Event Management

Taming the Special Event Monster
July 22, 2016 at 9:50 am

You know it’s there, lurking in the shadows of your workload. You try to avoid it, but sooner or later, it must be dealt with. Your organization is relying on you to step in and be the hero. Now is the time to take a stand and conquer your fears. It is time to take…

Growth of Charity Races Benefits Runners, Nonprofits Alike
July 20, 2016 at 10:55 am

With his 70th birthday approaching, Chicago resident Chuck Aron was eager for a challenge. An avid runner who has competed in the Chicago Marathon since 2004, Aron wanted to honor his late brother-in-law Paul Bracken, who died in 2001 after a battle with early-onset Alzheimer's disease. Bracken would have turned 73 this year, so Aron…

How Virtual Reality Is Inspiring Donors to Dig Deep for Charitable Causes
June 23, 2016 at 9:56 am

One evening last December, 400 men and women in tuxedos and gowns met at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York to take a trip to a small village in Ethiopia. Few of them had ever been to the East African country before, and while they were scheduled to depart that evening, nobody had…

Olympic Runner's Foundation Closure Holds Lessons for Other Charities
June 2, 2016 at 10:45 am

Olympic hero Mo Farah has closed his charity after it spent more on "marketing and a glitzy ball than on helping kids in Africa," according to The Sun. It’s a story that has raised many issues, including how much should be spent on fundraising and whether or not charities should continue operating if they aren’t…

The Perfect Business Partner/Client Relationship
May 25, 2016 at 11:31 am

The business partner/client relationship does not have the best reputation. From the vendor perspective, this YouTube video pretty much sums up what the worst relationship can look like from the business-partner perspective. This is not fiction...

5 Ways to Get the Most Out of Your Next Fundraising Event
May 19, 2016 at 11:37 am

Fundraising events can be huge moneymakers for many nonprofits. They can also be huge wastes of time. As someone commented on my previous post: Events are great for visibility and exposure, "but they are terrible ways to raise money." Well, many organizations—yours included—are probably 100 percent committed to their events. So, since we are having…

How to Acquire P2P Fundraisers
May 18, 2016 at 10:10 am

Peer-to-peer (P2P) fundraising is built on the backs of multitudes of volunteer fundraisers. And the hardest part of P2P fundraising is finding people willing to lend their backs to the effort, also called acquisition. Acquisition is difficult. It’s hard because we often invite the wrong people to our P2P parties, in the wrong ways. At Turnkey, we classify events into two awkwardly named siblings: retail attractive and retail unattractive...

'Star Wars' Charity Event Forced to Change Theme After Lucasfilm Cease-and-Desist Order
May 9, 2016 at 9:34 am

Hard to see, the Dark Side is—especially when you can’t use your lightsaber to light the way. Newmindspace, a Toronto-based nonprofit, has rebranded its popular charity lightsaber battles as the “Cats in Space Tour” after it received a cease-and-desist letter from Lucasfilm’s lawyers for using trademarked terms, the Toronto Star reported...

Paralyzed Charity Fundraiser Barred From Fun Run Due to 'Unfair' Bionic Suit
April 28, 2016 at 11:45 am

A paralyzed woman who did the London Marathon in a bionic suit has been barred from a fun run. Organizers of the Vitality London 10K race said Claire Lomas uses motors to walk and has an unfair advantage. They have refused to let her enter—despite the brave 35-year-old raising more than $700,000 for a spinal-injury…

Sell to Me or Ask for My Support. Pick One. 
April 27, 2016 at 11:46 am

I have a favorite charity that regularly demands I buy from it, but rarely asks that I support it. Since September, I have received 23 emails from this organization. Eight of those emails had the word "buy" or a cash prize for something in the subject line...