By Bruce Ross, Executive Director bruceross@wi.rr.com
This article originally appeared in Wisconsin Waterfowl Association’s February, 2021 Volunteer Newsletter edition.
We had a lot of chapters make super goal last year, and they did it in many different ways. But here’s what I observed were common threads for many of them:
- Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Especially in 2020, you couldn’t count on making super goal by hosting just one event. Several chapters did more than one event, putting on a shooting event and a banquet, or a banquet and a bash. And many chapters combined events with stand alone class A raffles. And almost all chapters had substantial calendar sales to add to their net earnings.
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Green Bay Chapter’s rescheduled September 2020 banquet was the organization’s highest netting event of the year.
Put butts in seats. For events, there is no substitution for attendance. The most successful chapters know who attended last year, and make personal connections to those people in advance of the banquet to make sure they are coming again. And if they can’t come, they know they have to do additional outreach. Facebook advertisements are available through the state’s facebook page—for only a few dollars of cost to your banquet, you can reach out beyond the WWA choir to attract new attendees. Let your RD know if you want us to do that for your chapter.
- Corporate sponsors. The difference between a good and great event is frequently the quantity and quality of your sponsors. Having solid sponsorship allows chapters to put on a memorable event and realize the event profits that help sustain WWA into the future. Sponsors are frequently doing this for marketing purposes, so pay attention to giving them the love they deserve at the banquet. But this is not a once-a-year deal – retaining and growing sponsor support means working for their interests throughout the year. Certainly thanking them immediately after the event is a must; a handwritten note is always appreciated. Then maybe inviting them to another WWA or local event during the year. Let them know about AWA or other projects we are doing in the area; maybe there is some marketing you can do for them there. And of course, when you patronize them, thank them for their support of WWA.
- Know your numbers. The most financially successful events do “precision forecasting”. A spreadsheet shows all anticipated costs to put on the event, from dinner and door prizes to guns and raffle/game prizes. In the same spreadsheet is the event revenue based on the number of people attending, how much each will spend, sponsors acquired, and anticipated revenues from each raffle or game. They know, within a few hundred dollars, just how much net earnings can be anticipated when the event is in the books – there are no bad surprises! And each year, they refine the anticipated dollar per attendee based on what the results were the first year. And they adjust the expenses (think gun boards and bucket raffles) to hit their financial target while still putting on an event the attendees will want to return to the next year. Do you want a spreadsheet copy of a perennially successful chapter? Check with your RD.
- Bring something different to the table. Some chapters focus on having a truly unique selection of guns, or a superb bucket raffle, or a booze raffle to beat the band. If you’re gonna do it, do it big… but find a way to offset costs somehow. A lot of things have been tried and not all are successful – but I see things that can be adopted from another chapter all the time. Your RD can help with what has and hasn’t worked at other chapters to spice up your offerings.
