Every year it seems that I receive more invitations to participate in activities that support worthy causes. 10K Run – Hiking, golf tournaments, deep sea fishing tournaments, barbecue competitions and chili Cook Offs remain the most popular. I support as many events as I can, but time constraints and the lack of a trust fund force me to be cautious in the events I support and participate in.
Golf has long been a primary passion, which is why fundraising for golf tournaments has always been a favorite activity. Outdoor recreation activities take precedence over eating and drinking competitions and BBQ or Chili Cook Off competitions generally benefit from my absence.
This year my criteria for participation has changed significantly. I recognized that events rarely change, same golf course, same long drive contest, same putting contest, biggest fish, same jersey – fastest time, raffle tickets, silent auction. I found that event organizers have become complacent, they value the financial contribution made, but they do not value recurring supporters, donors, or sponsors enough to provide more than status quo activities.
The worst thing I realized was that as an event organizer and fundraising promoter, I was equally complicit and guilty of the charges, in every respect.
The solution was simple in concept: offer participants event activities that other similar events did not offer. I went through all the elements of the events that I have participated in or helped produce and developed a simple formula: find activities that participants would be interested in trying, but would not otherwise have access to, then include them in different events .
Golf
Golf events were a logical starting point. For a long time I was a fan of the Golf Channel reality series: The Big Break. In the first episodes, the contestants faced a series of challenges related to golf skills: Break the Glass and Lob Wall were two of their favorites. Knowing how much I would enjoy the opportunity to try both challenges, I built a wall and made the investment in a Break the Target frame (note that glass is avoided as a target material). I entered both activities in tournaments as pre or post round activities and was instantly successful. Both were so popular that I sold endorsements to companies that wanted the recognition of sponsoring each event.
To fish
Fishing tournaments were equally to blame for the lethargy of the status quo. Instead of 5 contestants in a boat, the event was limited to 25 boats, but each boat contained a local sports figure or celebrity. It took more time and planning, but the contestants were more than willing to bid on the ship’s location with their favorite celebrity. We are also introducing a Scratch Fishing Game Card as a fundraising item. Event attendees who are not fishing could still win great prizes with their purchased Fishing Tournament Card. The word has spread and each year the number of attendees, participants and fundraising contributions has increased. Last year’s post-event luncheon was attended by more than 1,000 supporters.
A new event
Even golf, fishing, and other popular event themes will eventually become de facto standards, which is why I considered next-generation event activities. A thousand years ago I helped support a unique event: a bathtub regatta. Teams of two and four ran (rowed in a real bathtub) 150 yards and there were various tub classes, knockout races, and corporate sponsorships. Each year the event grew in size and popularity, sadly the event ended when the host organization closed. While this event can be transformed into a large corporate event, today it is a very popular corporate team-building activity. Another unique team building opportunity is based on the reality show Survivor.
My simple recommendation for improving events that support worthy causes is:
Recognition of popular social and cultural activities + applied creative force + strong organizational support = success.
