Powerful Representation

We believe fundraising events are a great opportunity to tell the story of your work. Your most engaged supporters are all in one room, and they’re listening to you, sharing a collective experience with one another. The story you tell and how you tell it matters—including who tells it.

When organizations are thinking through their event program, the question of who is onstage is one of the biggest decisions and opportunities. They are the people bringing your story and program to life, and for that event, they become the physical embodiment of your work.

We have worked with the Center for Women’s Leadership on their Power Lunch event for several years. And each year, they fill the stage with women who exemplify the kind of leadership they are committed to uplifting. This year was no exception, and you could feel the power of each speaker fill the room.

 

The Power Lunch is a fundraising lunch with hundreds of leaders from around Oregon committed to supporting young girls and women become changemakers. To bring the mission of their work into the event, CWL chose one of their program alumni to fill the emcee role, giving a senior in high school the chance to demonstrate her leadership in a powerful and supportive room. This made the story they were telling throughout the lunch—how important it is for women and girls to rise up and lead—genuinely impactful.

They didn’t stop there. CWL selected awardees who have used their leadership positions in the world to educate, empower and engage women, lifting up whole communities. And to present each award, they engaged 4 recent program alumnae. At each layer of their event, CWL was committed to representation on stage, and it made their storytelling and mission palpable.

So when you’re thinking about who you want onstage to deliver your story, consider the people who exemplify your work. This is a form of storytelling that puts your mission in action for the people you’re asking to help you carry that mission forward.

 

Photos by Tom Cook