Grassroots and Events

I’m going to make it a priority that every event I run includes a junior staffer that can answer the door, take coats, pass out nametags, and watch for overall event logistics. These tasks are essential to the proper welcoming of every guest, but it can take a significant period of time at each event. If an event starts at 6 pm, I find guests won’t often arrive until 6:45, right about the time the program is about to begin. After the program is finished, a slow trickle of guests starts to flow out the door. I have always enjoyed greeting guests as they arrive and taking a few minutes to say hello and making sure they feel welcome.

But staying by the door means my conversations can only last so long. As you well know, there are a lot of important conversations and interactions that happen at these kinds of events. Often we will come into an event wanting to have a couple of specific conversations with guests and this is really hard to do if you are coordinating event logistics.

Including a junior staffer provides you a number of additional advantages. This staff member can remind volunteers and individuals participating in the program of any last minute changes. Sometimes there are components of the takeaway packet that this individual can help put together. They can also be great for snapping some photos.

What techniques do you use on the day of the event? Another approach I’ve used if there are a handful of staff at an event is to take turns being assigned to the door or working on a component of event logistics.

Related posts:

1. Volunteer, Staff, to Guest Ratios
2. Intentionally Connecting With Your Guests
3. Eyes on the Party
4. A Few Event Rules
5. Question: Who Asks for Money?

At your events, the most important thing you can do is connect with your guests. Attendees come to the event from many different places, some are already close to the organizations, some are just trying it out for the first time, and then there is everyone in between. I find it really easy to get lost in a good conversation and then miss an opportunity to meet someone new or connect in a deeper way with a guest still learning more about the organization.

Especially when you have an event that is well attended, it is important that staff and key volunteers can come into an event with a couple of assignments. Assign two or three names of guests to each internal attendee before the event. It’s a good idea to do a little bit of research beforehand that will help staff get a conversation started. Let them know the names of the people you want them to connect with and give them a little fact about those guests such as where they work or if they are a part of rotary. Sometimes those little facts are a great way to start a conversation.

This way you can focus on a couple of key actions yourself and you know that every guest will be taken care of. Circle back with each internal player after the event and ask them how their conversations were. This reinforces the value of the internal individual as well as allowing you to capture some valuable information on the attendees after the event. If your guests receive a take-away packet or are considering making a gift, you now have a person who can naturally follow up with them.

Related posts:

1. Staffing Your Events
2. Party with your Host’s Friends
3. A Few Event Rules
4. Eyes on the Party
5. Volunteer, Staff, to Guest Ratios

My boss knows her food and has provided me a number of tips that have helped me as I’ve developed menus for my events. Here is a checklist I go through when ordering food. This has helped keep the food at our events diverse and relevant to a large group of people.

• Have both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes.
• Chicken is a great option, but make sure every dish is not chicken.
• Don’t let all your vegetarian options be only cheese options. Often the standard vegetarian dish is a meat dish with cheese replacing the meat.
• The standard vegan dish is often grilled vegetables.
• Make sure to have something for your vegan guests. Grilled vegetables are a great fallback if you cannot come up with other options.
• Try and have both healthy and unhealthy options. For example, don’t only have greasy fried foods, but also have some fruit and other options. Also, try to make your healthy options more exciting than just fruit or vegetables a la carte.
• Think about the colors and textures of all of your dishes. Are you going to have 3 dips that are all the same color? Do you have all red food? Try to mix it up.
• Serving something on a cracker can make a great appetizer, but don’t let all your appetizers be different things on crackers or bread. Add some satays or dips.

Related posts:

1. Tuna or Caviar?
2. Eat Well – Give Well
3. A Few Event Rules
4. Designing Your Event
5. Question: Building Community

Many fundraisers are fuzzy on the rules of email solicitations. Nonprofits seem to receive a little grace with people regarding how we use and reuse our email lists. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t know the rules. By following the rules, you can make sure that your email blasts do not start to become SPAM and that you can build trust and accountability with your donors.

The law governing mass emailing is often referred to as CAN-SPAM Act of 2003. This act regulates legal use of unsolicited email. Although this law was written for businesses, it does apply to nonprofit organizations. The Federal Trade Commission does not have jurisdiction over individual nonprofits, but the state attorney general and individual Internet Service Providers (ISP) can enforce the law. Fines can be levied that are as high as $16,000 per individual illegal email sent. Local ISP’s have a vested interest in enforcing this law as they can be liable if their clients break them. Here are a few key points:

• The spirit of the law intends for all email to be clear about what its purpose is and from whom it is coming.
• Email should come from a legitimate and active email address. Each recipient should be able to reply to a clearly identified sender or organization email that is visible and identifiable in the “From” section of the email.
• The body of the unsolicited message should have a physical mailing address for your organization.
• The subject line of the email should be clear about the content of the body of the email. There is a lot of wiggle room. However, if your email is an advisement, it must be identified as such.
• There must be a method for an individual to opt-out of future emails. Their request must be granted within 10 days and they must remain off your mailing list for a minimum of 30 days (I would recommend you take them off your list permanently unless they otherwise designate).
• This law applies to more than just bulk email: “any electronic mail message the primary purpose of which is the commercial advertisement or promotion of a commercial product or service.”
• If you hire another company to handle your mass emails, you are still liable.

For more information on the law check out these articles:

• What’s in an Opt In
• Staying on the Email Up and Up CAN SPAM
• The CAN-SPAM Act

Related posts:

1. Clarity of Message
2. Email Merge Secret
3. A Few Event Rules
4. Mr. Formal or Informal