Fundraising Event: Welcome To My Place

A Lakeside Fundraiser

One key to having a successful fundraising event is creating the right win-win for sponsors, donors and attendees. The win for each sponsor or donor is typically different, whether that is to receive program recognition, exposing their company to attendees through signage, receiving an event tickets, goody bag inclusion, or to use as a tax write off. It is important they get something in return for giving money or donating their time and resources to the cause as well as being sure all attendees, volunteers, hosts, donors, sponsors and media leave saying WOW! that was an awesome event.

In November, I was hired by a well-known businessman to create an event raising funds for a family, and friend of his, that had fallen on hard times. Since people love to attend events hosted at the homes of the "rich and famous" or at least someone with a local celebrity status, I convinced him and his wife (God bless her!) to host an evening house/backyard VIP party at their lake home. The casual Sunday evening event featured live musicians, food stations, open bar, silent auction, live auction and there was a "$30 donation" at the door. The evening event was combined with a golf event held earlier in the day and hosted by Bay Hill Country Club (the golf fee included an evening event ticket).

For part of the silent auction, a contracted company set up signed celebrity and collectible items where they received a small percentage of what was bought. In addition, for the silent and live auction, a volunteer team and I contacted companies to secure unique items such as: a gourmet dog basket; spa packages; a kitten and a puppy with vet exam and all shots; attraction tickets with behind-the-scene tours; hotel packages to New York (including charter flight), Tampa, Tahoe, Las Vegas and Hawaii; golf rounds with dinner; bathroom vanity; exterior home lighting; packaged restaurant gift certificates; custom jewelry; candle/spa baskets; health packages; a gently used ski boat; Diva Shopping Tour; car wash/waxes; and more items that people want for themselves.

Since there really wasn't a budget, so to speak, vendors, friends and family volunteered and/or donated their services including: security (Eddie and Dee Love); check-in; live auctioneer; bartenders (Lindsey Mackail); food stations (Winter Garden Pizza, The Crepe Cart Company, Timpano's, Gator's Dockside); valet parkers (John Chipps); dance floor, a huge glowing bar and high tops (Dennis Clegg); beer and wine (Florida Beer Company and Lakeridge Winery); fire pits; black Frisbees covered with magnolia leaves for floating candles in the pool (Sherry Martin); live auctioneer (Lori Chipps); borrowed coolers and trashcans (neighbors); money collection (John Kelly); photography (Keith Lambert); videography (Nathan Weatherford); and way more people helped out than I can list.

We could not get everything donated, so there were a few hard costs that were taken out of event profits, most of which were negotiable. Those included: my event management fee (deeply discounted because it was a cause I supported in a big way); rented glassware $150; ice delivery $150; professional musicians $500 (discounted being a Sunday night); 25 rented pieces of white leather furniture $1,800 (at cost because Cort Furniture Rental was a sponsor otherwise would have been $7,500); clear plastic plates, napkins, utensils $100; rented 10-4'x8' tables and linens $250; 20 tiki torches and oil $100 (the host bought and kept for future parties); fire pit wood $75; and 2 teenage boys were each paid $50 for 10 hours work to set up and take down.

The wife of the family, benefitting from the event, made a last minute decision to attend and unexpectedly asked to speak just before the live auction. As she took the microphone, her voice began to shake. We had never met before that night, but I knew their story and felt like she needed someone to stand beside her. So, I casually moved on the stage and put my right arm around her. My intention was to be there for moral support, but the longer she talked, she began to physically lean on me to hold her up. Her words brought tears to everyone as she humbly spoke amazing words of gratitude.

In theory, we tend to think people only donate to causes they champion, but a well-organized, themed event set in a unique location is a huge draw for attendees. Donors or sponsors just want to meet desired marketing or sales goals for future payback (in this case, their win was direct exposure to attendees). Combined with the golf outing, $60,000 was raised in one day for one family.

Invited guests came early, enjoyed food, sipped cocktails, danced, shopped and stayed way later than we ever expected on a Sunday night. It was hard work on my and the host's part, but we agreed it was very fulfilling. Everyone went home with a little less in their wallet, but with a bigger heart blessed by giving to a family in need.

If you want to be sure your event has WOW! contact me to discuss your needs at mmonte@hotmail.com or 407-341-9866.

(A special thanks to my mom, Sherry Martin, queen of Southern hospitality, an award-winning brownie chef, vendor coordinator and the best ever details activator as well as my friend and sidekick, Rhonda Murphy, the queen of fun, my timeline orchestrator and an awesome onsite coordinator. I could not have made this event successful without them!)

Twitter: Tweets Of Wisdom Part 1

Hello. Tweet tweet.

Twitter Communicates

Twitter has a very simplistic concept and this gives people a misconception that it doesn't take much time or dedication. But, like other tactics used to reach your customer base, including e-newsletters, brochures, news stories and for that matter even web content, it is a communication tool that has to have enough effort behind it, and using the right words for measurable success.

When I first set up my twitter account, I had no idea about hash tags, retweets, if I should manage who followed me…or not, how to get people to follow me, or many of the other functions surrounding twitter.
In addition to posting 140 words or less, there was the tracking, analyzing, evaluating and reporting if I wanted to monitor the ever so much sought return on investment. Especially, since I quickly learned that twitter could take up a lot of time.

Twitter Engages

Without a social media plan specifically tailored to achieve business goals, I can’t tell you how often or what to twitter. But, I can promise that effectively tweets can build your business if done right.

Three ads don’t make a successful advertising campaign. One news release without follow up pitches to media doesn’t usually result in many stories, and a tweet or two here or there doesn’t build your business.

Twitter can’t be done in five minutes a day with five “seemingly engaging” tweets. The key word here is engaging. This social media tool isn’t just about pretty pictures, bragging on how awesome your company or product is, and unless you are a celebrity, no one cares what you eat for lunch, when you get your nails done or your golf score. Twitter messages must be meaningful to your followers in a way that engages them to retweet your message, click on a link to learn more, become educated, or purchase your product or service.

Twitter Connects

Just like media relations, customer service and business networking, think of it like a connection. Done right, it is a tool that gives you direct communication and allows for interactive feedback with current and potential customers. As well, there are tools to measure metrics and return on investment to show how it works.

Social media can be a powerful and effective tool if you commit to it and use it correctly. Twitter is not for every business, but with a plan of tactics, twitter can play a part in achieving business goals. With a little time and patience, it is very effective and by using time-saving tools efficiently, “we” don’t have to be connected 24/7.

Twitter Works

If you want to know more about how to use twitter to build your business and tweet to your tweeple, contact me @ mmonte@hotmail.com or 407-341-9866!

Web SEO: Count your chicks, er...clicks before they hatch

Survey says...
...Put your SEO program into perspective!

A recent article by Rob Garner from iCrossing says his company just released a study on SERP (search engine results pages) click rates, indicating the sites surveyed received more than 95% of all their non-branded natural search traffic from page-one across all three major engines. The data included 8.9 million queries sampled over nine months, representing 10 enterprise-level Web sites in different diverse verticals.

According to the survey, when looking at all three search engines, SERP click rates were within a razor-thin margin from engine to engine. Google provided the highest average; with 95.8% coming from page one, compared to Yahoo at 95.2%, and Bing at an average of 95% (total average of 95.3%).

It also found that most travel sites had the highest percentage of non-branded page-one traffic at more than 97% and businesses that focused primarily on health and insurance had the lowest percentage of first-page traffic at 93%.

Out of the almost nine million searches surveyed, queries break out across three major engines as follows:

• More than 8.5 million non-branded natural clicks came from page one across all three engines
• 232,000 clicks came from page two
• 180,000 came from page three

When thinking of people searching for a site on the Internet, there is one key thing that puts your search engine optimization program into perspective: For first impressions and ultimate clicks, count your SEO chickens on the first page. 



 

Crisis Management: The Ambush Interview

A reporter sticks a microphone or camera in your face. What do you do?

Avoid these common mistakes:

1. Never ever say, "No comment."
2. Don't do the duck...i.e. acting like the reporter, camera or microphone are not there by continuing to go on about your business or leaving the area without saying a word.
3. Garbling an answer or blurting something out to satisfy the reporter quickly. In all likelyhood, even if you know your topic and the answers to their questions, you will look and/or sound ambushed and surprised.
4. Don't ask the reporter to call your office to schedule an appointment.
5. Don't say, "If you give me a list of your questions, I'll be happy to look at them and get back to you."

Keep in mind that the camera is rolling! Anything you say or anything you do can be put on TV! The only way a to engage with a reporter in this situation is the following:

1. The CEO should, stop, smile, look the reporter in the eyes (not at the camera).
2. Politely say, "Thanks for your interest in interviewing me. I would be more than happy to speak with you, but right now I am about to...step into a meeting, leave to pick up my child from school, file a report, meet with my staff, rehearse for an important presentation, etc. (something credible and real).
3. Now, let's set something up for (later this afternoon, this evening, or in the morning-the CEO inserts time of day to allow for prep time).
4. This way, we can sit down, and I can be sure to have plenty of time to answer all of your questions.
5. As well, I'll be happy to stop by your office/station if that is convenient or you may drop by my office."

Remember, a reporter is a person and they appreciate being directly spoken to and politeness counts! Never brush off a reporter! They have an assigned story to do and the CEO (good or bad) has a story to tell. How the ambush is handled can turn a story from bad to worse and bad to much better, maybe even decent.

As a spokesperson, you'd be surprised how many times they have asked me to stop by their station when I offered. Reporters are usually on a deadline and I have found that by offering to do the interview at their station, you are meeting them more than halfway when an interview is put off for a later time. Plus, sometimes it is in the company's best interest to not have reporters roaming around the office and an interview disrupting the workplace. By going to the station, the location is actually more neutral.

There is also something to the fact of the reporter/station playing host to the CEO vs. the other way around. As the host, the reporter may not be as agressive or "in-your-face" with questions...Note: May not...

So, the interview is set for later. Now what?

1. The CEO calls the communications team to advise them of the scheduled interview.
2. The PR person should call the reporter and ask, "If there are any specific questions or areas of interest for the interview because I may be able to provide backgrounders, bios, or fact sheets that will be helpful for the interview."
3. It is fine to email information to the reporter, especially if the background materials are technical or detailed in nature.
4. Staff gathers other appropriate information for the CEO including key messages, talking points, FAQs, backgrounders, fact sheets and answers to hard-hitting questions.
5. Then, if needed, the CEO has time to review the materials before the well-prepared and relaxed interview.

For more information about how to come across as a success on camera and nailing that interview, contact me to set up media training for your CEO, staff or key management.

Social Media: Santa Goes Viral

Suddenly Santa...flys on the World Wide Web...without the help of his reindeer.

Central Florida media outlets were invited to cover a sneak peak of Suddenly Santa, a “flash mob” video production being filmed today at the Winter Park Amtrak Station and in the surrounding park area. The script included an impromptu appearance by Santa along with hundreds of orchestral singers and choreographed dancers in a surprise performance to local cast members staged as families and tourists enjoying a day in the park. The joyous four-minute video, Suddenly Santa, was unleashed on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 26, 2009 at 2 a.m. on www.YouTube.com/SuddenlySanta.

Want to create your own viral video? Contact me and I will hook you up with all of Santa's elves, in this case it was volunteers, to fly around the world.

B-roll: More than pictures

B-Roll is video footage, with or without sound, used by broadcasters to supplement the main elements of a news story. In addition to the video, B-roll includes key images, copy and back-up material. It may include short quotes from spokespeople as well as sounds and images. It typically contains video without sound for broadcasters to select their own segment of the video for their story and they will match it with a voice over or on-screen explanation from the reporter or anchor.

For the most part, B-roll enhances, adds dimension or visually tells the story, but the origin of B-roll was footage shot that could cover an editing jump cut.

In the world of film and documentaries, B-roll is quite often thought of as back-up footage. For film, the producer uses the footage to edit together unconsecutively shot clips or scenes. This is done by changing from the A-roll to the B-roll while the audio from the A roll shot or another source plays under the B-roll. The footage allows the editor to cut back to footage, so that it appears as if the two scenes, visual and audio, were shot together as one piece.

In the context of news, B-roll has a different use. B-roll footage is provided to a broadcast news station to complement a story. It is shot in advance of the story that will run on the news. Producers set up the the provided visuals, but add their own or provided script from a news release or fact sheet and the reporter or anchor does the audio narration so the story appears like it was all done by the news station.

B-roll for news includes the picture stories followed by a series of soundbytes from spokespeople, people interviewed, sounds or "words from the man on the street". Each section of the video is introduced by what is know of as a slate. A slate is a black frame that runs for a few minutes before the B-roll footage is shown. The slate typically includes the title of the slate/segment, spokesperson's name and title, a short description of the footage and the the time the footage runs (usually in seconds).

When footage is provided in this format, editors and producers use the copy provided such as a suggested script, talking points, a fact sheet, a backgrounder or other important information to describe the story with the visual B-roll footage to backup the story for a segment in their news program.

Video publicity needs high-quality, timely, newsworthy footage to get the attention of news decision-makers. Broadcasters are likely to use B-roll of events with celebrities, action-packed stories, and new products or services.

B-roll works best when it is carefully and concisely edited. Accompanying interviews or sound bites always follow the B-roll footage.

Remember to always include a table of contents of slates, logo(s), graphic(s), photo(s) and the contact name and number on a slate at the end of B-roll.