The Community Table. Susan Cole Urano

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       INTRODUCTION

      START WITH a purpose. All fundraising events are based on a great idea, but the decision to undertake the huge amount of work needed to succeed depends on why you do it. Is the cause something you care about? Does the fundraiser align with the mission and work of the organization? Does it have a compelling purpose? Events can be an important component of any nonprofit organization’s fundraising plan, especially if you are looking to build visibility and community. But they are also a lot of work and have the lowest return on investment of any fundraising strategy. This book details how to put on a successful event by highlighting your community’s assets and, on a deeper level, by considering how events can build and strengthen community, especially in small and midsize rural towns.

      Bounty on the Bricks was held to raise dollars to feed people. In our region of Appalachia, some people do not have the ability to feed their family on a regular basis and are increasingly dependent on food pantries. Many residents don’t have access to fresh food or possess the skills to prepare a meal from scratch.

      Athens County is the poorest county in the state of Ohio. Located in the northern part of the Central Appalachian region of the United States, the county faces many of the same challenges as counties in West Virginia, eastern Kentucky, Tennessee, western Virginia, and North Carolina. The region is still struggling with the costs of historic extraction industries: poor air and water quality, environmental decay, and long-term unemployment. Athens County is a hotbed of opioid and heroin addiction and suffers from their effects on families, babies, the workforce, and health and from the resulting increase in crime.

      Athens, a county of about sixty-six thousand people, is the most economically divided county in the state. About 20 percent of our residents and 30 percent of our children live at or below the poverty level. Almost one-third of the population is classified as food insecure; 61 percent do not have handy access to a grocery store.

      People are hungry throughout Athens County. In 2013, Feeding America reported approximately 21 percent of Athens County residents were struggling to obtain enough food to feed their family—compared to 15 percent in Ohio and 17 percent in the nation. That means almost 13,820 of our neighbors struggle to put meals on the table each day. The Ohio Association of Foodbanks estimates that food-pantry visits increased in the county by 66 percent between 2006 and 2014. Over half of Athens County children are currently eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, compared to 45 percent in Ohio, according to the National Center for Education. Because children move through the school system, their hunger is more visible than that of adults. More programs exist to feed children during the school year, but during breaks and over the summer, they lose access to this food.

      The first year of the fundraiser, a donor sponsored a screening of A Place at the Table, a film about hunger in the United States narrated by the actor Jeff Bridges. The public was invited to see the film the evening prior to the event. Ohio Foodbanks director Lisa Hamler Fugate spoke afterward and facilitated an audience discussion on feeding the hungry in Ohio.

      Event volunteer coordinator Liz shared, “I always like to do stuff for the community. I think seeing the movie the first year, A Place at the Table, really changed my perception about hunger and poverty. I have teacher friends who tell me about the kids that go hungry in their classrooms. I think it’s cool that everyone (on the committee) is so willing to help.”

      The food thread wove our mission of building a healthy, inclusive community into the idea of presenting a community meal, thereby raising funds for our region’s foodbank. We knew that the foodbank, which supplies over seventeen food pantries in seven counties, was a stable, effective, well-run organization. This gave us the confidence we needed to recommend that proceeds go to support its work. We listened to the staff’s expertise, and the foodbank became a strong partner. We worked closely with the staffs of our other partner foundations to identify and track their funding and to measure its effect on the community.

      Fundraisers and nonprofit leaders are always on the prowl for new ideas, new ways to engage donors and community. But this work is important to the health of a community in ways that go beyond the money generated. This book provides specific information on how to put on a successful fundraising event by highlighting community assets and, on a deeper level, considers how this work builds and strengthens the community.

      People who work at nonprofits, serve on nonprofit or religious boards, work as professional fundraisers and development staff, lead community change, belong to a community group, or work in philanthropy will benefit from this book. They will learn what is needed to mount a successful event, including when and why to put on a fundraiser, and when not to. Each chapter treats in detail and chronological order a key component in the process. Worksheets are included to help plan an event.

      Teamwork is the engine that drives the work of fundraising events. Chapter 1 begins with that engine: How should you choose your people? It describes whom you need to build a strong team of capable community leaders and where to find them. It shares the characteristics of a good team and shows how to build trust and confidence. Good teams develop over time. They solve problems and manage conflict in creative ways that respect all their voices. Their volunteers have fun and celebrate success together!

      Chapter 2 looks at the valuable role of volunteers in fundraising success. How do you ask people to give of their time when they are busy? Who is likely to say yes? СКАЧАТЬ