Thursday, February 17, 2011

Post 4

Right now, I am gathering information from those who have hosted events with this organization before. I plan on talking with more people who coordinate events, because I feel that face to face interactions will be more meaningful for me opposed to finding articles on the internet. I have been searching the internet for steps to coordinate an event and to raise money for a non-profit. These sites have been very bland and haven't provided me with anything new. I will continue to look though. As I'm meeting with these professionals who have done what I've set out to do, I'll document our conversations and all that they have to share. If anybody has done something similar or has raised money for an organization, I would love to have a minute of your time to hear the valuable information and knowledge which you've received.

4 comments:

  1. Drew,

    Even though the internet searches have proved unfruitful so far, you should be sure to document and even keep notes on the details of that search and those sites. It could form part of your written capstone later. Also, this is when it's wise to turn to the library to look for published books and/or print articles on the subject or closely related information--the types of events you wish to coordinate may themselves have a rich literature of description, history, analysis, and so forth. Non-profits are often in in the news, for better and worse, and as for profit-making and privately funded events, just today, I saw that the NYT website featured an article on new issues in wedding etiquette--that's the sort of thing that a wedding event planner (for example) should keep tabs on. You're doing something quite different, but the general idea is the same. And, yes, absolutely _do_ document every conversation, valuable or frustrating, that you have with any professionals in the field.

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  2. I think interviewing people who have experience in this area is a good idea, perhaps they will let you tape record the interview, I find this is always easier than taking notes and it doesn't get in the way of your conversation. When it comes to raising money, I would look into different options on campus, but I would also make a list of the items you will need and then make a list of possible donors/sponsors. I would then write letters for each category of organization you will be approaching: a letter to businesses asking for food donations (I would insert each companies specific name to make it more personal), businesses you are approaching for games etc. Can they make the check/donation out to the organization (Assuming it is non-profit) so they can get a tax deduction? Is there a way you could advertise for them? These might be further draws for them to get involved.

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  3. Drew,
    Jessica's ideas about fund raising are perfect.
    And Mark's pushing you to keep looking is just where I was going in my thinking. When someone has done a bit of research and says there's nothing there, it almost always means he or she hasn't found it yet, not that it's actually not there.
    I'd go, at this point, to the reference desk (the round one just north of the coffee stand on the main floor of the library) and ask the reference librarian to help you for a few minutes as you search for articles about event planning.

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  4. I was thinking the same as Jessica - in terms of fundraising. I would definitely offer advertising for the companies who donate. Also maybe some type of newsletter after the event saying all the companies that contributed and how much money was donated. I would put in some pictures of the event and have some quotes, etc. Maybe have someone from the Herald or Deseret News attend the event and they can write a story on it. As long as what you did gets out there and the companies that contributed are very well recognized, I think you could do this again and again and get more $$ every time.

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