The Timothy Group

"Dining For Dollars" Making a Fund-Raising Banquet Work for You

James, escaping a hectic work day, turns off the interstate highway and onto a gently winding road that follows the banks of a river. As he parks and walks up to the banquet hall, the glow from inside lends light to his path. Over a delicious meal, he enjoys conversation with new acquaintances and old friends. The dinner concludes with a ministry update and a challenge to offer financial support.

This image is more than a fairy-tale dream for ministry budgets. People do, in fact, find time in their schedules and money in their pocketbooks to come to fund-raising dinners to support Christian ministries. And these banquets, when carefully planned and implemented, can be an important factor in your overall fund-raising strategy.

To Dine or Not to Dine...

Fund raising dinners are only one of five strategies-in addition to personal solicitation, telephone solicitation, direct mail, and electronic and print media- that ministries should use in their financial development strategies. Because each strategy has benefits and disadvantages, ministries should not depend on only one strategy for all of their contributions.

Carefully think through your situation before planning a banquet. Hosting a banquet just because another organization in town recently did one profitably is not wise. You must have an audience, a purpose, and an ability to carry out the dinner plan successfully, especially financially.

Before making your decision, however, also consider that dollar gains are not the only value. Networking at dinners where people are encouraged toward greater levels of involvement can result in increased gifts in the long run, more volunteers, and strengthened public relations.

Spoon Up Success...

Careful planning and preparation are crucial to a dinner's success. Following are some ways to ensure your event goes smoothly, strengthens relationships with donors, and bring in money for your ministry.

• Invite the Right People.

  Know who you want to invite and then personally invite them. You might focus on soliciting your top donors, or you might want to invite new friends to hear the ministry’s story. and challenge them to support you. But sending out an invitation through direct mail appeals, newsletters, or other mass means does not allow you to focus on a particular donors.

• Invite them the Right Way.

  There is no substitute for a personal invitation to a dinner. A telephone call is not as personal, and an RSVP invitation sent via mail, which can be ignored or forgotten, is not as effective. Have each table host or hostess extend personal invitations to several individuals. Charging for tickets is not recommended, as it may influence guests to presume that the ticket cost represents all they should give.

• Have it in the Right Location

  Your ministry might be the right setting if it's located near where guests live, if the they haven't seen your facilities, or if you want to show them what the campaign will buy. A hotel or banquet facility is probably the next best choice, but it may cost considerably more.

• Serve the Right Food

  Offer a meal that is unique to your constituency and that they might not make for themselves. Make it top-notch without being extravagant. Poor quality food, slow service, or a potluck event can give a negative feel to the evening. You want to treat your people as guests, and you want them to respond positively when you ask them to make a contribution. The format will send a message as to the kind of request that your are asking people to consider.

• Provide the Right Program

  Allow at least 90 days for the event preparation so that the banquet is both enjoyable and effective. Plan to include testimonials from service recipients, staff, and board members about the life-changing experience that resulted from your ministry. Focus on the mission and the vision of the ministry and talk about the need that you want people to respond. A big name speaker-who will likely be costly and talk to long-will fill the hall with people who want to hear the speaker rather than those who desire to learn about the organization.

• Ask for Gifts of an Appropriate Size

  Assuming you're hosting a capital campaign for your general constituency and not major donors, you should probably be asking for gifts in the $1,000-$5,000 range over a three-year pledge period. If your dinner is an annual appeal, people will likely give in the $100-$500 range. Those who are able to donate larger amounts should be challenged in a personal presentation before the dinner so that they do not give the lesser amounts for which you ask during the dinner. Don't go through the expense and work of a dinner and then be too shy to ask people to give. Encourage them to contribute a specific amount. Properly presented, you will not offend them.

Crunching the Numbers...

Dinner events tend to consume a larger portion of the gift than other fund raising strategies. Costs will vary widely depending on whether your banquet is served by volunteers or if you’re holding it at a hotel with caterers. One of the purposes of the dinner is to have a net surplus that is more than 50% of the gross revenue for the evening. Analyze your costs at the end of an event, including food and facility costs, and the value of the staff time in preparation and follow-up.

Many events do not meet their potential because of inadequate follow-up. Before the dinner, send a letter of appeal to people who turned down the invitation. After the banquet, thank the individuals who donated, and request a commitment or gift from those who did not, including those who planned to attend, but cancelled at the last minute.