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Non-Profit Fundraising Tips

August 10, 2012 Filed Under: Factual FAQs, Inspiring Ideas

During these difficult financial times, Non-profits struggle to meet an increased demand for their services while funding decreases. In honor of these essential community pillars, Vibrant Table has come up with a tip list to make your non-profit event dollars stretch further.

*   *   *

Attracting an audience

  • Research what else is happening in the community before setting a date. Portland Society Pages and Travel Portland offer comprehensive calendars on their sites. Ask your event planner friends to see if they know of any festivals or other happenings. Check the websites of any similar organizations and do a general internet search. You’re likely to conflict with something, but you can at least avoid conflicting with an event that will attract a large section of your target audience.
  • Keep an open mind about your event format. It’s ok to stray from the “standard” to keep your event fresh and attract new and future donors. Consider, for example, an after-auction party with reduced entrance fees, fun music, and a couple of drink tickets to get a younger demographic.
  • Entice registration with an attention-grabbing name that speaks to your audience, something like “Flash!”
  • Use social media to promote your event. It’s best to have an audience already established, so maintain a social media presence even during slow seasons. For large events, you may even consider creating a unique account. Network, network, network. Social media is SOCIAL; reach out to anyone and everyone you think may be interested in your event and cross-promote other events to spread good-will.
  • Add your event to Portland Society Page’s calendar. It’s FREE for non-profit organizations.

working with vendors

  • Don’t be afraid to pay a little more for experienced vendors. In the long run, they will save you more and might even help you raise more!
  • Hire a professional benefit auctioneer. They know how to work a crowd and will raise significantly more money than a staff member or volunteer.
  • Realistically share your budget to encourage a more efficient planning process. If your vendors know what they have, they will do their best to find ways to make it work. Plus, they may suggest ways to reduce costs that you haven’t thought of.
  • At meetings, be prepared to talk about what event elements are most important to your organization to help vendors identify the most appropriate cost-saving measures.
  • Offer your vendors sponsorship or promotional opportunities in exchange for discounts, such as ad space in your program, features on your website, or a verbal thank you in the greeting or closing.
  • Partner with vendors that have a strong social media presence. Ask them to promote your event. Provide them with all the necessary information (event dates, location, highlights,social media networks, hashtag, promotional images, logos etc.). The person you work with directly may not be the person managing the social media accounts.

choosing the Setting

  • Select a venue that includes the most services with the rental of the facility. Do they provide tables and chairs, discounted audio-visual services, dance floors, etc?
  • Ask about reduced rates for non-profit organizations.
  • Choose your date wisely. Venues are more likely to provide a discount for a mid-week day and off-peak seasons.

Feeding your guests

  • Limit your menu to reduce food costs. For example, serve your guests one entrée (with a vegetarian option) rather than two if providing a plated meal. For buffets, use smaller plates to reduce over-eating.
  • Is a local bakery willing to donate desserts or offer them at discounted rates? Talk to your caterer to make sure this is ok first.
  • Pass on the love. Ask your caterer about donating any left-over food to a local food bank.

Adding libations

  • To lower bar costs, offer a signature cocktail with beer and wine or limit the number of hosted beverages with drink tickets.
  • Contact local wineries and beverage distributors to see if they will donate their goods.
  •  Find venues and caterers that allow you to provide your own alcohol. Shop around for the lowest corkage fees.

Creating the look

  • Lighting will have the most impact on mood. Invest in lighting even if you do little else.
  • Select seasonal, local blooms and incorporate large focal flowers in simple ways. Consider floating dahlias in water-filled vases as a table centerpiece.
  • Can auction items be incorporated into the table displays? Not only will you save on vase rentals, a hand-made bowl filled with beautiful flowers is more exciting to take home.
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Our Vibrant Community

Vibrant Table is honored to work with dozens of local organizations every year, including:

  • Our House
  • Basic Rights Oregon
  • Three Rivers Conservancy
  • Columbia Land Trust
  • Oregon Humane Society
  • Cascade Aids Project
  • Salon Q
  • Friends of the Children
  • Oregon Ballet
  • Pacific Northwest College of Art
  • Northwest Academy

You Might Also Like

  • To research event venues in the Portland Metro Area
  • To find other event tips
  • To learn about some of the vendors we’ve had the pleasure to work with

Photo Credits

Thank you to the local event and wedding photographers who share their talent with us.

  • Evrim Icoz Photography: Attracting an Audience, Working with Vendors, Adding Libations
  • BMAC Studio: Choosing the Setting
  • Breathing Pictures: Feeding Your Guests

Recent Events: Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams

February 17, 2010 Filed Under: Catering Chronicles, Festive Fare, Soiree Spotlights

Last week’s Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams Signature Store grand opening was an absolute blast. Mayor Sam Adams assisted Bob Williams with the honors of cutting the ribbon. Lady Bunny, strutting her stuff in a hot mini dress and signature sky-high wig, energized the crowed with fun dance mixes. Even photographer Evrim Icoz and Vibrant Table Event Coordinator Karen Rich took a break to shake a leg. The opening also served as a fundraiser for Q-Center, a welcoming home for Portland’s LBGTQ community, and an example of  MG+BW’s commitment to many non-profit organizations that promote equality of all sorts.

With true Southern hospitality, MG+BW selected a generous menu of hip comfort finger-foods: bite-sized meatloaf with garlic mashed potatoes (I LOVE our meatloaf!), petite chicken pot pies, shots of tomato soup with gougère garnish (see below for full menu). Sweets included mini Voodoo doughnuts, customized heart cookies, mini icecream sandwiches and a self-serve hot-chocolate bar (yay, marshmallows!). Signature cocktails consisted of raspberry martinis, white sangria and Mitchelltini, 12-year Macallan “shaken passionately with ice and served frothy.”

Welcome to Portland Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams. We “heart” you too!

Photographs by Evrim Icoz.

Full Menu

The Savory

  • Vibrant Sliders
  • Fingerling Potatoes with Pepper Bacon, Sour Cream & Scallions
  • Pigs-in-a-Blanket
  • Mini Mac & Cheese
  • Petite Chicken Pot Pies
  • Mini Meat Loaf with Garlic Mashed Potatoes
  • Tomato Soup with Gougère Garnish
  • Pulled Pork Sandwiches
  • Chicken Dumplings

The Sweet

  • Miniature Ice Cream Sandwiches
  • Voodoo Doughnuts
  • Customized Heart Cookies
  • Coconut Snowballs
  • Hot Chocolate Bar




Vendor Profile: Eric Newland, Hybrid Moon Video

November 30, 2009 Filed Under: Bridal Boutique, Catering Chronicles, Vibrant Vendors

Vibrant Table has been lucky enough to work with Eric Newland from Hybrid Moon Video on a regular basis, and we are constantly astounded by his amazing work! Eric is the driving force behind Hybrid Moon Video Productions, a national award-winning creative multimedia company located in Northwest Portland.

Hybrid Moon produces and directs “Weddings Portland Style”, as well as creating wedding video packages for brides across the country. Their company also specializes in promotional creative work on a corporate level, and they have the distinction of owning Oregon’s only 1947 “Silver Wraith” Rolls Royce Limousine (available for rental for your events). Following his blog is a trip – the latest post is direct from New York’s Bridal Fashion Week!

We sat down with Eric to talk to him about his work in Portland, and it went a little something like this:

*   *   *

Q. How long have you been practicing your craft?
A. Since 1991

Q. Why did you choose videography?
A. Long story short: I cannot seeing myself doing anything but this. I love it!

Q. How did you get started doing video for special events?
A. After my search for a vendor to film our marriage in 1995, we realized how badly the market was in need of quality wedding videographers.

Q. Has anything significant changed in your field?
A. Everything has changed. First started with ANALOG tape to tape editing systems to HYBRID editing systems that were under computer control to todays modern NON-LINEAR edit computers. The look of a finished wedding video is so different from long ago!

Q. What/Who are your inspirations?
A. Alfred Hitchcock! My favorite quote from him is: “An edit is never finished, it is only abandoned”. Also, just sitting down and watching TV inspires me.

Q. What ideas, trends, etc. do you find exciting in the video industry currently?
A. I am pumped to see media delivery change… from the old days on VHS, to convergence to DVD, then Blu Ray and now in to the future being web delivered in High Definition!

Q. How long have you been a member of Portland event community?
A. Since I first started shooting wedding video. I am a rare Portland Native!

Q. In your opinion, is there something that makes Portland a unique place for events?
A. It’s great how compact Portland is compared to other spread-out, sprawled-out cities. The closeness makes it cool!

Q. What is your favorite event venue?
A. There really not just one facility that stands out… I do appreciate the downtown locations. I hate locations laden in dust and I can’t stand uneven ground. It’s always frustrating to see elderly guests at suburban locations trip and fumble to walk anywhere because the owners are too cash-tight to pave walkways.

Q. Do you have an event horror story?
A. Oh, yeah! MANY! For now, I’ll keep them to myself, but keep an eye out out for Hybrid Moon’s Wedding Mock-umentary at your local theater soon!

Q. Do you have a professional pet peeve?
A. Working with amateur photographers. It is frustrating to watch people with hardly any professional event experience ruin a wedding because they really have no idea what they are doing.

Q. Where do you see yourself in five years?
A. Owning a cool hip event facility.

VT Promotional Video

November 19, 2009 Filed Under: Biz Buzz, Brilliant Blooms, Festive Fare, Inspiring Ideas, Setting the Stage, Soiree Spotlights

In addition to the time-release video, Vibrant Table asked Ambient Sky Studios to create a promotional video at the China Design Now opening. What do you think? [Read more…]

Local love :: Misty Damico, So This Is Bliss

September 4, 2009 Filed Under: Bridal Boutique, Inspiring Ideas, Setting the Stage, Vibrant Vendors

Check out this fab blog- by local wedding planner Misty Damico! We love it (and thought you might too!)

So This is Bliss

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