Know-How Exchange : Taglines/Names

Dear Elizabethm,

If you stick with your soiree theme, for heaven's sake, make it last for several years and do it to the best of your ability.

This helps you build two vitally important things: social proof and community continuity, two things all non-profits need and way too many ignore or are totally ignorant of.

The biggest mistake non-profits make is with coming up with a theme for a fund raiser and only using it for one or two years before ditching it and moving onto something else. The excuse? It didn't bring in enough money so therefore, the idea's a lame mare.

Nonsense.

This usually happens because of a change in senior staff, or because of a change in trustees—one of whom sweeps in, takes over, and merely wants to cater to his or her "friends".

A committee is formed, it's taken over by "the right people" ... for which read a clutch of trustees who, although they may indeed be generous and well-meaning souls, often lack the faintest idea of just what it takes to effectively manage and magnificently direct a successful event for several hundred people.

With any staff changes go all kinds of institutional memories and knowledge, much of which is never written down, never passed on, and seldom learned from.

When this "chop, change, and ignore the peasants" regime runs the roost, the staff that do remain in post for several years get terribly jaded because often, no one listens to them; frequently,
no one asks for their opinion, and when their opinions are sought, they're seldom not listened to (poor lambs) because they're considered too low down the totem pole.

The practical upshot of this is? No one learns from them, and they, poor loves, grin and bare it and stop contributing.

And who can blame them?

So, stick with your theme and build a following: a loyal herd.
Your event must be seen as something to be anticipated months
in advance, something that people can look forward to.

Build on your strengths and successes, eradicate or significantly improve the things that don't work, and add value to each new year's event and ... with time ... it will snowball.

Involve your staff in all meetings, even the ones you might think have nothing to contribute. You'd be stunned at what they know but wouldn't ordinarily pass on.

Most people in lower level positions don't contribute because they are often treated like crap: ridden over rough shod while people go pandering and groveling to the trustees "running" the event.

Huge, huge mistake.

Have (or campaign) for a STRONG staff member to work as POINT person. Not as a slave to trustee committee members, mind you, as an internal mover and shaker who can ... and does ... command respect across the board. Point people like this are few and far between, but find one and keep them sweet.

Ignore this advice if you choose, but believe me dear heart, you'll do so at your peril. Why? Because next year, you'll be scrambling and feverishly attempting to reinvent everything. All over again.

Tiresome. Tedious. Unproductive. Unnecessary.

Soiree 2009: Round and Round the Garden
Soiree 2009: Garden of Good and Evil
Soiree 2009: A Masked Ball
Soiree 2009: Fairies at the bottom of the Garden

I hope this helps.

Gary Bloomer
Wilmington, DE, USA

Elizabeth-

I agree with Gary that consistency year to year gives people things to look forward to, and even inspires creativity. There are charities that have the same black & white ball year after year, and it's highly anticipated. Stay with the garden theme if that's what you've got...

I'm not sure what the "tending to our roots" theme really meant, but here are more riffs on the garden theme that seem appropriate for a 'soiree' in fall

Soiree 2009: The Bountiful Harvest
Soiree 2009: A Harvest Celebration
Soiree 2009: Under the Harvest Moon

you get the idea.
Good luck.
Anne

Before you pick the name, identify: who you want to attend, what experience you want them to have, and how the event will help spread your message.

As Gary has so eloquently stated, you need to consider the event not as a single event, but a strategic activity that you host that's part of your bigger picture. You may choose to feature different well-loved European cities or historical events (etc.), but spend time on the marketing strategy for the whole organization and dovetail that in with the event's theme.

Dear Elizabethm,

Jay is quite right.

The creation here of an event, of an experience is key. What lasting impressions and memories do you want your well-heeled, deeply pocketed audience to take away with them after the event?

Is this indeed your audience? Or are you aiming more at regular people? Whoever your ideal attendee is, what impressions do you want to create in the theatre of their imaginations BEFORE your shin dig?

Your ability to create thrilling anticipation here is important. Resist the temptation to overlook it.

回答这些问题,你的一半是赢了.

But again, do as much as you can to resist the temptation to change the experience you're offering year in, year out based
on someone's whim, or based on less than expected revenue.

I hope this helps. Good luck to you.

Gary Bloomer
Wilmington, DE, USA