by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
What if you planned a fundraising gala, sent out hundreds of invitations and raised thousands of dollars . . . and nobody came?
That’s exactly what the Arthritis Foundation is hoping will happen at this year’s inaugural “Phantom Ball.”
Arthritis Foundation Special Events Coordinator Erin Pauls said the idea for an event that could raise money without requiring donors to get into their tuxedos and gowns and actually attend was inspired by two factors: the foundation wanted to come up with something completely different and people have so much to do during the holidays, a lot of them simply don’t have time to support another event in person no matter how important the cause might be.
An advantage for the foundation, she said, is that this type of project requires a lot less planning and expense than a traditional fundraiser.
“We had the invitations designed, printed and mailed within two weeks. For our annual gala in October, the program and invitations alone take a month to prepare and four to six months of planning go into it,” said Pauls. “We also don’t have to book a ballroom and pay for catering and that saves a lot of money. We think this may change fundraising.”
The foundation’s phones started ringing as soon as the invitations were delivered and Pauls said they are encouraged by the way people are responding. The response card says, “I would like NOT to attend the Phantom Ball by contributing.”
She added it’s also the first time the Arthritis Foundation has used a Web site to raise money for an event (www.phantomballjacksonvillekintera.org).
“Ideally, we’d like to build a reputation for doing different kinds of fundraisers,” said Pauls. “We’ll be on the TV-12 phone bank Dec. 12-14. It’s not a telethon, but a final push before the deadline. We think it will allow us to make some money before the end of the year.”
Pauls pointed out that arthritis affects one out of three people including 300,000 children and the foundation is exploring more ways to get its name out into the community and change the perception of the organization.
“We want people to know that we’re not a bunch of old people sitting around knitting,” she said.