Relationships Help Drive Event Success

Relationships are the backbone of a successful event. Who your organization has touched and cultivated relationships with will help frame your support base.

People give to people. And they give a lot more if they feel connected to you and invested in your organization. Then when you have a good relationship with someone, and they support you, they’ll be willing to bring their relationships to the table. And that’s how your web of support grows beyond your immediate circle.

Television show “Grimm” cast member Sasha Roiz took his personal passion for the work of Doernbecher Children’s Hospital in Portland and turned it into a wildly successful fundraiser earlier this year called the Grimm Gala.

“Grimm” films in Portland and its cast has found a home there. Sasha and the show’s cast started doing volunteer work at the local hospital, and Sasha was so moved by the families he met and the lengths they were going to in order to support their critically-ill children, that he decided he wanted to help. And the idea for the Grimm Gala was born.

Sasha looked to the relationships that he had, and made the big asks to bring together the resources to make the night happen. His relationship with his network got Comcast/NBCUniversal to come forward with a sponsorship to cover the hard costs of the event so that every dollar raised at the event would go to Doernbecher.

He also had a relationship with Nike and approached them with the interesting opportunity to be a part of the night, and they committed in a large way. Nike made custom shoes for 5 different characters on the show that became the cornerstone of a fantastic live auction. They also designed custom sweatshirts branded to the Grimm Gala event that guests were able to buy.

The cast of “Grimm” came out to the event in full force and showed their support, posing for photographs on the red carpet with guests, buying auction items and cheering bidders on. The show’s production team turned the event space into favorite locations from the show, really bringing the Grimm Gala to life.

It was truly a unique gathering of local resources connected through strong relationships that yielded an incredible evening raising over $300,000 for the Grimmster Endowment, which was set up by the TV show cast to provide funds to support families with children receiving long-term care from the hospital.

 Photos by Andie Petkus