. One of the best features is the book's real "soup to nuts" coverage, from major topics like identifying high profile event chairs to some incredibly practical tips (i.e., provide award presenters with a printed copy of the text of the award engraving because it can often be difficult to read the engraving from the award itself).

My guess is that the novice special event organizer will want to keep this book close at hand while more experienced planners run across some fine points or suggestions that will help them improve their chances for success. The book includes a CD-ROM containing a number of useful documents including the Master Event Timetable, all of the book's author-created exhibits and samples of a press release and mission statement. With this book under his belt, Wendroff can now turn to a how-to book on opening a successful new restaurant.

Special Events: Proven Strategies for Nonprofit Fundraising, Second Edition is the complete guide to making your next nonprofit event the rousing success it can be. Packed with author and development professional Alan Wendroff's realistic insights and pointers, this text provides a logical and comprehensive outline of event planning, with a special emphasis on fitting these events into the larger framework of the nonprofit?s organizational goals. Inside you?ll find such helpful tools as:

• Seven goals for a successful event
• The Master Event Timetable (METT), a proven organizational tool that provides step-by-step guidance through the entire event process
• A case study explaining in understandable detail how to implement the advice and methods outlined
• An accompanying CD that includes sample timelines, worksheets, checklists, budgets, writing examples, decision tables, and contracts

From choosing the right event to the best way of expressing thanks afterwards, Special Events covers all aspects of producing a winning fundraiser for your organization. In addition to the brass tacks of managing logistics, the coverage includes thoughtful discussions on how to take full advantage of the networking, volunteer recruitment, public relations, and motivational opportunities your special event can provide. This updated Second Edition features new information in these areas, plus an entirely new chapter on using the Internet for event planning.

With the needs of nonprofit organizations only growing as donations shrink, special events become more and more vital in sustaining the life of these organizations. Nonprofit lay leaders, professionals, and staff, as well as marketing professionals and event planners who work with nonprofits, will all find in Special Events, Second Edition a clearly drawn road map leading to fundraising success.