having a party? make it a fundraiser!

My husband and I just hosted our annual Oktoberfest party, and for the second year in a row it was a benefit for GiGi’s Playhouse Westchester. Turning a regular party into a fundraiser was easy, and we made about $2,000 for the Playhouse! Here’s how we did it:

1. We ordered a personalizable invitation on Etsy.com. I searched for “Oktoberfest invitation” and found one we liked. I asked the designer to add “a benefit for GiGi’s Playhouse Westchester,” which she did for no charge.

2. We set up an Eventbrite page (which is free) so people could RSVP. Last year we charged $30 per person or $50 per couple, but this year we made it an optional “pay what you wish” donation. We earned significantly more this year by NOT specifying an amount, and we felt better knowing that people could choose a donation amount that was comfortable for them.

3. We sent an email to our friends and family with the invitation image attached. Here’s the text of our email:

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Please join us for Oktoberfest @ Hinkaty Haus on September 30. We’ll be celebrating with beer, pretzels, and bratwurst… with all proceeds benefiting GiGi’s Playhouse Westchester. Please see our Eventbrite page for full details:
Oktoberfest @ Hinkaty Haus (linked to Eventbrite)
Click Register to RSVP and make a donation if you wish — in whatever amount is comfortable for you.

Important: If you’d like a receipt for tax purposes, please RSVP on the Eventbrite page and then donate to the Playhouse directly at:
https://gigisplayhouse.secure.force.com/donate/westchester_Donate
Click on Honor/Memorial after entering your personal info, and then type Hinkaty in the Honoree/Memorial Name field (you can leave the next 3 fields blank). The Playhouse will share name details before the party.
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(Donations made via the Eventbrite page are NOT tax-deductible, so it’s important to let guests know they should donate directly to the Playhouse if they want to deduct the donation on their tax return.)

That’s it! About half of our guests RSVP’d and made donations using the Eventbrite page, and the other half made a donation directly to the Playhouse and just RSVP’d on the Eventbrite page. We got a check for the Eventbrite donations about 10 days after the event, which we in turn gave to the Playhouse.

Making the party a fundraiser didn’t cost us anything extra, and we –and our guests — felt good knowing we were contributing to the financial health of the Playhouse. Give it a try!

Thanks to Stephanie Hinkaty — former Vice President of the GiGi’s Playhouse Westchester Board, mom and fundraiser extraordinaire — for this super-helpful guest blog.