Meaningful Events Benefit Nonprofits - 7 Reasons Why!

Here are seven reasons why it is critical for nonprofit organizations to invest in special events:

1. Mission Fulfillment: Events provide a perfect opportunity to educate attendees about your mission in new and creative ways.

2. Community Building: Your constituents see the events you produce as adding value to their lives. Plus, special events allow the beneficiaries of your mission (customers, members, sponsors, donors, etc.) to celebrate and create community together. Besides…everybody loves a party!

3. Gate Revenue: Well-managed events can provide a profitable revenue stream in ticket sales alone. And don’t forget about gift shop sales, possible volunteer operated fundraising efforts (silent auctions, etc.), and vendor commissions.

4. Media Coverage: Given the 24-hour news cycle, and the explosion of media outlets, events can provide a tremendous opportunity for press releases, and with good follow up - news coverage. Also, don’t forget to plan on how you will cover your own event for the organization’s on going social media marketing efforts. Remember…you’re a media outlet too!

5. Sponsorship Sales: Ok, so your well-promoted, well-run, event is a huge success because you’ve communicated with and served the beneficiaries of your community. Another term for this self-selecting group of people is a “target market.” Here is the opportunity: Ask yourself who else wants to reach this market? Now sell them sponsorships!

6. Facility Awareness: It’s amazing how many locals don’t visit area attractions except when there is some kind of special event. In other words, events give you a chance to connect with new customers. Also, if you make your facility available for rent to the public, events can demonstrate what you can do for private parties. Don’t forget subtle reminders that your facility is available for rent.

7. Development Opportunities: I’ve said it before; the people at your event are self-selecting. Your event has the things these people want. Make a plan on how your team will ask for help. Is it for dollars? How about membership? In-kind support? Do you think one of these people might be a board member? Let me be clear…Make The Ask! At least, don’t forget to ask for contact information.

If you’ll read the first sentence of this post again, you’ll notice I said that nonprofits should “…invest in special events.”  Good investments require a rate of return; so, after the event, make sure your staff (and maybe a few of your beneficiaries) performs an evaluation of the event. Look at the income statement, mission success, public relations and potential for growth.

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Here are some fun events I had the opportunity to manage at the Western Museum of Mining & Industry:

  

A Little Direction:

Remember, your beneficiaries have come to your event for a reason. Make sure they know what to do. In this case, I was oveviewing the day for a group of 50. Does you event need signage? Greeters? Think about a map or schedule of events – a souvenir with links to your web platforms.  

Inter-generational Experiences:

 

Involve the whole family and build a community for the future.

All About Animals:

If you have animals, include them in the activities. This was a Burro Birthday Party! Make sure your guests learn about your commitment to the animals and what it costs to care for them.

Back In Time:

Think about the different facets of your mission and use events to cover something you don’t do everyday. Here’s a chance for your education, marketing and development staff to breakout of their paradigms.

Good Volunteers:

Your volunteers love you! Nonprofits should use their volunteer’s passion to leverage events. They can direct your guests, become educators, or in this case…be a chauffeur (Steve even brings his own tools. Visit Steve's blog for fun tractor stories.)!

Give that “I GET IT!” feeling…with Cool Science!

I’ll bet you love that feeling as much as I do.

That feeling of clarity and insight when what you’ve been taught comes together in an actual experience.

I’ll bet you’ve felt it when you’ve succeeded at work; or when your pet responds as you’ve trained. Maybe the satisfaction comes when you you’ve played music perfectly after much practice; or triumphed in your favorite sport after exhausting workouts.

Success. Satisfaction. Triumph.

These are all good words that describe that special moment of:  “I GET IT!”

A teacher of mine once said: “You’ve put it in your head…now put it in your hands.”

Ok, since we share a common understanding of this moment, let me ask if you ever had that experience with science?

If so, Congratulations! You know how amazing it is and I’ll bet it’s because you had the opportunity to experiment. Experiment with: circuits; pressure differentials; simple machines; rock identification; effervescent chemical combinations; rotational inertia, etc.

If science didn’t give you this thrill, I’ll bet it’s because you never got to “put it in your hands” and that’s just sad.

But here is the good news: there is a nonprofit organization in Colorado Springs that will let you experiment. Better yet, they help thousands of children experience this “I GET IT!” feeling by putting science in their hands.

This organization is called Cool Science!

And you can help them do this important work by donating just $10 through the Colorado Springs Independent’s 2011 GIVE! campaign.

It’s inexpensive and you’ll benefit our future by inspiring children’s interest in science and engineering with that “I GET IT!” feeling. Who knows, you might just get that feeling when you attend one of their events – check out their web site for to see when that might happen for you: Cool Science!

In the mean time, please GIVE! to Cool Science today and you’ll help over 28,000 children in the Pikes Peak Region achieve that feeling of success, satisfaction and triumph by learning and experimenting with science. Click here and scroll to you Youth! 

The Cold…and Hot of Natural Gas Production.

Here is a link to another great article by Pam Zubeck, of the Colorado Springs Independent: Oil and water: Will they mix?

As with all her work, it is very comprehensive.

You’ll see that she talks about issues associated with natural gas production in Colorado, Wyoming, and specifically, in the El Paso County and Colorado Springs: I love that she included the geology associated with water; She certainly covers the environmental issues in a compelling way; She is doing the important journalistic work of questioning industry and it’s regulators; And she references the economic benefits of natural gas production to provide some balance.

At the risk of being obvious, I’d just like to add the following:

As I write this, my 40,000 btu, natural gas, forced air furnace just kicked on. Every time the thermostat calls for heat, natural gas shoots through the burner, is ignited by the pilot light in an impressive explosion of flame to warm the heat exchanger. Once the exchanger is hot, the electric blower motor switches on, forcing air across it to heat my family’s dwelling.

In addition, during our community's peak energy usage times, instead of coal, I’m sure that natural gas is being utilized to produce the electricity that is running the blower motor (my computer, coffee pot, microwave, and Christmas lights).  Of course, this is happening at my neighbor’s house, and I’ll bet…Ms. Zubeck’s.

As a matter of fact, as I’m sure you know, some estimates say that demand in global natural gas markets alone (not including oil or coal) will increase over 47% in the next 25 years. Consequently, natural gas reserves will be developed. It is good that our press is helping to educate our citizens about issues surrounding our use of natural resources.

I really appreciate Pam Zubeck’s insightful work (If you haven’t read her article on un-funded retirement liabilities, it is one of the best I’ve read!) and know she will keep up the good work.

I think I’ll go and turn my thermostat down.