by David Chapman
Staff Writer
Golf tournaments, silent auctions and sit-down meals might still draw crowds together for a common benefit, but many nonprofit officials have started thinking outside the box to garner attention. And raise much needed revenue for their causes.
Rena Coughlin, president and CEO of the Nonprofit Center of Northeast Florida, said she’s seen several different strategies lately.
“Yes, they are,” she said. “Nonprofits are pressed very much to find sustainable revenue, let alone revenue to grow.”
The decline in the economy has affected corporate and personal giving overall, she said, so it’s up to officials to make something happen — and they are.
“Folks are getting creative,” she said. “They’re trying new things.”
Some — like the local chapter of the National MS Society — are getting down and dirty with their ideas.
In February, the organization held its first “MS Mud Run,” a challenging and muddy 10K obstacle course-style recreational event that attracted almost 1,000 people in addition to the 1,000 that came to just witness the boot camp spectacle at Cecil Commerce Center. The entry fee was $40 a person, with participants charged to raise a minimum of $100 more for the nonprofit.
“It was one of the most amazing experiences,” said Jennifer Lee, president of the local MS Society chapter.
Lee said one of the chapter’s board members pitched the event after seeing a similar event run in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area. A staff was assigned to the project, and though Lee had subdued expectations heading into the event (“It was such a crazy concept,” she said) she couldn’t believe what she saw.
“I wasn’t sure how people would react or get on board at first,” she said. “But I was blown out of the water by the turnout and participation.”
The event raised $125,000 and was a hot topic among military, fire and police personnel who participated as well as area residents. Since the event, the organization has received many phone calls each week inquiring about the next event.
Work on the next Mud Run is underway, with registration opening next week for the March 2010 event, one that Lee expects to be even more successful. Word from the first has spread and a stronger marketing focus, she believes, will help raise even more money this year.
“We didn’t really concentrate on the fundraising part (last year),” said Lee. “Most people raised the minimum ... we have high hopes.”
Another local nonprofit recently wrapped up one of its newer fundraising events, but participants didn’t have to get dirty — all they had to do was listen.
The Tom Coughlin Jay Fund, created by the former Jaguars head coach to assist families with children affected by cancer, held its second radiothon to raise funds with an assist from local sports station AM-1010.
The station devoted segments of each program to rallying for the cause and combined with hot-item auction items — like several pairs of tickets to Saturday’s Florida-Georgia game — raised just more than $40,000 over a two-day period.
The sports-loving community as a whole and time of year both played a factor in the timing of the fundraiser, said Jay Fund Executive Director Keli Coughlin, Tom Coughlin’s daughter.
“We knew we wanted to do it during football season with more people listening,” she said.
Station manager Steve Griffin again offered the airwaves to promote the cause, Coughlin said, but this year — like with the MS Mud Run — much more time was spent putting the event together. Last year’s promotion, the first, raised around $15,000.
Even nonevent events like the Bridge of Northeast Florida’s “Phantom Ball” are successful because they’re different, said Coughlin. Invitations for the organization’s fundraiser allow participants to purchase a seat but purposely — and acceptably — not show up.
“With as many events that nonprofits put on each year, it can be a time strain on some people,” said Coughlin. “A lot of folks are over-evented.”
An event like the Phantom Ball, she said, allow people to donate while still feeling a part of the fun, all while being able to file the entire donation as tax deductible by not attending.
Not attending is an option for some events, but allowing fundraising participants to do things at their leisure — while saving some money in the process — is another option that’s working for one nonprofit.
Dreams Come True is in the midst of its next “Partners for Dreams” promotion that lets participants purchase a $50 Partners card good toward a 20 percent discount at more than 300 local merchants from Nov. 6–15.
“It’s not a black-tie event, not a golf tournament,” said Lauren Weedon Hopkins, Dreams Come True director of development. “It’s nice because a person can make the donation and go out on their own time.”
It’s grown in partnerships and sales each year, with last year resulting in 850 cards sold and netting around $56,000, said Weedon Hopkins. The hope this year is for around 1,000 cards sold.
“It’s been a great way for businesses to get exposure and for people to save, especially during the upcoming holiday season,” she said.
The creativity used by nonprofit officials is something Coughlin expects to see more and more of in the future. It’s working and the landscape of attracting donors has changed just as much as the shift in the economy.
“There will always be a place for golf tournaments and dinners as a means,” said Coughlin. “They are effective and do
help build allegiance for a cause. But, I think the economy may have changed things for good ... for nonprofits, they’re trying things and it’s a brave new world.”
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