August 4, 2005 | Read Time: 1 minute
The Special Events Toolbox
by Lauren Goldstein
A charity might choose to hold a special event for numerous reasons: to raise money, lift employee morale, recruit board members, or educate people about its programs. Lauren Goldstein, executive director of Cause Effective, a New York charity, offers nonprofit groups ideas for making sure such events run smoothly.
The bulk of her advice focuses on how to plan for the event. In her first chapter, “Take Stock of Your Organization,” she reminds the reader that events must be tailored to each organization’s mission, needs, and capabilities. The chapters that follow show nonprofit groups how they can design events that will achieve their objectives without breaking their budgets. The book also includes advice for holding events as part of a larger “special events campaign.”
Readers will find recommendations for how to use events to raise money or expand the group’s circle of supporters. Promoting the event, deciding on programs and a timeline, coordinating the logistics, getting help from staff members and volunteers, and using auctions and raffles to generate additional income are among other topics Ms. Goldstein examines.
A final section called “Tools” features sample event agendas, lists of objectives, and formulas for evaluating an event’s success.
Publisher: Cause Effective, 505 Eighth Avenue, Suite 1212, New York, N.Y. 10018; (212) 643-7093; fax (212) 643-0137; info@causeeffective.org; http://www.causeeffective.org; $49.95; ISBN 0-9619425-1-7.
