Beyond Dollars: Measuring a Successful Public Event
On the 4th of July, I joined my fellow Lions in the City of Fairfax, at their Annual Independence Day parade.
About 20 of us spent the morning setting up our hotdog stand, grilling, and selling cold water.
Unlike earlier Lions activities, this particular 4th was extremely hot.
The Lions working the stand seemed to drink as much cold water as we sold to those watching the parade in the hot sun.
When the morning was over and the spectators had quickly left for cooler locations, we packed up the gear and counted the money we made.
At the parade, we basically break even - barely covering the cost of being there.
This begs the question, if we don't make much money at these events, why should we go through all the trouble of doing it?Wouldn't we make more money if we used our resources towards activities that would give us a better return on our investment? Fundraising is a good thing; however, money is only one of the tools we use to help change our community for the better.
There is much more to an organization's activities than just raising money.
Here are three reasons groups should have public events: 1.
Fundraising:As I said earlier, money is a tool and the more money we have, the greater the benefit we can bring to our community.
2.
Public Relations:People need to know that your organization exists and what you stand for.
Getting out into the public gives the public firsthand experience learning what you do and what kind of people make up your membership.
The most powerful recruiting tool is talking face-to-face with a prospective member.
3.
Team Building:The reason organizations can be so effective in their community are the bonds the members have developed working alongside each other.
When you can call a fellow member a friend, you are more likely to give that little bit extra when completing a task together.
Events allow members to build bonds of friendship and trust.
Sometimes, counting the amount of money you took in during an organizational activity is not the best measure of success.
Club activities not only raise money, they also raise the visibility of your organization in the community.
Also, working shoulder-to-shoulder builds bonds of friendship and understanding between members.
If an event your club undertakes does well in any of these categories, it can most certainly be called a success.
You may reprint this copywrited material only if the below information is also included:
About 20 of us spent the morning setting up our hotdog stand, grilling, and selling cold water.
Unlike earlier Lions activities, this particular 4th was extremely hot.
The Lions working the stand seemed to drink as much cold water as we sold to those watching the parade in the hot sun.
When the morning was over and the spectators had quickly left for cooler locations, we packed up the gear and counted the money we made.
At the parade, we basically break even - barely covering the cost of being there.
This begs the question, if we don't make much money at these events, why should we go through all the trouble of doing it?Wouldn't we make more money if we used our resources towards activities that would give us a better return on our investment? Fundraising is a good thing; however, money is only one of the tools we use to help change our community for the better.
There is much more to an organization's activities than just raising money.
Here are three reasons groups should have public events: 1.
Fundraising:As I said earlier, money is a tool and the more money we have, the greater the benefit we can bring to our community.
2.
Public Relations:People need to know that your organization exists and what you stand for.
Getting out into the public gives the public firsthand experience learning what you do and what kind of people make up your membership.
The most powerful recruiting tool is talking face-to-face with a prospective member.
3.
Team Building:The reason organizations can be so effective in their community are the bonds the members have developed working alongside each other.
When you can call a fellow member a friend, you are more likely to give that little bit extra when completing a task together.
Events allow members to build bonds of friendship and trust.
Sometimes, counting the amount of money you took in during an organizational activity is not the best measure of success.
Club activities not only raise money, they also raise the visibility of your organization in the community.
Also, working shoulder-to-shoulder builds bonds of friendship and understanding between members.
If an event your club undertakes does well in any of these categories, it can most certainly be called a success.
You may reprint this copywrited material only if the below information is also included:
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