Musical Chairs: Create Committee Chairs to Organize Your Event

In most of our articles, we’ve stressed the actions that your Fundraising Event Committee can take to increase the odds of a successful Event. Let’s take a look at building a Committee that can cover all the bases for your Event.

Most Event Committees/Boards are composed of a Chairman/Chairwoman and several Committee Chairs – individuals who are responsible for certain aspects of the Event. Think in terms of Vice Presidents in a corporate structure. We will demonstrate how Committee Chairs serve in critical roles but you need to keep in mind that a strong Chairman/Chairwoman is just as critical to provide focus and direction to the Event. You need to avoid having “too many chefs in the kitchen.” As Chairman/Chairwoman, you may also be the deciding vote in certain situations. You may also need to hone your skills of persuasion to keep all of your Chairs on the right track and to “stay in their lane.”

When assembling your Committee, you’re seeking dedicated, passionate and detail-oriented leaders. As the Chairman/Chairwoman, you want to “let your leaders lead.” You don’t want to get caught up in micro-managing, which can erode morale and performance. Here are some core Committee Chair roles:1. Sponsorship Chair. A Nonprofit Fundraiser without Sponsors won’t get off the ground. Therefore, you need a Sponsorship Chair who is not afraid to “ask for things” and who is not deterred by “No.” Your Sponsorship Chair duties should include:

• Know Your Donors – Maintain a master list of previous event donors and create a list of new donors to target. The Sponsorship Chair should be the primary point of contact with Sponsors and Donors
• How Much Do We Need to Run the Event? – Your Sponsorship Chair will need to work with the Finance Chair to have a feel for the cost of putting the Event on. Sponsors like to know that their donation is “making a difference”
• Collaborate with Live Auction and Silent Auction Chairs to match up non-cash donations with the proper Event “vehicle”
• Collaborate with Marketing resources to ensure that Sponsors are recognized for their contributions

2. Registration Chair. Your Registration Chair will need to be quite organized and willing to delegate responsibilities within his/her team. An Event without attendees and donors is a hollow shell. Your Registration Chair duties should include:

• Collaborate with Sponsorship Chair to reach out to previous event Attendees and Donors
• Work with marketing team to promote the event and ensure that anyone who wishes to attend WILL ATTEND
• Create a seamless and CONVENIENT check-in process as Attendees arrive to the Event

3. Venue Chair. Your Venue Chair will be responsible for securing the Event Venue and the Venue Chair’s duties should include: 

• Collaborate with Registration Chair to estimate the number of Attendees and Sponsors to ensure the Venue is large enough – or intimate enough
• Select Food and Drink to align with the Event theme
• Select Entertainment to align with the Event theme

4. Live Auction Chair. Your Live Auction Chair will be responsible for securing the Live Auction Items and Auctioneer. Your Live Auction Chair’s duties should include:

• Collaborate with the Sponsorship Chair to identify Sponsors who might provide Live Auction Items
• Identify 6-12 “Go Big” items for the Live Auction. Any more than 12 items should be forwarded to the Silent Auction Chair
• As with the Silent Auction Chair, be creative
• Don’t be afraid to ask for premium auction items
• Collaborate with the Registration Chair to know the target donors
• Create a seamless and CONVENIENT fulfillment process once the item is won: Get the item into the winning bidder’s hands as soon as possible and ensure the payment process is discreet, fast and CONVENIENT

5. Silent Auction Chair. Your Silent Auction Chair will be responsible for securing the Silent Auction Items and organizing volunteers to manage the Silent Auction during the Event. Your Silent Auction Chair’s duties should include:

• Collaborate with the Sponsorship Chair to identify Sponsors who might provide Silent Auction Items
• Solicit 1 Silent Auction Item for every 3-5 Event Attendees
• As with the Live Auction Chair, be creative
• Collaborate with the Registration Chair to know the target donors
• Create a seamless and CONVENIENT fulfillment process once the item is won: Get the item into the winning bidder’s hands as soon as possible and ensure the payment process is discreet, fast and CONVENIENT

By establishing the above core Committee Chairs, you increase the odds of having a truly successful Nonprofit Fundraising Event. Keep in mind that you can create Chairs for other tasks such as Finance, Marketing, Community Outreach, etc. if it helps to keep your Event organized and on track.

Do you or your Event Committee need help establishing Committee Chairs or identifying ways to better organize your Event?   We at Auction Packages can help. Our team of Event Specialists can guide you through the myriad of options to make your next event a success. We Live to Give.