"Todo, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore," Dorothy whispered to her dog when she realized OZ was a shade different than the rolling wheat fields of home. Everything was strange, unfamiliar, and a little intimidating. I couldn't help thinking about Dorothy as I listened to my colleagues discuss their fundraising programs. The occasion was a gathering of development professionals from across the nation. No one in the room had less than ten years of fundraising experience, so this was a very experienced group. For over an hour I heard these seasoned professionals discuss: statistical data derived from controlled focus groups, demographics generated from marketing surveys, and percentage of return from rented mailing lists. This was all very serious stuff; the mark of true fundraising professionals competing for dollars in a highly competitive world. But like Dorothy looking at Oz for the first time I was a little dazed and confused at the discussion. Fundraising had been reduced to numbers, charts, and faceless data. Something was missing and I couldn't understand what.

One of the participants in the room was surprisingly quiet throughout the discussion. When her time came to describe her program she reached into her leather folder and pulled out photographs of smiling people. No computer generated printouts, no statistical data or financial spread-sheets, just photographs. There were people in colorful party hats grinning into the camera, others were wearing tuxedos and elegant formal gowns. There were people dancing and strolling around the manicured lawns of a lovely ante-bellum Southern mansion, and all were apparently having fun. Karen Crown, Director of the Hunter Blood Center Foundation in Clearwater, Florida, explained, "We raise over $100,000 a year just on special events because they're fun!"

What a radical thinker! For years I've been a part of a growing majority moving further and further away from special events. I rationalized they are too time-consuming, too labor-intensive and really don't raise very much money. I've heard this same litany at numerous state and national fundraising conventions and from the mouths of other seasoned professionals who have moved on to more lucrative forms of fundraising activities. I forgot how exciting and important special events can be for an organization.

In my early years of fundraising I conduced dozens of special events including, ice cream socials, golf and tennis tournaments, formal balls and art shows. All of those events accomplished five things: 1. They added visibility to our organization. 2. They opened doors to new donors and funding sources. 3. They increased the size of the donor base. 4. They involved our staff and volunteers. 5. They raised money.

Pulling my phone directory from a desk drawer, I began calling colleagues who were conducting successful events. The question I wanted to answer was, Why? Why were they still conducting special events when so many other fundraising programs were concentrating on planned giving and extensive mailing programs?

"Organizations are making a big mistake if they don't have special events," commented Karen Crown. "The visibility alone is worth the effort. People talk about the event, which means they're talking about your cause. You and your mission become a topic of conversation. People get to know you and get to know about your organization. The thing I really love about special events is you create the opportunity to meet your constituency. You get to know who they are, who their friends are, and that alone is reason enough for a special event."

Byron Healy, President of the Board of Trustees of the Sun Health Foundation in Sun City, Arizona agrees. His foundation conducts golf tournaments, variety shows and cruises that generate over $250,000 each year. "The true value of a special event is not the money it brings in, but the community visibility it generates. Special events acquaint the community with your organization, and once they know you, they're more likely to support you monetarily in other fundraising efforts."

Alfrede N. Edwards, Special Events Planning Consultant, in Washington DC also agrees. "The benefit of having a special event is it brings to your organization, your cause, your particular focus -- visibility. You can approach your community, and potential supporters, with something to offer, something that will generate visibility. A special event is a win-win situation for both the organization and for the corporate sponsor. Each receives their fair share of visibility."

"Special events open doors," explained Cille Swaback, General Chairman of the Scottsdale Memorial Hospital Honor Ball, in Scottsdale, Arizona. "Our event hosted 628 guests and generated $130,000 in profits. New funding sources was one of the reasons it was so successful. I found there were some major corporations who wanted to be involved with our event, actually hands-on involved. They wanted to participate, as well as give money. It was real important to them to be involved with the community programs that were being supported. I'm sure they will stay actively involved in the future."

Bryon Healy had a similar experience. "When we set up our first golf tournament we approached a local country club to conduct the event. They were very cold to the idea. But over a period of time we sold them on the concept that the tournament was a good way for them to give something back to the community. They finally bought the idea. Before the actual event took place their players got involved and helped us coordinate the event. Now we have successful golf tournaments with three different country clubs. In every case members of the club gradually become associated with and supportive of our organization."

"If a charitable organizations isn't conducting special events they're missing out on the public relations, and donor building that will help their organizations grow," commented Karen Crown. "They're also missing out on developing a donor base that will continue to grow year after year. When someone comes to your special event and has a great time, they will be more likely to attend again and reply favorably to an end-of-the-year mailing. Special events are a donor-identifying, cultivating and building activity."

Every special event has the potential of adding individuals and corporations to your donor base -- people and companies who can be cultivated for future gifts.

"Our current donor base is just over 6,000," explained Karen Crown. "Not huge when you compare it to other organizations, but they're very loyal. Every time we conduct an event we add new, involved, and motivated people to that list. That's one of the really exciting aspects of conducting special events. We make sure our events are fun! You gather a group of new people together to form the steering committee, then through time they become your friends and supporters. That committee also provides an opportunity for major gifts down the line. The special event also creates something unique in the community. It brings a sense of creativeness to the community that people enjoy being a part of. I truly believe special events give you the opportunity to make a great many new friends."

"Board members must take an active role in the special event. Their support, dedication and their knowledge of the community is of vital importance to the success of an event," explained Cille Swaback. "Special events are certainly time-consuming, but they have to be if you want the event to be successful. By involving the board and staff members we generate a feeling of family. Everyone benefits because we're all working together for the cause."

Karen Crown couldn't agree more. "My board gets involved because we make it fun. They enjoy the excitement and I believe it makes them feel needed and important. I work very hard to get each member of the board involved with the event. There are many jobs to be filled and who better to fill them than knowledgeable and dedicated board members. I literally involve our staff and board members at all levels of the event from committee chairperson to greeters at the door."

"Having a successful event means building visibility, acquainting more people with the organization and of course raising money," commented Byron Healy. "However, in my opinion, money tends to follow visibility and community involvement. Don't get me wrong, raising needed dollars is vitally important, and a successful bottom line after an event is critical. But just because the bottom line of an event isn't terrific the first time, is not a good reason to give up on it. Special events sometimes take two or three years to become successful. Visibility of your organization is harder to quantify than dollars raised, but it's actually worth gold to your cause."

Do special events raise money? Absolutely. The successful events developed and executed by the organizations mentioned in this article attest to that. Of course there are many other examples, including: St. Francis Hospital in Roslyn, New York who raised $1.6 million from a dinner dance, Samaritan Foundation in Phoenix raised $350,000 in 1994 on their LPGA Samaritan Turquoise Golf Tournament, and the Cleveland Orchestra raises over $500,000 each year on special events. The list could go on and on.

Competition for philanthropic dollars is becoming more fierce. Perhaps statistical analysis of our donor base is warranted, as well as spread-sheets, demographic studies and focus-groups. All of these information gathering methods have purpose and value to the fundraiser. However, should special events, the most basic of all fundraising methods, be relegated to the very bottom of the fundraising activity list?

All Dorothy wanted to do was go back to Kansas. It turned out to be as simple as tapping her heals together and saying, "There's no place like home." Karen Crown summed up special events by saying, "Special events are like going home. The guests who attend special events should be treated like family. The event should be fun, comfortable and should make people want to come back again and again."

Pros:

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