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by Jerry Thacker
There is a word that strikes fear into the hearts of center directors ...
No, it's not lawsuit. It's not government. It's banquet.
 Nothing else gives a pregnancy center's staff such a great opportunity to tell supporters what they are doing and yet causes them so much work. Booking the hall, negotiating with the caterer, and arranging for some key individuals to take "a few minutes" to talk about what the center has done all present numerous opportunities for things to go wrong—and they do.
Studies show that there is a direct correlation between the length of the event and the amount of money you can expect to raise. In short, if you go long, you lose money for each minute you go beyond what is expected. (Think ninety minutes max for the program!)
The reverse applies in supermarkets. Have you ever wondered why the milk, bread, and diapers are all the way in the back of the store? It's simple. Retailers know that these are the most frequently needed items. They also know that the longer they can keep you in the store, engaged in the activity of shopping, the more money you'll spend.
So at your big event you have to keep people mentally engaged in your program without going into overtime. What's a center to do?
Some centers, like Cornerstone Pregnancy Center in Salem, New Jersey, where I was the speaker a few months ago, have taken a different timesaving tact. Instead of having the traditional sit-down "rubber chicken" meal, they have a dessert banquet. (As the saying goes: "Life is short, eat dessert first!") The benefits are: (1) setting a variety of desserts on multiple tables allows for quick self-service, (2) the program itself can take a bit longer, (3) the fellowship is just as good, and (4) the attendees get home at a decent hour and with a sweet taste in their mouths!
Perhaps it's time for you to consider skipping the entree and going with "Just Desserts." Sometimes "short and sweet" is the way to go.
| Jerry Thacker is president of Right Ideas, Inc., and publisher of At the Center. He can be reached at contact@rightideas.us. |
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