Preliminary Special Events Planning, Part I

Most volunteer efforts occur on a steady day-to-day or week-to-week basis. However, several times a year, nonprofit or state organizations can have a full-force special event. These happenings are appealing because they are highly visible and can help accomplish a great deal in a matter of days, or even hours. Fundraisers, food drives, art festivals, and rallies are just a few examples of the possibilities.

What most community participants do not realize is the amount of preparation needed to pull off a special event. If your nonprofit organization would like to engage in such a project, here are some preliminary questions that most be answered, preferably several months, or even a year, in advance:

What is the purpose of the event?
Special events will usually fall into one or more of the following main categories:

• Education: To inform the public or a specific audience about your organization or an important issue.
• Celebration: To recognize volunteers, commemorate an anniversary or a grand opening, or participate in a holiday or festivity.
• Action: To raise funds for a new or existing program, acquire a certain amount of material (e.g., a clothing drive), accomplish a large project using volunteers (e.g., clean up a park or paint a building), etc.

As the planning committee (read below) work to make the event a reality, it will be helpful to keep the overall goals in mind. Make sure that every step gets you closer to accomplishing the objectives; do not get sidetracked by the desire to "do it all."

Who will plan the event?
On the planning committee, you will want a group of people with diverse talents who have the time and desire to WORK. Make sure the group consists of a small core of energetic individuals; avoid persons who enjoy the prestige of being on committees, but are otherwise dead wood. Also avoid those who will loose steam after a while; things gets busy towards the end. If the committee members are not wisely chosen, a few harried individuals will end up having to do the brunt of the work at the last minute. This will create tension and resentment at best.

Aim for approximately eight people on the committee. Much more will slow the process down, and much fewer may leave people feeling overwhelmed by the responsibility. IF the event is particularly large, create a main coordinating committee that meets regularly. The members of this team will be in charge of subcommittees such as Publicity, Logistics, Fundraising, Booking, etc. Avoid such a structure whenever possible, because it makes miscommunication easier to occur.

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