Before I was so focused on philanthropy, I had been invited to a few small fundraising events in people’s homes to learn about organizations that needed help — typically for nonprofits, politicians, or political causes. They were lovely events, and the invitation almost always suggested that the event was not necessarily meant to raise money, but instead to help us (the invited guests) learn about the group and its cause. It was implied that the organization hoped we would be so impressed with their presentation that we would be compelled to donate to them.
Years later, I found myself in the fortunate position of owning a home with a good-sized living room and a large backyard — both perfect for charitable events. It was a given that we would use these spaces in the most productive way possible, ideally helping organizations and causes that we had a keen interest in.
We also realized that not everyone was aware of the issues that we were concerned about.
Understanding the issues, the need and the context, and learning what a particular nonprofit does, is critical to getting someone interested in becoming a donor or supporter. You can’t raise money if a donor doesn’t understand what you do. With that in mind, we decided that educating our community about the issues we care about was step number one in helping organizations we love grow and thrive.
And we would do this by hosting various nonprofits in our living room.
We learned that this idea — educating those around us by bringing impressive social leaders into our home — had been done for centuries, starting in Europe in the 16th century. It’s commonly understood that the purpose of salons, although varied in content, is to increase the knowledge of the participants through conversation. Philanthropy (“patronage”) was often a big part of these gatherings, and whether that patronage was to support a writer, an artist, or a cause, these events were — and continue to be — a important part of the picture for successful nonprofit organizations.
The interesting thing is that more people don’t do these. It’s really not difficult to host a salon (or, if you prefer, a “party”, “soiree”, or “small fundraiser”). Ask a nonprofit that you care about if they would like to expand their reach — (they should be thrilled that you’re asking)— and then invite some friends, have them invite some friends, and pull up some chairs in your living room. Joan Garry, in her “10 Rules for a Successful Small Fundraiser” provides a terrific and useful checklist to ensure that the event is a success.
Note that depending on the nonprofit, especially organizations that are just getting going, or that don’t have presence in your geographic area, your event may need to be a “friend-raiser” instead of a fundraiser. And that might be okay, because you need to educate others, create recognition, and then build a base, before being able to raise real money.
To that end, it’s important to note that a salon should be an important part of an organization’s “awareness strategy”. There are loads of articles about awareness campaigns, and they often include a lot of online components. However, person-to-person awareness, with real people learning from the leaders and/or beneficiaries of a nonprofit, bring a reality to the picture that can directly support the building of the foundation for your organization’s growth.
A side benefit of these salons is that you get to hone your pitch skills while getting to know your community a bit better.
It’s a win-win. Try it!
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- Lisa
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Welcome to Philanthropy 451, a weekly newsletter with my thoughts on the state of the nonprofit industry, including anecdotes, statistics, and helpful recommendations. I'm Lisa Greer and I'm obsessed with Saving Giving.