Taking Partnership to New Heights
Having a good partner is as subjective as it is intangible. It’s one of those things you know when you feel it. And yet considering, exploring and optimizing why and how you partner with many different communities who support you around your event can make the difference not just between success and failure, but in the motivation people have to support your work.
Community Action has learned the profound value of partnership in their daily work and applied this knowledge to the way they approach their annual gala, Kaleidoscope.
To execute this event, Community Action partners fully with Swaim Strategies. They value our voice, follow our advice, take our suggestions and communicate with us openly and fully. This allows us to really show up to both handle the details to match their vision, but also to navigate any concerns.
They partner with their auctioneer, Artisan Auctions, working closely with them to strategize the giving in the room. They take advice and create a collaborative approach to reaching their full potential around fundraising, and it pays off big.
They partner with their venue, NW Events and Environments, working to create a space and an ambiance connected to the theme of the event, including a custom Kaleidoscope visual design that lends their room drama, sparkle and beauty.
They partner with their caterer, Vibrant Table to create a dining experience that takes all other creative elements into consideration and brings flair and flavor to the party.
Community Action’s partnerships with other nonprofits are reflected in attendees—many other nonprofits come out to support Community Action and to show how much they value their work together. In developing a fundraising strategy, they even give donors an opportunity to sponsor fresh foods, provided by partner nonprofit Adelante Mujeres, for Community Action clients.
And they partner with sponsors and donors in ways that reflect their spirit of collaboration.
One of the most fruitful of these partnerships is with Farmington Gardens, a business that believes in Community Action’s mission because of advocacy work for living-wage workers like many on Farmington Garden’s staff. The organization has donated auction packages and centerpieces. They’ve been a lead sponsor of the event and a lead-off gift in the appeal. Farmington Garden’s owner Linda Eshraghi has been an appeal speaker, bringing her unique point of view as a business owner and supporter. And because Farmington Gardens believes in Community Action, they show up to the gala and help inspire giving.
To put on a truly great event, it takes a collective spirit of collaboration. Many people from many different parts of your work must come together and bring their A-game. We’ve found there’s no better way to make sure this happens than to make partnership a cornerstone of your approach to each part of your process. When you do that, you create a call-to-action for your work that has special resonance and staying power.
