What Fall Fundraising & Dinner Parties Have in Common

Growing up, one of my core memories was my mom hosting our family for fancy appetizers and a meal at our house after my annual spring dance recital. She would prepare bacon-wrapped prawns, little cucumber sandwiches, the whole nine yards. Those meals were a celebration of an entire year’s worth of dance classes, my parents schlepping me to dance class every Monday at 7 pm, me learning and memorizing all the routines, and so much more.  

As a kid, it was a meaningful way to invite my extended family to join in the celebration and support the hard work I had put in. For my parents, it was a time of pride, and for my extended family, it was a moment to connect and gather. 

But what does that have to do with fundraising? Well, fall and year-end fundraising are a lot like hosting a party. You’ve worked hard all year to fulfill your mission and make our world a better place to live, and now it’s time to invite people into that work and join you! And, you have the benefit of celebrating your work without the embarrassing costumes and stage makeup I had to endure as a child. 

With Give to the Max coming up (November 21), we’re about to host Minnesota’s biggest giving party of the year. So, how will you invite your audience to join?  

However you choose to run your fall and year-end fundraising campaigns, just be sure to invite others in. People want to support your work. They believe in what you’re doing, and they want to help! Whether you have fancy appetizers (aka a multi-channel flashy fundraising campaign), a potluck (aka peer-to-peer fundraising), or a casual backyard bonfire (aka a short email campaign during GTMD24), people will show up to your party.   

Your work is worth celebrating and supporting. Now go invite others to join you!