Opinion: How to chair a regional fundraiser and gross half-a-million dollars
Eric Olson
Posted online
The No. 1 rule in chairing a fundraising event is to develop a disaster plan. David and Karen Martin learned that firsthand in October at a rain-soaked American Cancer Society Cattle Baron’s Ball in Dallas.
The Martins were at the granddaddy Cattle Baron’s Ball – where the ACS gala started 36 years ago – on a scout trip to prepare them for Aug. 21, the date the event makes its second appearance in Springfield.
“It was like it was the Indy 500 snake pit. Limousines were sunk up to their axels,” David Martin recalled as we sat down for an interview in his Murney Associates, Realtors office.
The Martins are co-chairs of the American Cancer Society 2010 Cattle Baron’s Ball of Southwest Missouri, held at the Darr Agricultural Center in Springfield. As a 2010 co-chairperson of the ball’s publicity committee with Celeste Skidmore of ADsmith Communications, I talked with the Martins about their plans for this year’s event.
The duo went on to tell me the Texas-size rains did not dampen the giving, however, as the gala raised $3 million, the highest 2009 total in the ACS Heartland Division. Lesson learned: Organizers sidestepped that one.
The No. 2 rule is to find the money.
Springfield’s ball organizers nailed this for the inaugural event.
The $500,000 raised was good enough for the fourth-highest total in the division, behind two other Texas events: Houston’s $1 million and Tyler, Texas’ $523,000. But get this: Houston and Tyler have hosted the event for 22 years.
That begs the question: How does Springfield top that in 2010?
Set a $750,000 goal, and put the Martin cheerleaders behind it. “Our personal goal is more,” Karen Martin noted.
Organizers are off to a good start, with $265,000 currently anted by sponsors and underwriters. Already on the $25,000-sponsor board are Price Cutter, Outback Steak & Oyster Bar, Tri-Lakes Petroleum, Larson Farm & Lawn, PFI Western Stores, Penney, Murray & Associates, and Downstream Casino.
A team of executive barons also plays a big part, with each responsible for giving or getting $10,000 in donations. Last year, organizers say they traced more than 70 percent of the funds back to the executive barons.
The No. 3 rule is to stay organized.
Karen Martin rules this roost. As chairpersons, the Martins are responsible for 22 committees, including a 100-member planning committee. Martin attends three to eight committee meetings a week and spends in excess of 20 hours a week in related tasks.
“I still wake up some mornings and ask myself what I’m doing,” she joked. In preparation for this work, primarily, the Martins attended three days of Cattle Baron’s Ball training in October in Austin, Texas. A gem of the meetings, Karen Martin said, was the guidelines for keeping plans on a timeline and producing the event.
An official Cattle Baron’s Ball two-inch three-ring binder sat on the desk next to Martin. This, she said, is the heartbeat of ball plans, chock-full of guidelines and tips organizers have collected during three decades of running the event.
She’s also leaning on 2009 chairwoman Kim Inman, vice president of sales and marketing for the Springfield Cardinals, for advice and contacts.
The No. 4 rule is to have fun.
At least, that’s what the Martins will tell you. And boy, do they abide by this one.
“You got to have fun at it, and you got to have the drive,” David Martin said. “You put an event on like this, it can get pretty stressful for some people. But if you’re not having fun, it takes away from it.”
Martin backs it up, too.
At last year’s event, he actually made a fun time out of sweeping up ill-timed horse manure during the Clydesdale auction.
Yes, with a smile on his face.
That’s just the kind of people they are – full of life, energy, downright giddy about this side work.
I think the Cattle Baron’s Ball has the right people in the right seats. Now, let’s have a ball.
This installment of Springfield Business Journal’s Architects & Engineers Project Report showcases 26 endeavors by area design and engineering professionals.
