Ideas That Work

A different kind of tea party

With talk of tea parties in the news, let's take a look at the great success Milwaukee volunteers have had with their annual tea luncheon fundraiser. This year marked the sixth year for the event, with almost 200 ladies attending.

Milwaukee Learning Center board member Marcia Christensen said that Carol Dadaian, the wife of a Milwaukee Valley member, came up with the original idea. Since then, the idea has been passed along to the Valley of Indianapolis, where volunteers have also seen great success.

Planning began with a core committee of 6 members who were responsible for overseeing the different aspects of the event, including the dining room setup, kitchen area, fashion show and raffle. A hostess was assigned to each table and was responsible for inviting 7 ladies to fill her table. Each hostess decorated her own table with her own theme.

A highlight for attendees was the Milwaukee Valley members, dressed in tuxedos and white gloves, serving the ladies throughout the event.

"The ladies think it's so special to have the gentlemen serving them," Marcia said.

After the meal, a student and mother gave a short account of the good work the Center is doing. "It's important to the ladies there because then they know what they're there for," Marcia said.

After the Center presentation, guests enjoyed a fashion show put on by a local shop. The tea party averages between 200 and 250 attendants, and $10 of every ticket is donated to the Milwaukee Learning Center.

Volunteers have made changes over the years to help things run more smoothly. This year ladies wrote their names and table number on the back of their tickets. Instead of taking the time to announce the winners, the men drew names and delivered the prizes throughout the event.

One thing that hasn't changed is the cost for raffle tickets: volunteers still sold 12 tickets for $10 and 25 tickets for $20. "Keeping the ticket prices down on the raffle tickets themselves has really made a difference," Marcia said. "Other raffles we've been to have raised the price of tickets and haven't sold as many."

This year's event raised $5,000 for the Milwaukee Learning Center.

"I don't think there's any better reason to get together and do a fundraiser than the Learning Center," Marcia said. "We are providing children with the tools they need to have a successful life. It really touches me to think we can help them."

Ideas That Work

Giving Back

Last Saturday, the Lexington Learning Center raised over $2,700 at a multi-family yard sale. While the return was excellent, the real feat was the way Center Director Joyce Gillis got Center families involved with the event.

“It was a huge effort,” Gillis said. “It was a lot of work, but it was also kind of fun. It really had the effect of bringing Center families together.”

When the director learned that her Center’s funds would be cut, she posted an announcement in the Center waiting room asking for parents’ fundraising ideas and support. But she didn’t see a significant response until she approached parents personally.

“You have to go out and speak to parents and ask for their help. That’s what it all amounts to,” she said. “People like to be asked. Then it sort of snowballs.”

Gillis involved Center parents in every step of the planning process. She began by asking them to make lists of fundraiser ideas.

“The parents are the ones that benefit from the Center. In order for them to feel like they’re contributing, I thought we should get their ideas,” she said.

When a yard sale popped up on several people’s lists, the group chose it as their first fundraiser since they felt they could pull it together fairly quickly. Then they put together a list of items they thought people would be interested in buying.

Gillis sent out a mass email to active and former parents listing the items they needed and asking for donations and support. The director was up front about the Center’s needs. “I told them what the situation was, that we were in danger of closing, and that we would like as much help as we could possibly get,” she said.

Several parents donated items for the sale. One family brought in a truckload of their own things and a second truckload from a neighbor. Another supporter donated a wicker furniture set with a retail value of $3,000. The Center was able to get $750 for the set.

The event was held at a Center family’s home, and most of the items were stored in the family's garage until the day of the sale.

The director said part of the sale’s success was due to a massive advertising effort. Advertised as a Mammoth Multi-Family Yard Sale, the event was listed on Craig’s List, Facebook, community calendars and bulletin boards and the local newspaper. Parents also made fliers and signs and put them up all over town.

Gillis sent out several group emails asking for help in the days leading up to the sale. “I sent one close to the end when we still needed certain items, and another saying that we needed help the day of the sale,” she said.

She also worked to get students involved. When pricing toys, she would ask them what they thought a toy was worth. They also helped transport items for their parents.

Besides raising money, the event also raised awareness for the Center in the community. All signs, fliers and listings mentioned that the sale was a fundraiser for the Center, and Board Chair Ernie Pearlstein moved around at the event letting people know that proceeds went to the Center.

“It’s a way of letting people know that the Center is here and that there is a need,” Gillis said. “The funds aren’t falling from heaven.”

The director said that overhead for the fundraiser was very low since practically everything from signs to baked goods sold at the sale was donated. She said that she would definitely encourage other Centers to try a yard sale.

“It’s a way of bringing parents together. They’re working toward a common goal, and doing something of value to the community,” she said.

The Lexington Learning Center isn’t taking a break from fundraising. Supporters have a list of other events they plan to hold: next Saturday they’re doing a carwash.

Gillis said the future of her Center depends on families getting involved. “Up to this point there hasn’t been a lot of involvement from parents,” she said. “Getting them together is making a uniform group. They have a lot at stake. They’re trying to get help for their children.”

Ride to Fight Dyslexia

Vic Frederick and friends ride through 50 states to raise money for Learning Centers


If you want to follow Vic on his journey, support the Ride and raise money for your Learning Center, you can find him here.

For Ride schwag, visit the Lucky7 logowear storefront here.

Ideas that work -Go to the old 5 & 10

Last week I had the honor of attending the 3rd annual 5/10 Club of New Jersey Dinner. The dinner recognized the donations of individuals throughout the Garden State that have made operating gift commitments to the New Jersey Learning Centers of $5,000 or $10,000 ... and sometimes even more.

An idea born from adversity

Verdon Skipper, then Scottish Rite Deputy for the state of New Jersey faced a desperate dilemma in 2005 - a sponsor of 3 Learning Centers was stopping future funding. Skipper and his board members were adamant that the Centers would remain open. So, they first reworked the budgets. With this new (and lower) goal this team set about finding financial sources to make up for this large need. Special events could only do so much. Skipper concluded that he must find a committed core of people with the means to make a substantial dent in the fundraising goals each year.

In this light, the 5/10 Club was inaugurated.

Ducks in a row

Skipper started this endeavor the best way one can. First he pulled a team of volunteers together who were committed to the cause of supporting the Learning Centers. Next Skipper led by example and donated enough to earn the right to be a member of the 5/10 Club. He asked his volunteers to join him in this (they did). Then the team determined who might also be interested and capable of joining and determined how best to ask them. Finally they determined how best to acknowledge participation in this effort (an annual dinner).

The first 5/10 Club dinner was in 2007. More than $100,000 was committed by its members that year. Each year since, the size of the group and the amount this group has committed has risen.

The dinner held the last Friday in May is an affair befitting the generosity of the group. A hallmark of the event is a graduate of one of the Learning Centers describing his or her experience. This year's speaker was a young woman who came to our Centers as a freshman in high school, reading only at a 4th grade level. She and her parents would drive 2 hours a day just to get to the Learning Center. The transformation was enormous. She went from an inhibited girl barely hanging on academically to a confident National Honors Society student who is looking forward to attending college with scholarships.

This is the greatest return the members of the 5/10 Club could receive, as their many damp eyes attested. This is what helps to grow the Club every year.

Why not here?

There are people who have the capacity to make major annual gifts to your Learning Center. You can start a similar club if you follow these guidelines:

• Determine a giving threshold high enough to be significant. Don't be afraid that it is a small club. It will grow.
• Make sure the committee is composed only of those who are givers. If you skirt this, the success of the effort will fail.
• Celebrate appropriately. If the level of giving is high, a good dinner is not inappropriate. It is an investment that will pay back.

Remember, this is a flexible high end program. 5/10 is a great idea, but 1-2-3 may work better for you. Or nickle, dime quarter. Go with what's best for you.