FUNDRAISER
House of SpeakEasy
February 27, 2020
Bringing Authors
out from
Behind the B
ook
“Your support was amazing and for me made for a much much more relaxing evening!”
- VICTORIA, HOUSE OF SPEAKEASY EVENT COMMITTEE MEMBER
House of SpeakEasy is a literary organization that seeks out opportunities to expand the relationship between writers and their readers.
This is done through a series of programs, workshops, and events that “bring authors out from behind the book, lectern, or screen into direct contact with audiences.”
The organization was looking for someone with targeted experience who could step into the role quickly and efficiently and tie everything together.
With only a few weeks of lead time, I took over communication with all gala attendees, both individuals, and large corporate groups, to confirm their table, ticket count, and guest lists were up to date and accurate.
I was brought on to manage the on-site operations for this event, which included onboarding and leading the volunteer team overseeing registration, the live and silent auction, and general movement for the guests. In previous years’, these roles were fulfilled by various members of the event committee, the organization’s administrative assistant, and volunteers.
From there it was up to me to finalize the seating plan, from reorganizing the seating chart to make sure stakeholders and donors were accommodated to making sure the place cards were printed and set accurately. I had a team of volunteers and staff at my disposal but in order to effectively delegate, I needed to come up with a succinct and clear plan.
I set up a team to oversee guest arrival, registration and made sure all attendees were escorted by staff to their appropriate tables for dinner so no guest was left guessing or uncomfortable.
Managing the silent and paddle auction was another challenge that required a great deal of organization, delegation, and flexibility.
Following the event, I assisted by contacting guests who made bids and pledges during the live auction and pledge moment in order to ensure House of SpeakEasy was able to collect all of their donations and maximize their fundraising.
Through thorough research before the event I quickly learned who the stakeholders, major donors and sponsors were and how to anticipate their needs during the event. One thing every event planner will tell you is the table seating isn’t final until everyone has sat down. Which is why I know to expect and had a plan to manage the myriad of seating changes from donors, guests and staff and respond strategically with how all those changes would impact others. With that in mind I organized my schedule to include extra time during the event setup and beginning of the event to handle any issues that came up.
I sought out to clearly define roles and responsibilities for myself, the volunteer staff, and anyone else within the organization who was going to be available to assist onsite for the gala. Providing clear direction to the onsite team allowed us all to work together efficiently on assigned tasks, as well as to calmly handle any situations that arose and needed troubleshooting.
SPOILER ALERT
There will always be surprises that need attention during every event. Because, you know, Murphy’s Law!
This was the first year that House of SpeakEasy set a goal to focus heavily on their silent and live auction, in an effort to increase the money raised during the event.
Through the careful, collaborative efforts of the organization’s Executive Director and myself during the bidding process and our attention to detail following up with donors after the event, we ensured every bid was accounted for and they successfully exceeded their fundraising goal.