Training Manual | Chat Archives | Special Events 2/19/04

 

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Natalie: Well, then, why don't I start by talking about Chef's Table. It is an event that I began here in Savannahas a volunteer. Now it is the signature event for the food bank (and community kitchen) and raises a net of $150,000 in an evening.
Jane: Natalie, the events I wrote you about are put on by our local food bank. We have not been very successful with fundraisers, because they are so time-consuming. The biggest one we have put on is a beautiful cookbook that raised over $20,000.
 Brandon: I'm with Second Helpings in Indianapolis
Natalie: Hi Doug and Brandon. Brandon, what program are you from?
 Natalie: What don't you set the stage for us and talk about your fundraisers. How impressive. By the way are you going to make the call tomorrow at 2:00 PMyour time?
Natalie: However Jane is right. The keys to the success of the event are: well heeled volunteers who bring the guests who will bid $25,000 to have a Chef come and cook in their home. The second thing is to get as much of the dinner donated as possible. For instance, we get all of the champagne and wine donated.
Brandon: we have 5 compete with a mystery ingredient. Its a lot of fun.
 Brandon: We have restaurant patrons nominate their favorite chef. Then from all the nominations we select 10 to visit and have them prepare a dish. The event is much like the Iron Chef competition on the food channel.
Natalie: Chef's Table is a black-tie dinner and live auction of the participating Chefs. Each chef offers a package, and the packages that bring in the most money are when the Chefs offer to come to your home to cook for you and your friends.
Natalie: It took a lot of years to raise that amount of money from Chef's Table, but it is still all done with staff and volunteers. The first step was to recruit the help of the prominent chefs in the city. Brandon, I would like to hear about how your Iron Chef event.
 Brandon: We do the Indy's Iron Chef competition and Sunday Supper and silent auction. We raised about 75 thousand on this one event last year. Its an annual event.
Jane: Harvesters broke from A2H's Taste of the Nation and have their own called Forks and Corks. This event is one of the best in the city. They also have a Chefs Classic and a Golf Tournament all together raising about $300,000! But they have professionals and tons of volunteers.
Brandon: its 45 for the competition or 75 for both and the tables I think are going for $175 this year.
Jane: Forks and Corks sells tickets for $75 and last year had over 2000 participants, plus a silent auction and raffle for a car.
Brandon: We also sell tables where you can taste the items the chefs have prepared.
Natalie: Brandon, what do the tickets cost?
 
Natalie: Jane, it sounds like Harvesters has the special event arena tied up. Do you do any events?
Brandon: We sell admission tickets to the competition or a combination ticket for the competition and the meal afterwards.
Jane: Golf tournaments are very popular fundraisers in KC. There are over 300 of them.
Natalie: However Jane is right. The keys to the success of the event are: well heeled volunteers who bring the guests who will bid $25,000 to have a Chef come and cook in their home. The second thing is to get as much of the dinner donated as possible. For instance, we get all of the champagne and e donated.
Brandon: we have 5 compete with a mystery ingredient. Its a lot of fun.
 Brandon: We have restaruant patrons nominate their favorite chef. Then from all the nominations we select 10 to visit and have them prepare a dish. The event is much like the Iron Chef competiton on the food channel.
Natalie: Chef's Table is a black-tie dinner and live auction of the participating Chefs. Each chef offers a package, and the packages that bring in the most money are when the Chefs offer to come to your home to cook for you and your friends.
Natalie: It took a lot of years to raise that amount of money from Chef's Table, but it is still all done with staff and volunteers. The first step was to recruit the help of the prominent chefs in the city. Brandon, I would like to hear about how your Iron Chef event.
Natalie: Wow, has that been going on for a long time?
BevinIFFS: We really don't have anything on a Large scale in terms of major fund raising (maybe , why we are a small operation) and I'm hoping to get some ideas
Jane: Harvester's makes about $75,000 with their golf tournament
Natalie: Jane, do you know how much the Harvester golf tournament makes?
Jane: Forks and Corks is a spin off of Taste of the Nation. Restaurants and liquor distributors have tables and samples of their wares. The best restaurants are represented and each trie to outdo the other. It's pretty fabulous!
Natalie: Bevin, jump in with any special events you are currently doing. Has anyone planned a golf tournament. I hear that they are time consuming and it is hard to make money with them.
Natalie: That is interesting (the cost for the Chef's Classic). We charge $150 for Chef's Table, and I think we leave money on the table.
BevinIFFS: Hi
Jane: Harvester's Chef Classic sells tickets for 250 and table for 1500, I think
Natalie: What kind of event is forks and corks?
Brandon: its 45 for the competiton or 75 for both and the tables I think are going for $175 this year.
Natalie: Bevin, my guess is that you work to get as much donated as possible. Some golf courses will sponsor the event and minimize costs, some don't. I think that the secret is having someone connected do the negotiating.
BevinIFFS: Oog Wee, I guarantee! -sorry, couldn't help it
DOUGKARM: we have a golf tournament..we have to pay for use of the country club
Natalie: Having a celebrity is definitely one way to bring in money. At our first Chef's Table, we had Justin Wilson, and he helped to put the event on the map.
Jane: I don't know exactly, but I do know there are costs.
 BevinIFFS: For something like a golf tournament, is everything donated (food, greens usage, beverages, etc) or is there some cost involved?
Jane: I think at least ten years
Jane: It is the Dan Quissenbury, a deceased Royals player, Tounament. It brings in a lot of good golfers and has lots of corporate support,.
 Jane: There is another organization here in town that brings in rubber duck races. Each duck costs $5. They make a ton of money!
 DOUGKARM: teams paid to row and we had a contest for pledges
DOUGKARM: We tried a new event last year.  Dragon boat races..outfit brings in these long boats that teams row..had it conjunction with our cities labor day weekend we were pleased with the first year
Natalie: I also think that is important to have links to the upscale neighborhoods that like these type of events. For Chef's Table, the average attendee is from the Landing, a community of retired Yankees. The old Savannahsociety called them the "new rich" and they do like to compete with their checkbooks.
BevinIFFS: That's what I figured. It's not what you know, but who...
Jane: The Chef's Classic is held at the American Restaurant and they bring in famous chefs from all over the country, each preparing a course.

Natalie: So much depends on the size of the city too. It would be hard to raise $500,000 on anything here in Savannah.
Jane: Races are big here too. Some earn up to $500,000
Natalie: That sounds fun. I think that they have done that hear. I guess the secret is to get the car donated or raise enough money through ticket sales to cover the cost and make money for the event.
Jane: An organizing firm brings them in and there are large corporate sponsors. The person is given a number for the duck(s) they buy. The ducks are all dumped into the creek at the Plaza (a very upscale part of town) and the one crossing the finnish line first s. The prize is usually a new yellow VW.
DOUGKARM: we did $75,000 we actually had hoped for more but for a first time
Natalie: Can you raise significant money from these events? Or are they more friendraising events?
DOUGKARM: our deal with them was they got a fee for each rower we had the individual rower or company pay that we put nothign out even got publicity for free
BevinIFFS: How about cardboard boat races? Has anyone done on of those? They are silly, but a lot of fun
Natalie: I mean Doug, sorry
Natalie: I have heard about the rubber duck races. How does that work exactly? And Bevin, what were your costs for the Dragon boat races?
DOUGKARM: they are pretty ornate from the organizing outfit
Natalie: Dragon boat races! Do they decorate the boats.
Jane: There is another organization here in town that brings in rubber duck races. Each duck costs $5. They make a ton of money!
Natalie: Justin Wilson was a character. But you should have seen his wife. She was at least 30 years younger, but she guarded his interests like a hawk. We had to fly them in first class.
DOUGKARM: teams paid to row and we had a contest for pledges
Natalie: Bevin, my guess is that you work to get as much donated as possible. Some golf courses will sponsor the event and minimize costs, some don't. I think that the secret is having someone connected do the negotiating.
BevinIFFS: Oog Wee, I guarantee! -sorry, shouldn't help it
DOUGKARM: we have a golf tournament..we have to pay for use of the country club
Natalie: That sounds fun. I think that they have done that hear. I guess the secret is to get the car donated or raise enough money through ticket sales to cover the cost and make money for the event.
Jane: An organizing firm brings them in and there are large corporate sponsors. The person is given a number for the duck(s) they buy. The ducks are all dumped into the creek at the Plaza (a very upscale part of town) and the one crossing the finnish line first wins. The prize is usually a new yellow VW.
DOUGKARM: we did $75,000 we actually had hoped for more but for a first time
Natalie: Can you raise significant money from these events? Or are they more fundraising events?
DOUGKARM: our deal with them was they got a fee for each rower we had the individual rower or company pay that we put nothing out even got publicity for free
BevinIFFS: How about cardboard boat races? Has anyone done on of those? They are silly, but a lot of fun
Natalie: I mean Doug, sorry
Natalie: I have heard about the rubber duck races. How does that work exactly? And Bevin, what were your costs for the Dragon boat races?
DOUGKARM: they are pretty ornate from the organizing outfit
Natalie: Dragon boat races! Do they decorate the boats?
Jane: There is another organization here in town that brings in rubber duck races. Each duck costs $5. They make a ton of money!
Natalie: Justin Wilson was a character. But you should have seen his wife. She was at least 30 years younger, but she guarded his interests like a hawk. We had to fly them in first class.
DOUGKARM: teams paid to row and we had a contest for pledges
Jane: No it wasn't hard. The committee just over predicted. I think we could have sold more, but everyone burned out
BevinIFFS: These are some great ideas, thanks!
Natalie: I was wondering whether it was hard to sell cookbooks.
Jane: NO!!!! We did 10,000 and sold about 3000
Jane: Thanks! It's been fun
Natalie: Jane, are you going to do a reprint?
Jane: Yes, we just found about four pallets we thought we had lost and we are selling them at a greatly reduced rate. Marketing was getting it into local bookstore and specialty stores. We also had tasting at grocery stores and other attractions.
Natalie: It is now 4:42and time to begin wrapping up. With your permission, I am going to post some of your comments on the discussion board.
BevinIFFS: Some, but there is a lot of competition for that $
Natalie: Raleighis a great center of corporations isn't it? Do they donate a lot of money?