Project Sales- Donations of a different kind
Project sales offer an opportunity for additional contributions for every Non-Profit in the communities they serve. Simply stated, project sales are gifts that support the annual budget, where the donor stipulates the purpose for which the gift is used.
Project sales gifts can be paid in one of two ways: ―designated gifts or gift in kind.
Here’s how it works.
The charity or non-profit organization can identify specific items or programs in the annual budget that may be attractive to donors for underwriting. This could be an ongoing program like emerging markets outreach or a specific program, such as After School Care for underprivileged children, hot meals for the homeless or shooting sports at a summer camp. The donor is approached with a simple proposal that outlines the budget for the program and the cost of underwriting. The donor makes a contribution to the Non-Profit for the amount asked, and it is recorded as a project sale with cash as the form of payment. This practice could be extended to cover the purchase of program supplies, staff salaries, or other tangible, definable items.
Similarly, an organization might list regularly purchased and necessary items to serve its mission. The list might include office supplies, program equipment, audiovisual equipment, food for camp and hundreds of other hard items. In many cases, a potential donor may be in a better position to give the needed item to the charity rather than the funds to purchase the item. Non-Profits particularly need to take care to describe the items needed to avoid becoming a dumping ground for junk. However, a significant number of organizations successfully receive gifts that directly offset their budget. In the case of a gift–in–kind, the contribution is recorded as a project sale and the form of payment is gift–in–kind. When
Completing this process in the fundraising software, an offsetting expense account is credited to record both income and expense at the same time. An offsetting journal entry is required.
So think of that donor that could provide the items and offset the need for you to pay for them. That money can now be used elsewhere. If you would like a copy of a typical project sales manual to review then visit www.austinauctioneer.com and drop us an E-mail.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Make No Mistake- Women are in Charge
Women have always been a central demographic for charitable events. The fact is that Women play a more dominant role in planning and participating in charity events than do their male counterparts.
How do we know this is true? Over 80% of respondents to a recent study by the New York Based Charity Happenings.org were women. This fact might not sound significant on its own, but it fits with something that Charity Happenings.org as well as SR Custom Events & Auctions notice all the time while interacting with the gala community in Central Texas.
An overwhelming number of responses (91.7%) came from event goers age 50 and under, with the Majority being women born between 1981-1985. You can download the entire report at www.charityhappenings.org. if you would like to read more.
This matches with our experience here in Texas. Women tend to not only be the Gala Chairs, but the driving force behind the event itself, making the key decisions on Catering, Auction Items, Venue and Ticket Price as well as many other details. Also women tend to me more philanthropic in nature and have a strong sense of whether an organization fits in with their value system. This holds true whether a woman works hard as a homemaker or is career oriented. As a result a woman tends to be more aggressive in Auction item and Sponsor solicitation and filling those tables with affluent and influential friends and associates.
It goes without saying that if you want to maximize the potential of any Fundraising event or campaign you have to consider your primary community and market. An example would be a Sporting Clay shoot that should be marketed to men between the ages of 35-55 who are hunters and sportsmen.
If you are planning an event that is more informal and one that would be held at bars and clubs it should be an event that a young, up-and-coming, professional woman age 24 to 28 would love to attend, BUT it should also be one that a man would not mind accompanying her to, so bear that in mind when scheduling the “Hana Floral Design Show” on a Saturday night during Football season.
A high dollar admission Black Tie Gala should likewise be scheduled and marketed to the Professional Woman who has a sense that she has arrived or is close to doing so. She should want to have her hair and makeup professionally done, get the latest Zac Posen dress and show off a little.
So how can you use this information?- Three Tips:
1. What kind of Gala or event are you planning? Look for members of your committee that fit the model stated above and are “Influencers” in the community so they can get people to your event. An “Influencer” is someone everyone wants to be like and around. Christo and Jean-Claude, Anita Perry and Susan Dell are all “Influencers. Who are your local “Influencers?”
2. Try not to overlap. Remember that most metropolitan areas have many active charities whose events frequently overlap one other. In Central Texas it is not uncommon to have 4 or more events taking place on the same spring evening (late January to early May is “prime spring season” for charity events). Be sure to consult a charitable events calendar at CharityHappenings.org, The Austin Chronicle or in the Austin American Statesman before scheduling your event. You do not want to make the “Infuencers” have to choose one event over another.
3. Recruit your committee now. If you just had your Gala, get ahead of the curve and get the key people on your side and committed to your event. Don’t wait, because the ‘Widget Foundation” surely has them in their sites and you need to get them first.
Women are in charge. Men (Smart men) have known this for a long time. Get them on your side and watch your event soar.
Note: This blog post was written using some information from The 2010 Charity Event Market Research Report- Charity Happenings.org LLC ( 800)-610-8587- www.charityhappenings.org and the personal experiences of SR Custom Events & Auctions- www.austinauctioneer.com
How do we know this is true? Over 80% of respondents to a recent study by the New York Based Charity Happenings.org were women. This fact might not sound significant on its own, but it fits with something that Charity Happenings.org as well as SR Custom Events & Auctions notice all the time while interacting with the gala community in Central Texas.
An overwhelming number of responses (91.7%) came from event goers age 50 and under, with the Majority being women born between 1981-1985. You can download the entire report at www.charityhappenings.org. if you would like to read more.
This matches with our experience here in Texas. Women tend to not only be the Gala Chairs, but the driving force behind the event itself, making the key decisions on Catering, Auction Items, Venue and Ticket Price as well as many other details. Also women tend to me more philanthropic in nature and have a strong sense of whether an organization fits in with their value system. This holds true whether a woman works hard as a homemaker or is career oriented. As a result a woman tends to be more aggressive in Auction item and Sponsor solicitation and filling those tables with affluent and influential friends and associates.
It goes without saying that if you want to maximize the potential of any Fundraising event or campaign you have to consider your primary community and market. An example would be a Sporting Clay shoot that should be marketed to men between the ages of 35-55 who are hunters and sportsmen.
If you are planning an event that is more informal and one that would be held at bars and clubs it should be an event that a young, up-and-coming, professional woman age 24 to 28 would love to attend, BUT it should also be one that a man would not mind accompanying her to, so bear that in mind when scheduling the “Hana Floral Design Show” on a Saturday night during Football season.
A high dollar admission Black Tie Gala should likewise be scheduled and marketed to the Professional Woman who has a sense that she has arrived or is close to doing so. She should want to have her hair and makeup professionally done, get the latest Zac Posen dress and show off a little.
So how can you use this information?- Three Tips:
1. What kind of Gala or event are you planning? Look for members of your committee that fit the model stated above and are “Influencers” in the community so they can get people to your event. An “Influencer” is someone everyone wants to be like and around. Christo and Jean-Claude, Anita Perry and Susan Dell are all “Influencers. Who are your local “Influencers?”
2. Try not to overlap. Remember that most metropolitan areas have many active charities whose events frequently overlap one other. In Central Texas it is not uncommon to have 4 or more events taking place on the same spring evening (late January to early May is “prime spring season” for charity events). Be sure to consult a charitable events calendar at CharityHappenings.org, The Austin Chronicle or in the Austin American Statesman before scheduling your event. You do not want to make the “Infuencers” have to choose one event over another.
3. Recruit your committee now. If you just had your Gala, get ahead of the curve and get the key people on your side and committed to your event. Don’t wait, because the ‘Widget Foundation” surely has them in their sites and you need to get them first.
Women are in charge. Men (Smart men) have known this for a long time. Get them on your side and watch your event soar.
Note: This blog post was written using some information from The 2010 Charity Event Market Research Report- Charity Happenings.org LLC ( 800)-610-8587- www.charityhappenings.org and the personal experiences of SR Custom Events & Auctions- www.austinauctioneer.com
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
