Skipping a paddle razor doesn't actually
make your event more comfortable. It
makes it far less successful.
Hey, I'm Danny Darosa and I help
nonprofit leaders plan profitable
gallas. And what I have come to learn
Hey, I'm Danny Dar Roa and I help
nonprofit leaders plan profitable
gallops.
Today we're going to talk about what to
do when our board is totally against
having a paddle raiser and we want to
try to convince them to have one. To
start everything off, I'm going to have
us look at the fundraising streams
matrix.
Today we're talking about boards that
are against paddle
Today we're talking about boards that
are against paddle raisers and really
what to do about it. To start everything
off, we're going to check out the
fundraising streams impact matrix.
Today we're talking about boards that
are against paddle raisers and how to
help convince them to try one out at the
gala.
To start off, we're going to check out
the fundraising streams impact matrix.
This is designed to show us clearly what
the most important in income.
Today we're talking about boards that
are against paddle raisers and how to
help convince them to let us try one out
at a gala.
We're going to start off by looking at
the fundraising streams impact matrix.
This is a way to show us which
fundraising streams are the most
important to get in place at at the very
beginning. Blah blah blah blah blah.
Today we're talking about boards that
are against paddle raisers and how to
help convince.
Today we're talking about boards that
are against paddle raisers and how to
convince them to try one out at the
gala.
To start off, we're going to check out
the fundraising streams impact matrix.
If you look at the four quadrants here,
we have two arrows on the x axis and two
arrows on the y ais.
On the x-axis we have participation and
funds raised and on the y-axis we have
return on investment and excitement. If
you see all four arrows are pointing
towards your paddle razor or your
special appeal.
That is because it has the highest level
of participation. Everybody in the room
is able to donate because we can get it
all the way down to a level where
everyone can. It also has the highest
amount of funds raised because in my
data and several of my colleagues, we
have found that paddle raisers raise
two, three, four, sometimes even five
times the amount of a live auction.
Again, because the p the participation
can be so high. On the y-axis, you have
return on investment. It is the highest
return on investment for you and your
team because when you are spending five
hours chasing down silent auction
packages that might yield you $100 to
$300 in revenue for the event, you could
spend that same five hours having
conversations with some of your lead
donors to see if they will be big plants
in your paddle razor and you could end
up with thousands of dollars from that
effort. Also, your donors are able to
write off their paddle razor donation.
It also has the highest level of
excitement because when you are at a
gala and you want the organization to
win and you believe so deeply in the
mission and you just hear these paddles
going up over and over and over at $50,
$100, $5,000, $10,000, whatever the
amount is, you start to get really
excited that your the organization is
winning. Now, when we choose to not have
a paddle razor at an event because we
think it's going to be awkward, we don't
want to put pressure on our donors or
whatever the reason is, we are
sacrificing thousands of dollars by
making that decision. And we're also
removing the the highest ROI income
stream for our team. If you think about
uh the fundraising streams impact
matrix, I want you to think about
building a campfire. If we were to focus
on the live auction, the additional
fundraising like the wine pole, the ring
toss, and the silent auction, it's like
throwing a bunch of twigs and pine
needles and trying to get a big fire to
catch. But as most of us know who have
gone camping, if you get a big dry log
and you catch that on fire first,
everything you add to it is going to
make the fire bigger. Your paddle razor
is that big dry log. If we don't
prioritize that in one of our gallas,
we're never going to see the fundraising
success that our mission truly needs and
the 500 hours plus that it takes to plan
a gala do do not become as profitable or
as well spent if we are not maximizing
the giving in the room by offering a
paddle razor.
When it comes to a paddle razor and
board members, what I often hear is that
they don't want to have a paddle razor
because they think it's going to be
awkward. They don't want to pressure the
donors and guests. And ultimately, it's
because they care really deeply about
the guests that are there that night. A
lot of them might be friends of theirs
that they invited or longtime volunteers
they've always known or maybe they've
gone to other events and paddle raisers
where they felt it was really awkward
during the paddle razor so they don't
want to offer one. But ultimately making
that decision to not offer a paddle
razor is going to end up costing you
thousands of dollars. The reality is is
that paddle razors provide an
opportunity for social giving.
The momentum of the generosity in the
room is absolutely contagious. We also
help to sort of train each other that
when you go to a gala and it's for an
organization you really care about.
Raising your paddle is what we want to
do together as a team. You know, I'm I'm
a mother. I have two kids. I own a
business. Maybe I look across the room
and I see a friend of mine or an
acquaintance of mine who's also a mother
who has kids around the same age as mine
and she also owns a business and I see
her raise her paddle for $500 and I
think in my mind, you know what, I could
also raise my paddle for $500. We helped
to validate to each other that the cause
and the organization and the mission
that they're were there to support is a
really great investment. We see so many
other people investing along with us. It
makes us really excited to be a part of
it and it makes the the mission seem
very viable and like something that is
going to be really well funded because
of what we're all doing in the room
together. Ultimately,
what I have come to learn is that when
it comes to gallas, anonymity is the
enemy of generosity and fundraising. You
will never raise as much money asking
for people to donate just through a QR
code or to put a check in an envelope.
You're never going to raise as much
money by having these really passive,
quiet asks. It's these courageous asks
that really can help you raise
transformational money for your mission
and your organization.
I have worked with countless
organizations that have never done a
paddle razor before. their board members
were absolutely convinced that it was
the wrong decision for their their gala.
I've, you know, been able to convince
them on multiple occasions to try it
out. And I can't tell you the number of
times that we have tried out a
first-time paddle razor. We were
strategic about it in terms of, you
know, making sure we pre-planted it a
little bit, seeing if there were any
previous donors from years. Okay, I'm
going to scratch this whole section.
I have worked with countless
organizations that were nervous about
adding a paddle razor, but we still did
it anyway. And what I have come to find
is that when you do add a paddle razor,
you will be absolutely shocked and
surprised and excited by the amount of
large donations that you're going to get
just because you asked and just because
you offered in that way. I can't tell
you how many times we have done a
first-time paddle raiser and we've
gotten large donations like $10,000 that
we were never expecting.
The beauty of this too is that after we
have done a paddle razor in your room,
we truly reveal the resource capacity in
your room and it gives you a list of
donors that you're able to intentionally
and thoughtfully steward after the
event.
Here's
what I'd like you to remember. Paddle
raisers are the highest return on
investment fundraising stream in your
gala. When you decide to remove them,
you don't create comfort in the room.
You remove a lot of impact and potential
generosity.
I also want you to remember that your
board members, they're typically deeply
caring about your guests and that's why
they don't want to make things awkward
or put a lot of pressure on them. But by
removing the opportunity for your guests
and your donors to step up in this way,
we're not making things more
comfortable. We're removing their
opportunity to really make an impact.
One that's going to help them feel
really good and feel like they've been
part of something bigger. Removing a
paddle razor can kind of be a selfish
choice at times because we're so
concerned about how we're going to feel
that we don't allow the guests and
donors to step up and ultimately we
don't allow our mission and our
organization to be really highly funded
at this event when in reality that's the
reason we're all there anyway.
A lot of decisions in gallas are like
parenting. Sometimes you have to make a
choice that won't be popular for your
kids, but you know will be good for them
in the long run. That is what making
sure you offer a paddle razor at your
gala. That's what that is akin to is
making sure you offer a paddle razor at
your gala ensures you're going to make
the highest profit possible at your
event, which in the long run is going to
be better for your organization, your
mission, and the people or animals that
you serve.
If you can identify with anything I've
said that you have a board that tends to
feel this way or you've been trying to
convince them to add a paddle razor and
they won't, let me know in the comments.
I'm curious to hear more about your
challenges, your struggles, or maybe
some of the successes you have had
adding a paddle razor. And as always, if
you want more practical gala strategy
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We hope you have your most profitable
gala yet.