Non-Profit Fundraising by Katie Messina

This semester I have been working with three other Marist students to plan a fundraising event for Common Ground Farm, a local nonprofit organization in Beacon, NY that specializes in educating people on sustainable and community supported agriculture. It has been a rewarding experience thus far, and also a challenging one.

Broadly defined, our objectives were to raise community awareness for the organization and its cause, create a favorable perception and presence in the community, get a turnout of 100 people and raise money for the organization.To reach these objectives, our efforts targeted adults in the Mid-Hudson Valley who are vested in the community and value sustainability. The activities at our event, the sponsors and vendors we contacted, and the promotional materials we created would all communicate our message to reach this group. All seemed ready to go. We quickly learned it wasn?t that easy.

CHALLENGE 1: Working in a time crunch

Event planning is a process that becomes easier the more time is available. With only 15 weeks, we had to plot out a well-organized, realistic timeline of what needed to get done. Based on basic event plans we researched, our original timeline included choosing a date and reserving space, developing objectives and a list of needed materials, contacting vendors and sponsors, recruiting volunteers, and marketing and publicizing our event. Many obstacles held us up moving forward, including unanticipated tasks (see challenge 3), lengthy waits for responses, and just being plain stumped.

CHALLENGE 2: Money, money, money

We had very little money to work with, which can often be the case in nonprofit event planning. For expenses bigger than we could afford to pay out-of-pocket, sponsors were the best options. Luckily, small businesses and organizations in the Mid-Hudson Valley were generous and eager to help in the form of gift baskets and gift cards in order to promote using product sampling. This was helpful in helping us to assemble raffles, but its drawback was that we needed money for critical expenses such as t-shirts, table and portable bathroom rentals, food and other supplies.

CHALLENGE 3: Unforeseen obstacles

As I mentioned, certain tasks arose that slowed us down that, being first-timers, we didn?t anticipate. Here is a brief list:

· Obtaining a New York State issued gaming permit for raffles

· Obtaining tax-exempt forms for donations

· Getting approval for use of logos, mission statements and other property on promotional materials

· Renting a portable bathroom in addition to the facility?s restrooms

· Negotiating deferral of an insurance payment in order to secure the space

· Adjusting the date around other community events

· Figuring out how to pay for things

· Waiting, waiting, waiting for responses

While these tasks are understandably necessary, they can become barriers when you have to wait for them before moving on to the next step. The key is to allow a little wiggle room.

CHALLENGE 4: Asking for donations

I found it slightly awkward. Thankfully, my co-workers did not. I learned that many organizations are happy to help as they get publicity in return. We promised to include them as sponsors on our t-shirts in exchange for monetary or other types of donations.

The planning process is in its final weeks, and I am eager to see how successful it is. Having planned my first nonprofit event, I have a newfound knowledge about what to plan for next time. Still, no two situations are ever the same, so the learning process will continue.