The Fundraising Event Playbook Nobody Hands You

Most nonprofit professionals inherit a fundraising event, receive a folder of documents from the previous committee, and are told, "This is how we've always done it."

But what if that's exactly what's holding your event back?

In this episode of Auction is Action, Bobby D. sits down with fundraising event strategist Beth Sandefur to discuss the fundraising event playbook nobody hands you. Together, they explore why so many galas become stagnant, how successful organizations continuously evolve their events, and the difference between simply planning an event and intentionally designing an experience.

You'll discover:

• Why "the way we've always done it" can be dangerous
• How to identify revenue leaks that cost nonprofits thousands
• The importance of designing a donor experience, not just managing logistics
• Why smaller, more intentional events often outperform larger galas
• How to maximize sponsorships, auctions, and paddle raises
• The systems, templates, and tools that separate great events from average ones
• Why the paddle raise may be the most overlooked fundraising opportunity in your event

Whether you're planning a gala, auction, luncheon, golf tournament, or special event, this episode is packed with practical strategies to help you save time, reduce stress, engage donors, and raise more money.

Because great fundraising events don't happen by accident. They happen by design.

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Recommended For

Nonprofit leaders
Development directors
Board members
Event planners
Fundraising committees
School, hospital, and foundation galas

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

All right, here. What are you going to give on at $1575,000? You are listening to the Auction is Action with UN It podcast, presented by Call to Auction, where our favorite formal word is S-O-L-D. So, so all right. Well, hey there, everyone. Bobby D here, your host of the Auction is Action with You In It podcast. And I am super excited today because we are going to be talking about event planning and the playbook that nobody handed you when you started planning your event. And I've got a very special guest, a great friend, and also my co-founder of the Gallo Toolbox, the one and the only, Beth Sandifer, uh, Beth Sandifer events. Beth, thank you so much for being here today.

SPEAKER_02 0:43

Thank you so much for having me. And I'm I'm your first guest, right? I get that distinction as well.

SPEAKER_01 0:48

That's absolutely right. And uh we're talking about our uh our our our our little baby that we put together here for nonprofits. And uh I'm excited to have this conversation and share with the world um all of this wonderful knowledge that you and I have combined over, I don't know, what 40, 60, 80, I don't know.

SPEAKER_03 1:07

Sure, sure.

SPEAKER_02 1:08

80s, yeah. Yeah millennium.

SPEAKER_01 1:11

Yeah. Right on. Well, Beth, why don't you give me a little bit of background about yourself? Uh, because uh, you know, some of our listeners might not know who you are.

SPEAKER_02 1:20

Sure. So uh I'm Beth. I'm uh based in Northern California, but I have clients all over the country. I am an event planner that specializes in fundraising events with nonprofits, um, typically ones that have a pretty large auction component because I'm a little bit of an auction nerd. Um, but I come from a nonprofit background. Like I moved to California to work in the development department of a nonprofit. I worked in theaters before that, doing um both development and marketing, and got to a point where I felt like if all I did all year long was the gala, I would be so happy. So um 14 years ago, as of June 1st, I launched my own company. And then now that's what I do 40-ish times a year. I help different nonprofits plan their big fundraising gallas.

SPEAKER_01 2:04

Awesome. I love that. And you and I have known each other now, I don't know, five, seven, 10 years, and just to see how the evolution of events has been. I mean, I know we were pre-COVID, had some really good ideas, and during the pandemic, like you and and your teams like really just went out there and made some amazing things happen and were uh was a huge inspiration to me. So this really shows how you're constantly you know pushing the envelope of what events are, and then now here we are post six years after something like that. I know it's crazy to think like that. So weird that's like a lifetime ago. It was a lifetime ago. Oh my gosh. All right, so let's get let's let's get going. We're gonna be talking about the fundraising event playbook that nobody hands you. So Beth, why do you so many nonprofits simply repeat the same event year after year after year?

SPEAKER_02 3:02

I think because it's easy. It's easier to just repeat the same steps that people have been doing. Maybe you're new in the position and you've got the documents that someone left you from last year and you don't know what you're doing. So it's like, well, I'll just do that. You know, I think nobody likes change. So I think it's just easier to just keep repeating it.

SPEAKER_01 3:20

That's right. It's uh I always call it the uh the six words of death. This is the way we've always done it. And I want to challenge our friends that are listening here to think about their events in a different way. And there are some tools and a toolbox that we're gonna be talking about a little bit later that can help you to make your event better, but then also have like you some stuff put together in case you are passing on that gala to somebody else to just make it easy.

SPEAKER_02 3:50

Yeah. And I'll say before we even like fully launch into all this, like I'm not, I would never advocate for someone to like completely build your gala from the ground up like from scratch, like every year, like complete reinvention. But like, are there three things that you could be doing differently? Like, took it like what are those little baby steps so that you're always trying to find a way to like improve or be different or make it better or whatever, but like don't think that it's like burn it all down, start all over every year, because that's also crazy, you know.

SPEAKER_01 4:18

Yeah, yeah. We're we're all about uh creating a drama less, uh stress less uh environment, you know, as you are planning this, because I mean, yeah, gallows uh planning gallows are stressful and there's a lot of drama that comes with that. And you're right, we don't need to, like you say, burn it down and then build it all back up. Sometimes it's just improving what you have and and kind of keep uh keep evolving, is really uh what we're uh we're gonna be talking about today. Exactly. Exactly. Okay. So what's the difference between planning an event and designing an event?

SPEAKER_02 4:56

That's a great question. Um, when I think about planning an event, I immediately just go to all of the logistics, you know, are my vendors lined up? Did my invitation go out on time? Like, is the timeline been put together? Like all of that stuff. And when I think about designing event, uh design to me is thinking about the guest experience from start to finish and the emotional arc that you want to lead people on that starts from when your save the date goes out, you know, all the way through to the end of the evening. Like, what is that emotional like arc? What is the story? Like, where are we trying to get people to go with us? Like, what is our you know end destination together as a group of people that are trying to raise money to fund a mission? Like, how do we get there? That to me is design.

SPEAKER_01 5:39

Right. And and I always like to, you know, talk with my clients about we're designing a feeling is is is what it is. And and what is that feeling that we want to help to uh instill or inspire uh within the the guests and the donors that are that are there? So you know, yeah, planning, like you say, logistics, we got you know the check-in software, you got the you know, the flowers and the decor and the powerpoints and the auction items and all of those kind of things. Whereas, you know, designing this event is is really, you know, like you say, building that story arc, building that crescendo, building that denois, whatever it might be, to uh to to to create that that feeling that your donors are gonna take with them into the night. I mean, that's that that's designing an experience.

SPEAKER_02 6:24

Yeah, I love when you said designing a feeling. I think that's a really great, like that's I mean, that's it. Exactly. It's like what feeling are we trying to create?

SPEAKER_01 6:32

Absolutely. And event design really can do so many uh things to to help you know design what that what that feeling it is, you know, the way the room looks, the lights, the sound, the smells, the tastes, the food, and that experience that happens during uh the program. I mean, nobody likes the boring speeches, right? I mean, the the the boring speeches are done, we get rid of it. Like I killed a keynote today. It was it was so amazing. She's like, Oh, we're gonna have this keynote.

SPEAKER_02 7:01

I'm like, I mean, nobody ever said, I wish we had one more speaker. No one ever said that.

SPEAKER_01 7:07

So right, so right. So, how bad? If you inherited a fundraising event tomorrow, what would be the first thing that you would look at? What would be the first thing that you would evaluate?

SPEAKER_02 7:16

I mean, the first like big general thing I look at is ROI for the total event. Like, how much, how much did you make? How much did you spend to make it? Um, there's a I think it's a best practice. It's it's pretty out there. I think there are some national organizations that have it actually baked into their standard operating procedures that you should not be spending more than 25 cents on the dollar for a fundraiser. So, and there are a lot of fundraisers out there that are spending like 60 cents, 75 cents. And like, well, I mean, and events have a reputation, you know, for like, oh, they're so expensive, they're they're a lot, like they're not worth it. And I think that when they're not being planned well and you are spending 60, 70 cents on the dollar, like, yeah, that's not a good, that is not, that's bad event math to me. So I would want to look at like overall, like what is the ROI? And then, and you know, I mentioned I'm kind of an auction nerd, like if you're doing an auction, you know, and a paddle raise, like I want to then immediately start drilling down into like, well, what are those ROIs? And are we getting things that are in the wrong category or is it too many or too much or whatever? Like, I want to start really understanding where the revenue is coming from and again, like what we're spending to get us there.

SPEAKER_01 8:27

Yeah, and I was like to look at dollars per minute as well, too. Like we were just talking about the boring speeches. Now, are they helping you raise any more money? Probably not, but your auction and your paddle raise uh definitely are. And if you're looking to raise $100,000 and you've got 50 minutes to do it, I mean, that's you know what, $2,000 a minute. And if your boring speech is six minutes, 10 minutes, 12 minutes, you know, how much did that cost you in regards to fundraising?

SPEAKER_02 8:58

That's one of my favorite metrics. I introduced it to a client last year and it like absolutely rocked the world. And they actually added it to the bottom of like our budget spreadsheet where it would constantly be sort of be tracking and like, okay, this is how much we need to make, you know, on event night. So this is our value per minute. And it was it was great because it kept everybody kind of in check about is this really important or not what we're trying to add in here.

SPEAKER_01 9:20

Yeah, absolutely. And uh, I know there's a tool in the toolbox that talks about budgeting. So just saying, you know, that's out there. And um, as as we keep talking about the gala toolbox, you know, there's gonna be so many tools that we're gonna be bringing out, uh, you know, presenting here. But what's great is at the end of the episode, we've got a freebie for you. We've got a blueprint. So uh so stay tuned. All right. So we're evolving the conversation, we're evolving the event. What are the biggest signs that the gala has stopped evolving? What are some of those uh kind of telltale marks that are there?

SPEAKER_02 9:55

I mean, I think it's all the stagnation stuff of where you're seeing maybe it's just the same auction items every year. They never really change. Like you're not seeing any growth in your ticket sales or your sponsorships. Um, I think also it starts to get hard to recruit committee members and volunteers. Like those to me are all signs that a gala has stopped evolving and people have gotten bored with it.

SPEAKER_01 10:18

Yeah, and and it's it's that boredom is what we're fighting because we're fighting against so much, you know, other things that are trying to capture attention these days and especially those valuable nights that the gala's on, you know, Thursday nights, Friday nights, Saturday nights, that people don't they don't want to go to an event to be bored. So let's can let's fix that for them. Let's let's keep that.

SPEAKER_02 10:41

And I think that's something that COVID specifically changed is that I think it's easier for people to blow off plans now, right? Like we all got very happy at home in the lockdown days. And then I think when things opened up, there was an immediate like, oh my god, people, you know, again. But I think there was definitely like a section of people that were like, actually, no, I kind of like being home. And so maybe they've drawn down and there there are fewer organizations that they want to support, there's fewer plans outside the house that they want to make. So there's there's you like it's just it feels easier to like blow up, blow stuff off or cancel things, like, oh, it's not like I'll write a check, but I don't need to go to that or whatever. Like, I think that has been a real shift that I've seen in the the post-COVID gala experience.

SPEAKER_01 11:26

And if and if a couple decides to go to a gala, I mean, they are making a big decision to like they're they're going from stretchy pants to black tie, that's a big decision.

SPEAKER_02 11:37

And you may be thinking, like, I mean, it's the outfit to get them, it's what you know, their ticket and whatever they're contributing when they're there, but like the outfit, the Uber, the babysitter, you know, the like all the things that go into it. And, you know, I think it's just it's a little harder now sometimes to like you want to make sure that you're the thing that's most interesting and attractive to get somebody, you know, out of their stretchy pants for an evening.

SPEAKER_01 12:01

Yeah, yeah, like literally pull them out of that. So, so what are some things? Uh, what are parts of a traditional gala that deserve to be challenged? Like, hey, I think we can do that better.

SPEAKER_02 12:13

Um, I mean, the it's funny, you kind of already mentioned it a little better. We said about the number of speakers that are on the stage. I think the bigger is not always better. And I think that applies to like I would rather see a gala that has like a tight 90-minute program, like you're in, you're out, you're done, rather than performances and honorees and keynotes and like all those sorts of things. I think the same applies to an auction. I think that just adding more auction items for the sake of having a bigger auction is not the best strategy to like get you to more revenue. I think your auctions should be more curated and you're really looking at, you know, how your audience is responding. But like it's like people want to just throw everything at. It's our one night and we have to do it. And like, let's just do all these things. And it's like, but is that really, is it really like getting us where we want to go? And I think that also there's a metric that's in people's head about a gala is successful, like the more people we can get there, our gala we needs to be bigger in terms of attendance. And I have said for years, like, I don't think you need to have the most people in the room. I think you need to have the right people in the room. And the right people are the ones that are gonna be actively engaging by bidding in your auctions, by making gifts in the fundinity, like buying your raffle ticket, like all those things. They need to be actively engaged. I don't care about 150 people in the back that are just there at party and aren't like supporting what we're doing as an organization.

SPEAKER_01 13:39

Right. And they're just gonna, you know, those additional people, they, you know, they're seat fillers, they're food eaters, they're drink drinkers, they're, you know, sometimes causing a ruckus in the back, and they're a distraction to those that really want to be there and that are connected to the cause. So you're right, you know, more people does not necessarily mean more fundraising, more of the right people, I think is is what we're looking for.

unknown 14:01

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 14:02

And I think that there are ways I like I know that's gonna sound scary to some people that think about like intentionally doing, you know, a smaller event or whatever. I think there are ways that you can still include people. Are you running an online auction where people can bid in your auction even if they're not there? And does that online auction page also have a donation, you know, button? Like, is there a given campaign that you could run in tandem? Do you take your appeal video and put it into an email campaign that goes out after the gala? Like, I think you can still engage people, you know, related to the gala night without having to have them be in the room to be there, you know. But again, you just you really want to be targeting the people that are really gonna support your mission and like and you know, honor the time, right? Someone's gotten out of their stretchy pants, they come to the event, like they don't want to sit through four hours of a bunch of fluff in the program and like big long, yeah, exactly. You know, so just honor the time that they are spending with you and the commitment that they've made to be there that night.

SPEAKER_01 14:59

All right. So, real world information. Can you share an example maybe of an organization that transformed its event and saw dramatically different results?

SPEAKER_02 15:08

Well, I mean, we've touched on it a little bit already, and I've got like multiple events that have done this that have, I mean, though like the format of the gala was the same. It's not transformed in that way, but they really started looking at who was attending, how are they engaging, and they trimmed out their guest list and they made it smaller and it became a smaller, more intimate event. And I've seen that in a gala that was 1,100 people go to 600 people. I've seen a gala that was like 450 go to 350. And, you know, it's like fewer people in the room, but the people that are there are really engaged. And like in one case, I worked with Oregon Food Bank years and years ago on this, and they cut their guest list down because we did a bunch of data analysis and saw that, like, okay, there's all these people that are coming as corporate sponsored guests. They're not engaging in anything when they're there, they're just in the rowdy of the back and they can eat. We cut those people out of the guest list. We sort of approached the sponsors differently and said, you know, if you're not going to fill a table, would you rather have this money be positioned as a lead gift in the paddle raise? So you're still, you still get the promotion, your name's still out there, all that stuff. And we ended up, like at the end of the day, their gross revenue was slightly down because they did have fewer people, but all the expenses were down because they didn't have all of those rentals and the catering bill for all those folks. And their net revenue went up, like by cutting the people out that weren't engaging, like they ended up increasing their net revenue, and that became kind of their new, you know, model. And I've seen that happen like over and over and over again at different organizations.

SPEAKER_01 16:40

Yeah. And especially over the last year, that's something that we've seen as well, too, is that audiences are shrinking, but their fundraising is growing because of many of those different factors. And again, it's the having the right people in the room with the right motivation to take action, is really what that's all about. Yeah. So, so what are some of the biggest revenue leaks that you're seeing at fundraising events? Like, like you're just seeing dollars walk out the door.

SPEAKER_02 17:07

I think it comes back to bad planning and not having a strategy. Um, I see people definitely say, like, oh, well, we want to raise this much money at the event, but there's no thought behind where that's coming from. Like, well, how many sponsors do we need to get that? How many paddle rays gifts that we need at each level, like that kind of stuff. People aren't intentionally engaging their major donors or just trusting that they're gonna be there, they're gonna make those big gifts. Um, not having a board member or committee member dedicated to securing lead gifts to the paddle rays, like before you you get there, they're just not, it's it's just bad planning and just bad strategy. You know, I think that people people think of the gala and like, well, the end result and everything that happens on that night, but everything that happens on that night takes like six, seven, eight, nine months of planning, like to get there. Like it doesn't just happen in a vacuum on that night. People are so inspired. Like you have to have primed the pump to get there. And I I I think people just don't. They just don't think about it in that way.

SPEAKER_01 18:07

Yeah, yeah. Um, so if a nonprofit wanted to increase their event by 25% or more, what like where should they start? Like, what are they gonna look at?

SPEAKER_02 18:18

Uh, I think you always start by looking at your existing results. I'm a big data person. I love to do analysis on stuff. I think you start it your with your existing results and see like where is your revenue really coming from? Where are you already strong? But like don't just start adding stuff to add, like, do your fundamentals better. If sponsorship is 40% of your revenue, like that might also be where your biggest growth opportunity lies because you're already doing that well. If your paddle raise is underperformed compared to the attendance, like then focus on that. You know, if your board isn't helping to fill tables and sell tickets, that's an opportunity. If your donor retention is weak, like start there. But I think you really need to start by looking at where you are and identifying like where your strengths and weaknesses are from there and then start building out.

SPEAKER_01 19:05

Yeah. And and I'll be working with uh groups and we'll be looking at a lot, especially those paddle raise metrics. You know, what is your percentage of people in the room that are given? Uh, what is the average dollar per gift, you know, that's that's there, and and looking at these different metrics that are there to, okay, how can we, you know, turn the turn the volume up a little bit on this? But like you said, you know, sponsorships is is such an open opportunity to raise significantly more money. And if you, you know, someone's looking to raise and add a 25% to their event, and let's say they're raising 100,000 in sponsorships, you know, to get another 25,000. I mean, you're talking to five different five thousand dollar sponsors or one, you know, title sponsor at 25,000, and then boom, there you go. You got 25% right there.

SPEAKER_02 19:51

And I think too, specifically with sponsorships, I think I think you need to back it up and look at it for the year. I mean, A, there's a lot of companies that are making their funding decisions in court in Q4, right, for the next year. And if you've got maybe a summer or fall gala, you're waiting until January to even make the ask. And like companies have already made their budget, their decision about how they're spending their marketing. And then I've also seen company or organizations do really well with thinking about event sponsorship in terms of like not just the gala, but like here are all the events that we do in a year, and really like constructing sponsorship packages or like we want you to be a Wells Fargo, uh a partner with us like all year long, and here are all the things that we do. And like so that you're you have you're just always talking to people, and it's not like, oh, well, it's February, it's time to make asks for our September, you know, event, and then the timing's weird, and then it like goes away like once you've got there, but like how are you engaging those sponsors like year round? I think like I think that that's another, I don't know, it's a revenue week or a miss or whatever is thinking about your gala as one night when it should really be like, how are you cultivating all of these, you know, donor, sponsors, bidders, like all year round, so that they are like part of your family.

SPEAKER_01 21:06

Super important. So now is there a tool in the gala toolbox that could help groups with their sponsorships?

SPEAKER_02 21:13

Of course. I mean, our blueprint has a lot of great, I think it's one of the first things we go over. The blueprint is identifying like where what are all the different possible revenue streams, like how's that coming from? We've got like a do the math worksheet where you like we're literally like reverse engineer your goals, like figure out where they're coming from so that your math is sound when you're putting your budget together to start going out and you know, procuring sponsorships and selling tickets and doing all the things.

SPEAKER_01 21:41

Right on. And then I think we've also got a sponsorship tracker in there, kind of almost a little bit of a sponsor CRM that's there to help track, you know, where those dollars can come from, you know, who's gonna give what, who's given, and then what are those potential opportunities uh for future sponsors as well.

SPEAKER_00 22:00

Absolutely. Stuff in that. There's a lot of stuff in the toolbox. So much. I mean, even here in the past 15 minutes, I think we've already given given so much value.

SPEAKER_01 22:08

So uh so we're gonna keep moving on here. So um let's see here. I've got a whole list of questions, like a thousand questions here. Um, paddle raise. So paddle raise. What role is the paddle raise playing in today's fundraising events?

SPEAKER_02 22:24

I think it's the most important thing. Um, I think that there's always gonna be two kinds of people that attend an event. There are people that want stuff for their money, like you're always gonna have auction bidders, those people exist. I think the gap between the people that want stuff and the people that just want to give for the sake of giving is getting wider. But like I I think the paddle raise should be your biggest revenue generator. It should be where the bulk of your funds are coming from. So to me, I think it's the most important thing.

SPEAKER_01 22:55

Absolutely. Now, are you seeing some events that are just only doing paddle raises?

SPEAKER_02 23:01

I have seen that. Yeah, I think it's still the minority for where I am on the West Coast. Um, but that's one of the shifts, one of the shifts coming out of COVID is that live auctions have gotten smaller. Like the average live auction, I'm in near San Francisco. Our average live auction pre-COVID was like 16 items, and now it's like eight. You know, like they're just smaller, you know. But I mean, yeah, it's like it's been a real, you know, change. And I think, and the paddle raises are just they're getting bigger, like in terms of percentage, you know, you're really seeing like this and and the paddle raises, you know, I just I think it's so important.

SPEAKER_01 23:35

Oh my gosh, so important. I mean, you start to look at the fundraising opportunity that's there, dollars raised is one thing, but guest engagement is a whole nother thing because a lot of times at events, people will come in and they'll raise their paddle at a thousand, they'll raise their paddle at 500, whatever it might be. That's not the only gift that they're gonna give you or could give you the entire year. That becomes like a test donation to see, hey, you know, do they give me the warm and fuzzies? And uh, and and if they do, then I'm gonna come back, I'm gonna, you know, maybe become a monthly donor, maybe become, you know, a corporate sponsor, maybe become a you know a bigger major donor, you know, throughout the year. And a lot of times that conversation starts right there at that paddle raise. Yeah, you're right. Yeah. So so looking at the paddle raise as a bigger opportunity than just fundraising, it's relationship finding is really a big part about that.

SPEAKER_02 24:29

Yeah, yeah. So now oh, so go. I was just gonna say, I think one of the keys to it is that or something I see a lot is that people spend a lot of time talking about their auction items and what their auction items are gonna be, and how are we positioning them and can we double this and what is the law order and like all you know that sort of stuff. And they wait until the week of the gala to start putting together their fund their paddle raise plan. And it's like, like you should, you know, like it should not be an afterthought. Like you should give it some more, you know, a couple months, you know, whatever. Like they'll think about the message, and maybe there's been a video produced, but when it gets down to really thinking, like pre-securing, you know, we need gifts and all that, and like what are the levels gonna be and all this? To me, I just see it so often that it comes in at the last minute. And if it's gonna be the biggest, the thing that brings in the most dollars in the night, it should be getting more attention in the planning process than it does.

SPEAKER_01 25:25

Yeah, I had a conversation today with a with a client whose events are not for six months, and they were like, Well, Bobby, what what should we be thinking about right now? I was like, all right, well, we need a lead gift, so start finding some lead gifts, pre-secured gifts for your paddle raise. But then also let's start looking for some matching funds opportunities. Maybe there's some incentivized giving opportunities that we can start looking at. And here we are, six months out from that, because we know that that's our biggest revenue generator, and we need to be spending as much time, if not more, on strategizing and planning for that as we are in our live auction.

SPEAKER_02 25:59

Well, and how many times have you had the conversation, like, okay, what's our top level of our paddle race gonna be? And they look at you and they're like, I don't know what do you think? And it's like, no, what do you think? Like, what money is in the room? Like, who have you talked to? Like, your top level should be like wherever you've got a gift pre-secured. Do you like? Do you have you done that? You know, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 26:18

So it's yeah, you just gotta think about it earlier. Yeah, and and if that top level is appropriate, uh, because sometimes they're like, Oh, yeah, we've got one donor that's gonna come in at 25,000. Let's just start there. And then it's like, okay, well, do you have a 10? Do you have a five? And then they might be like, Well, no, our next gift that we've got is a 2500. It's like, okay, well, maybe 25,000 might be too high. Maybe let's ratchet that down, start at 10,000.

SPEAKER_02 26:41

Maybe we think about how that 25 is a match, you know, some other level, you know. There you go. It's so important.

SPEAKER_01 26:48

Yeah. So so let's let's let's move to more bit more logistical conversation here. So, what systems and or templates separate high performant events from just average ones?

SPEAKER_02 27:02

I like a shareable template and dashboards that are actually used. So if you've got a timeline, my timeline documents have, you know, it's the task and the due date and the who's responsible, and then like a status. Is it not started? Is it in progress? Is it completed? Whatever, so that anybody at any time that's, you know, has hate needs to have hands on it can look at it and be like, okay, this is sort of where, you know, things are. Like so creating all those, those kind of, you know, dashboards and task lists and things, you know, the sponsorship tracker, like, you know, your auction procurement tracker, like all of those things that anybody can access and that are actually used. I think it's important to have meetings that have agendas and structure. Like, are we hitting all the different things? Are we recapping past auction, like prior action items and what's coming up in the next week? Um, I also think as you start working with people like job descriptions and well-defined goals, I like to give my auction committees a job description and a goal. We need you to come up with X number of auction items that fit into these categories and value should range between, you know, here and here to so that they understand like what they're doing. Um, and then I've had a uh few organizations that put together like a board and committee playbook that sort of gives them everything, like a board member. Like, here's kind of a one sheet on what the event is, like, what are all the selling points, you know, what like what we're trying to do, like how we need you to help. Here's some template emails that you can use when you're writing to your friends, trying to get them to be a sponsor or whatever, like all like make it super easy for someone to then go fundraise on your behalf.

SPEAKER_01 28:40

Now, I wish there was a toolbox out there that would have some things like this in it.

SPEAKER_00 28:47

Oh, wait, three this exists.

SPEAKER_01 28:50

All right, yeah, this this is not one big infomercial, I promise, friends. This is just but this is a little bit of exposure, you know, for uh a toolbox that's out there that has a lot of these things in this. And you know, let's talk about that real quick, Beth. Like, what what where where did this gala toolbox idea come from? Like it just didn't appear. It was it was it started from a conversation.

SPEAKER_02 29:14

Yeah, I mean it started from a conversation that you know, you and I had over dinner one night, you and your lovely wife were out in Napa, and we all got together and had dinner, and we got to talking about things, and you and I had been having like ideating on it sort of individually, and our things came together. I know for me, a lot of it comes from like I remember when I was a baby development person at an organization who got handed the gala and from someone's doc, like someone left, I was covering the role, and it was like, well, figure it out. And I had to figure it out with the you know mess of documents and I'm left and I wasn't sure what everything was. And like I'd planned some events before, but like never on the scale. And it was just and it was like and scared and didn't know what to do and didn't have anyone to ask and didn't have development funds, and it was like, oh my god, what? And then as I've grown more in my career and you know, I'm working with clients all the time, like I keep getting asked the same questions over and over again. Like, do you have a spreadsheet for that? Is there an example you can show? Like, can we borrow this, that, and the other? And I think when you and I got together, I think you were, I think you also get asked for a lot of the same, like, do you have an example of that or whatever? And when we started coming together and putting together our list of all these documents that you and I both have that we use all the time, that clients ask for us all the time, it was like, well, there it is. Like these are the tools. We just need to like package it up and put it out there. And in a way that whether you are also a baby development person that isn't sure what they're doing, you know, or maybe you're a little bit more seasoned, but you have the gala and the annual fund, like and the volunteer program and the educate, like whatever else it is, because nonprofits like to give us all three jobs, you know, or you're running some super sophisticated event. I think at every level there's ways to just like check your process and like, am I, you know, am I doing this in the most efficient way? And I think there's also just really value in seeing how other people do things if you only ever see your event. So even between you and I, I look at some of your forms and I'm like, oh, I never thought of it that way. Like, okay, that's interesting, you know. So it's it's from that, you know, is I think where it comes from. What we said.

SPEAKER_01 31:21

And having a space for all of this information to live, you know, was something that I really had had craved to get out there. And now I use the gala toolbox with all of my clients that are out there to know that at least I'm giving them everything. Like, look, this is everything that you and I know about events and how to plan events. And and and this is literally the toolbox that that you can use to plan and design and execute as great of a gala as you could ever have.

SPEAKER_02 31:51

Yeah, and that's that's a good point too, because I know I've certainly had conversations with a client that maybe I've worked with for three or four years, and all of a sudden someone brings something to a meeting, and I'm like, Oh, we never talked about that. Like, oh, I didn't I didn't realize we never had that conversation because I've had that conversation every year like 50 times. I didn't know we ever did. So it is nice to have like, here's the one like sort, here's all the stuff, like have it, you use it, look at it, go through it, whatever. It's all here, you know, for you to access.

SPEAKER_01 32:20

Yeah, and and and not just that, like let's keep it in our head kind of thing. It's it it lives and it breathes on your computer, uh, you know, it's a your shareable docs and it's a way for teams to work together as well, too, to to hold each other accountable and to know who's doing what, when, and what's to do, and you know, and do the math and let's track, you know, and and find these live auction items. What are some holes we need to plug? You know, different things like that. So if you were to maybe pull open the toolbox and and and and pull one tool out, like what do you think the most valuable resource is that every nonprofit should use inside of the toolbox?

SPEAKER_02 33:02

It's hard for me to answer because I will say, I know we don't want this to be an infomercial, but like we have what's out now, and I think we have like 14 other modules that are gonna be released in the future. So there really is a lot of content. I think of what is in there now. I really think the I really love the blueprint. And specifically in the blueprint, there's an 11-month timeline. And that was definitely thing like you had a timeline, I had a timeline, we put them together, and there was stuff in your timeline that I was like, oh, I never would have thought putting that in the timeline. And that's again where I say at whatever level like you are performing or planning, or no matter how like new or seasoned you are, I think just going through that timeline can either it can affirm that, like, yes, I'm on the right track, I know what I'm doing, it can identify places where it's like, oh, I should maybe think about this a little bit differently. And it can also reveal things that are like, oh, I never thought about that. I know, you know, and in some of it for me, it was like actually planning in the timeline all of the gratitude moments, like how are you following up with certain donors? Like, did you plan a rest day for yourself? You know, like all these little things that, like, especially as you get towards the end of the event, you're like, oh, whatever, I'm just glad it's over. But having it on a page in a list is like, oh no, that needs to be done, and that's important. And like, I think that timeline is gold. Oh, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 34:23

And and and and not giving yourself too much to do early on is very spread out. And and it's like, okay, these are the things you need to be thinking about 11 months, 10 months, nine months down the road, but then these are the things you need to be thinking about three months, two months, and then week of event as well, too. Some things that you need to be thinking about. And and it does, it spreads it out, and then it gives you a checklist so that you can check all the boxes off and be like, okay, I've I've I've hit everything and I've thought of everything, and we've got everything done. And and I know that that feeling once you make that final check on that final checkbox, like like like how good that feels, be like, okay, we've done this, we've prepped, and we've created and designed something that is gonna be unlike anybody's ever seen before. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Okay, so one gala trend that needs to disappear.

SPEAKER_02 35:18

Uh I mean, I think swag bags need to go away. Okay, but everybody loves a swag bag. Everybody, I mean, everybody likes getting a bag. I think people don't, and then there's a lot of junk in the bag that like gets left at venues or thrown away or whatever. I I prefer a gifting suite over a swag bag. And if you're not familiar with a gifting suite, it's like you get all the stuff donated, people get to come in and like they take their get their bag, right? And then they can go around and like they're just taking the things that are important to them.

SPEAKER_01 35:51

So it's almost kind of like a like a swag buffet.

SPEAKER_02 35:56

Yeah, yeah. And that way you're you're getting a bag, but it's you know, I mean, for example, like I'm diabetic, like I don't necessarily want, I mean, I want the chocolate that you put in the bag, but like maybe that's not a good thing for me to have, but like I would have the popcorn or the whatever. Like you can go and kind of really like cherry pick the items that you want, or just have like one good gift that you're giving to everybody, but like the the the big bag that's filled with a bunch of stuff and a lot of tissue paper and a lot of paper, and half of it is gonna get thrown away. Like, I don't, I don't love that.

SPEAKER_01 36:26

Yeah, nobody, nobody ever reads that stuff, anyways. But with this, this, this swag buffet, you're still giving that exposure for all of your sponsors, and it gives them a chance to be able to, you know, provide some things that people may or may not like, but at least it's there and people get to see everything versus getting home and dumping out the bag and then being like, okay, where's the good stuff? Yeah, okay.

SPEAKER_02 36:47

And especially if you're doing like an after party at your event, like that's a good place to have the swag, you know, the the the gifting suite set up, and like maybe you also have like a take home, like a candy bar, or there's like bottles of water, you know, whatever. So it's like as you're in your Uber on your ride home, you're getting your last snack or whatever it is. But I think after parties are good place to put that kind of thing. Um, but yeah, that's my that's my hot take on trends that should go.

SPEAKER_01 37:12

So, what's one gala trend that is here to stay? That they're like, okay, we're doing this all the time.

SPEAKER_02 37:18

Being smaller and more intentional about your gala, you know, cannot be bigger is better, but small and intentional, I think that's okay, okay.

SPEAKER_01 37:27

I like that. I I like I like I like the uh purposefulness of the gala. And it's like, look, this is this is checking a lot of boxes, and yes, we're gonna raise as much money as we can, but is it about cultivating those relationships that are in the room? Is it cultivating those uh sponsorship relationships? Is it identifying new relationships? Is it celebrating a milestone? Is it an opportunity to fund a new program? You know, whatever it is, but by being, like you say, very you know, specific and and and and intentional about designing the gala is so important.

SPEAKER_02 38:03

And it can still be a great party. I'm not saying like make it small and make it boring, but like, you know, have the people that you know are gonna engage be there, like be tight about your program, and then let your DJ play for an hour and a half and have your good, you know, it's like are just the is everything you're doing like working towards the guest experience and the feeling that you're trying to create and ultimately the mission that you're trying to fund.

SPEAKER_01 38:24

Yeah, absolutely. Good, good, good, good. Oh my gosh, like we could do this for hours and hours and hours. But that but that's what's great about the Gala Toolbox is that you and I literally sat down for hours and hours and hours and hours and compiled so much stuff together and and and and made this for nonprofit professionals, just like those friends that are listening and watching with us today. Like we we want you to succeed any way that that that you can. And if we can provide some tools for that to help you succeed, then that helps us to fulfill our mission to help nonprofits have better gallas. Yep. Yep. Okay, so biggest event planning myth.

SPEAKER_00 39:02

That it's glamorous and fun all the time. Oh, you you plan events. That must just be amazing.

SPEAKER_02 39:10

Amazing, yeah. Yeah, that's funny. I mean, listen, I love my job. Like, I know there are people that have a lot like harder jobs out in the world. I'm not trying to say that, but I think that everyone focuses on the centerpieces and the catering and like, you know, all the fun and whatever. And like the times that I have stood over a trash can, like eating a meal because there aren't any plates, you know, anymore, or you know, the auction that was outside and I'm standing there with a clipboard and a pen in hand, and I'm my legs are getting eaten alive by bugs because I'm standing on a lawn and I can't like I'm having to wait in between every auction lawn to like scratch, you know, sort of desperately. Like it's just not, it's it's I love my job and it is not the like glamorous existence that everyone thinks that it is. That's all.

SPEAKER_01 39:56

So what's one thing in your like like your your actual toolkit like you bring to events? Like, what's one thing that uh that that's super necessary that you're like, oh my gosh, I'm glad that I actually had this physical thing?

SPEAKER_02 40:12

I mean, there's a handful of things that have definitely come in clutch. Um I keep a box of random earring backs because sometimes you lose the back of an earring and like what are you gonna do? You need to put that in there. Um, I have given out a lot of band-aids, tie on all Anvil blister band-aids. Um, I always have a hot spot on me because I never know what's going on. I did an event a couple weeks ago where the venue Wi-Fi went down, the organization had brought in Starlank it went down, and I was like, Well, I'm glad I have my hotspot so I can run registration, you know, zip ties I find to be like eminently useful, gaff tape. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 40:57

Um yeah, those are the those are the things I think. So I I've had three events this year where I had people like uh run up to me and be like, um, Bobby, so I'm having a a wardrobe malfunction. Do you have a safety pin? Yeah, yeah. So I love being the hero and going into my backpack of goodies and being like, Here, do you want black or do you want silver? Which one?

SPEAKER_02 41:22

I also carry, I found on Amazon it's like a big, like it's a ridiculously large quarter. And I had an auctioneer come to me the other day because we were doing a heads or tails game, which is not my favorite game, but some organizations like it and whatever. And the auctioneer came to me, he was like, Do you have a quarter? And I was like, Oh, do I? Like, do I? I have one in my little, you know, I have a little pouch that has all my stuff crammed into it. And I was like, here you go, here's a gigantic quarter. Like anything I've ever found myself without or needing at an event eventually makes its way into my little like bag of goodies that I carry around with me.

SPEAKER_01 41:57

You know, we're gonna have to do another podcast and just talk about those goodies that that people can have. Um, you know, and I think this this would be really good content for us to put out there. It's like, what's in your gala bag? And and you know, and share some of the secrets. Because uh, we were at Elevate uh the conference uh a few months ago, and we literally made a gala toolbox and filled it with all of these gala necessities. And and and the person that won it was like, Yeah, I love this because this has everything in it.

SPEAKER_02 42:27

Well, and I stole from you, you had called auction branded post-it notes, just like at our like sponsor booth, and I was like, Oh, I'm just gonna take those, and they're in my toolcast. Like, I so I mean your your post-it notes have made their way around the world, like I use them for everything. I'm like, uh every time I pull one out, I'm like, Thanks, Bobby.

SPEAKER_01 42:46

You're welcome for that. I'm glad I could help anyway that I can. Um, okay, so most overlooked fundraising opportunity, like what like like people just aren't thinking about this.

SPEAKER_02 42:58

I think I touched on it earlier a little bit. I I think the paddle raise, like I think uh in that a lot of people do it, but a lot of people leave the planning to the last you know week or two. So I think the really looking at that six, you know, five months in advance, I think is an overlooked opportunity.

SPEAKER_01 43:14

Yeah, and and there's it really surprises me that there's still events out there that are like, oh, we don't do a paddle raise. And I'm like, I know, yeah, what I can't believe that. It's like you're leaving money on the table. And and and this group I was talking with today, uh, talked about last year, and they're like, Oh yeah, we just made a it's just a very simple ask. If you want to make a donation, come find us later or scan the QR code or whatever. And some people do that, but it doesn't create that environment of of of collective generosity where people are going to the QR code or something.

SPEAKER_02 43:50

Well, there's nothing like the momentum and positive peer pressure of seeing bid numbers go up, you know, paddles or programs or however you have them, like seeing them go up. The air. There's like nothing that can replace that emotion to me than like looking out at a room and they're just there they are, like in the air. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 44:08

Yeah. I I yeah, I I love being on the stage and and looking out and seeing that sea of paddles at the thousand dollar level. And we call off 43 paddles or you know, something like that, or even like at the at the hundred dollar level, then we're doing the paddle sweep or something. Yeah. And and and it's hundreds of paddles that are up in the air. And each one of those paddles is a a willing donor that's saying, I am, I'm with you. I believe in this cause and I wanna I want to invest in it at whatever level that it that it can be. And and for groups that are out there that aren't doing a paddle raise, you're leaving tens of maybe hundreds of thousands of dollars on the table, not just at dollars at the event, but dollars following the event, which is so important.

SPEAKER_02 44:53

And I'll add on to that, if you are doing an online, like a silent auction at your event and you're doing all of your bidding online. I had this conversation with an organization today that like add a donation button to your online auction because there might be someone that's attending the event. Maybe they're a program recipient of your organization or it's a teacher because it's a school or whatever, that maybe they can't give at whatever even the lowest level of your paddle raise is, but they could give $25 or $20 or whatever. And like it can be, it can feel shameful to have to go up to someone and say, well, I want to make a donation, but I can only do, you know, $20 or whatever. But if you've got that little button on your online auction and they can give in a way that like is still meaning, because that's a level that's still meaningful for them, you know. But and and it's in a way, it's you're just additional opportunity, like, hey, you can you can give a larger amount too, but like just making sure that there's a way for everyone to still give, even if they don't feel like they can give at whatever the levels of your your paddle raise are. That's right.

SPEAKER_01 45:56

And and I always say there's got to be an opportunity for everybody to give. There are people, like like, I mean, I'm a realist that there are people that don't want to raise their paddle, period. Like, yeah, no matter what. They're like, we're not raising our paddle. That's not in our cultural philanthropy that that that that's the way that we give. But at the end of every paddle raise that I do, you know, it's like, you know, we want to recognize those that haven't raised their paddle yet or that haven't raised their paddle but want to give behind the scenes. We love you for that. And there are opportunities for this. We've got the donate button on the mobile giving software, you know, we've got the QR code. I mean, sometimes there is the little card at the table, you know, something like that. But it's it's creating an opportunity for everybody to give. Like that's that's the whole thing.

SPEAKER_02 46:41

But I like your point though, too, also about acknowledging it from the stage that like we, you know, we love all the gifts. You know, however it came to us like we love them all, we love you all, like you're doing good work. Like, I think that's important as well because people want to feel seen and appreciated, and that does that.

SPEAKER_01 46:57

Yeah, that then that's everything. And then and then that that appreciation, having that live on, you know, beyond the event. And and I think that that's something like you had touched on earlier, is you got the plan for that that that post-event gratitude process, right?

SPEAKER_02 47:14

Yeah, yeah, I think that's so important. You know what I mean? Again, like, yes, your gala is one big night, but your gala is one big night that lives for 12 months, like it never really goes away. And I think that, you know, people, most organizations are pretty good about getting sort of their standard thank you letters out within a week, although some people take longer and then you know, there's degrees to which that's okay. But yeah, like even something as simple as, you know, a board member, executive director, whoever, just like handwrite, like you have your form letter that's printed out, and then handwrite thank you. Like you don't have to write like a custom message at everybody, but even a handwritten thank you, you know. And is there like are you following up with people to say, you know, we did a paddle raise to raise money to buy to build a new playground at the school? And like, you know, eight months later, whatever, like here's the report, here's the photos of the playground that you built, you know what I mean? Like that, like, how are you thinking of them, you know, throughout the year? There's an organization that I have been a donor to here in the Bay Area that they send out, they've done it two different ways, kind of, you know, who knows why, but at Thanksgiving and at Valentine's Day, where I've gotten cards that are just like, we're thankful for you, not getting asked for anything, not just like we're thankful for you. Oh, you know, or at Valentine's Day, that's just like, you know, we're sweet on you, like you're our sweetheart, you know, whatever. That's like, and like include just just you know, just like thank people. You can't thank people too much.

SPEAKER_01 48:41

Yeah, and and planning for that thank you process is so important. And in the toolbox, there is a gratitude checklist for those, and and again, providing some ideas that maybe people had never really thought about, or even the pure fact that there is a gratitude process that can be built that turns on immediately following the event. I mean, even the night of the event, you know, there's some there's there's some techniques and some strategies that can be implemented to say thank you right away and and to start that gratitude process.

SPEAKER_02 49:15

And that's what for me, when I say that, like no matter what level you're at, why I like that timeline so much that we created. It's like, because even for me, like I know all those things are important, but I had never like put them down as like, did we do this? Did we do this? Did we do this? Until I saw your timeline, I was like, oh, like, okay. Like they should, they should be like, did we check that off? Like, are we doing that? So I really think there's just so much to be, you know, gleaned from that.

SPEAKER_01 49:44

Yeah, absolutely. So, best investment a nonprofit can make in its event.

SPEAKER_02 49:49

Planning. I mean, you've heard us say it so many times in this conversation, right? Like planning, analysis, strategy. Like, I think we all get so busy, but especially at nonprofits, it just like trying to keep it all on the rails and like doing all the things and never really like stopping. And are you doing a debrief at the end of your event? You know, are you when you start the event next year? Are you looking at the notes that you did at the end of last year's event and like starting from there? You know, are you analyzing your auction, you know, revenue? Like, are you looking at your sponsorship, you know, prospect lists? But like all those planning, it feels it can feel like a lot to add like, oh God, I don't know if I have time for this, but it will pay you'll pay yourself back in space if you just take the time to really plan properly.

SPEAKER_01 50:32

Yeah, the what do they say? The fail to plan, plan to fail? Yep. Something like that. There you go. There you go. So if you could hand every nonprofit leader a playbook for creating better fundraising, what would be on the first page?

SPEAKER_02 50:49

I think my question would be why are we doing this event? Why does it exist? What role does it play? Like, why are we doing this? I think that the best fundraising events do not start with a theme, they start with a purpose.

SPEAKER_01 51:04

Mic draw. Boom.

SPEAKER_02 51:08

I love that.

SPEAKER_01 51:10

Oh my gosh. So good. Okay, so yes, the why, the why behind the event. And I think that becomes the guiding light, that becomes that North Star of this is this is why we're putting ourselves through so much stress and so much drama and and blisters and blood, sweat, and tears, and and and all of that to to to you know, this is this is why we're doing this. Love that. Love that, love that. Okay, so Beth, now we get to our infomercial time. So where where where where can people you know find this this this blueprint?

SPEAKER_02 51:42

Uh the wonderful blueprint you've heard us talk so much about is at gala-toolbox.com.

SPEAKER_01 51:48

And how much does it cost?

SPEAKER_02 51:49

So the blueprint itself is free. You can download that. I know you can download that. Your first first taste is always free. And then if you want to upgrade into our full toolbox, which has, I think I counted, it's like 16 or 17 like supporting documents. There's a do the math worksheet, there's some video training from Bobby, there's auction procurement tracker, sponsorship tracker, there's some bid paddle best practices, there's clerking sheets, there's an auction donation form, there's a bunch of stuff in there. If you purchase the whole toolbox, it's $199. And then as I mentioned, we've got 14, I think 14 other modules that we will start releasing, you know, in future months. So, and they're always going to be built around a topic. So it'll be, you know, on sponsorship or working with your board or auction procurement. So you can it's it's a one-time download. It's not a subscription model, it's a one-time download. The stuff is yours. And as we start releasing more content, you'll always be able to purchase just the stuff that is necessary for you.

SPEAKER_01 52:54

Yeah. And and it's and it's like literally buying different tools. Like sometimes you need a hammer, sometimes you need a saw, sometimes you need wires, you know, sometimes you don't need them all, but you can just kind of pick and and choose. But we're gonna give you the initial toolbox that's filled with the necessary things to get started. And then we can you can you can grow that toolbox, you know, beyond. And it's it's I'm I'm excited for this. This is so cool.

SPEAKER_02 53:17

Yeah, I think the initial the, I mean, it's in our spreadsheet, it's our basic toolbox. I think it is exactly what you just said. It's kind of all the these are the ones we feel like are necessary for every event. And then as we start adding more content, you can build out your toolbox in whatever, whatever way it works for you. But the the the blueprint is there now, the basic toolbox is there now. Um, we've had some really good feedback from folks that have already downloaded it. Um, so I yeah, galatoolbox.com.

SPEAKER_01 53:43

Yeah, get in there. So um, Beth, I I I think we're just gonna make a a little uh decision here on the fly. Can we can we give them 25% off? Can we can we make a coupon code for them?

SPEAKER_02 53:54

For sure, for sure. What should our code be for that code?

SPEAKER_01 53:58

I think I think since we're on the auction is action podcast, let's just make the coupon code Action. So someone texts action, they type in the coupon code, they get 25% off just because they were listening here today. Great, I love it, done deal. Okay, look at that. See, this is it. Wonder Twins Unite makes some amazing things happen. Right on. All right, so um any any final thoughts for our our our gala friends that are out there?

SPEAKER_02 54:26

I mean, I would say, you know, you're not alone. Like and you and you got it, you can do this. I think don't be afraid to break out of your box a little bit, like look at your vet, think of three things that you can change to make next year's event better. Um, you know, start getting your systems in place. And, you know, you got this.

SPEAKER_01 54:45

That's right. You got it. And uh I just want to say thank you to you know, Beth. Thank you so much for uh coming together with me and and helping to develop and create this Gala toolbox. Thank you for continuing to push this information out there in the world and and being the biggest cheerleader for our our Gala development planning friends that are that are out there. So thank you for being on with me today.

SPEAKER_02 55:08

I was happy to be here and I'm I'm glad I get that first first guest status. We'll never take it away.

SPEAKER_01 55:13

Never forget your first, as they say. Exactly. All good. Well, thank you so much again, and thank you to our nonprofit friends that are out there listening. Thank you so much for the impact that you were creating in the world and striving to create better events. And the more uh better events that you create, the more money that you raise, the more money you raise, the more impact that you have. So thank you again for joining us on the auction is action with you in it podcast. So thank you again, and we will see you on the next episode 2535 4585 65 75, and it's sold. You got it right there. Thanks for listening. All right, bye everyone.

SPEAKER_02 55:48

Bye everyone.