Fundraisers should not cost you money

The SDDP Auction for the "Monumental Blue" Willie Nelson print is over and at $202.50 - the item did not meet the reserve price. So, instead of making a couple hundred on the item, it ended up costing them about $5 - 10.

That's actually a pretty common occurrence in fundraising efforts. Often, something that seems like a pretty good idea ends up going over like a lead balloon.

Picnics, golf tournaments, casino nights, wine and cheese parties, you name it. Sometimes they hit, and sometimes they miss - and if you miss, count yourself lucky that you didn't miss big.

Here, the SDDP isn't out much, aside from pocket change and the lesson. Imagine if they had held a dinner where as a sponsor, they had to guarantee payment for a 100 person minimum at the event hall. And no one showed up. Those are the ones that really sting.

I was involved in a campaign within the last few years where someone wanted to put on a big shindig for us, which sounded ok. They wanted to put on a first class event and raise thousands. But then the campaign started getting calls from the caterer asking where the bills should go. How about "to the person who said they were going to put the event on." That turkey was killed in the nick of time.

I'm also familiar with another campaign in the last few years which had to take legal action because someone was incurring bills on their behalf in the name of fundraising.

For an event, what can you do to help ensure you won't end up in the red? Well, first off, there's no guarantees. You might have unexpected inclement weather, or other things outside of your scope of control. Here's a couple of tips to consider:

Make the event fun and attractive. If every organization in town has done a "casino night" do something different. Stand out from the crowd.

Have a headliner. If you can get a popular public official or private figure to agree to show up to speak and meet with people, "An Evening with John Q. Politician" is a better sell than "Support your party at a turkey loaf dinner at the local buffet."

Sell tickets ahead of time. Get your cash up front and you can't go wrong. If you're depending on people to show up and pay, you're a fool. If you have their money, it's what you wanted in the first place.

Have a live auction at the event to generate additional funds. As an auctioneer, I get called all the time to help sell items at organizational banquets. Why? Because it's a super easy way to squeeze more money out of the crowd. And I don't see it used nearly enough at political events.

Silent auctions? Big thumbs down. They don't generally generate nearly enough cash. If they did, you'd see companies in that business. Live auctions generate excitement and bidding and they're lively. They draw people in.

When I worked for the State GOP and the Pennington GOP, I did those on occasion at banquets. And we raked in the cash. I've noticed that people who consider themselves big shots really like to be visible bidding the most on things - in addition to the lively atmosphere, you also get the benefit of one-upsmanship.

So, Dems. Want to get what you think that print is worth? Take it to your next state convention and after the hospitailty rooms have ben open for a while, auction the sucker off after the liquor has been flowing. You won't be disappointed.

And Republicans, I'm available on pretty easy terms myself.