Event Fundraising Success: Tug Those Heartstrings!
One of the best experiences I've had in my career was planning the Annual Dodge Dinner for the YMCA of Greater NY. I had the honor of planning this event for several years, and the best part of it was finding the most incredible children to perform.
It was critical for the YMCA to showcase how their performing arts programs helped children with singing, ballet, and hands-on art classes. Kids in the Children’s Choir from Queens had the opportunity to perform at the event and also mingle with some major Broadway talent, as well as an Oscar winner, Marcia Gay Harden.
The idea of a “captive audience” is what I tell my clients time and time again. You have a room full of people (most likely donors) who may not know about your organization’s many programs, so what are you going to show them? You need to emotionally connect to your audience.
This is exactly what we accomplished through this annual dinner for the YMCA. We connected to the donors by pulling at their heartstrings – showing them how their dollars truly impacted these children’s lives. Our show-stopper opening to the program was having our Y children perform and set the tone for what was to come. When you engage your audience with something they can instantly connect to, it's something they will always remember.
