Orchestra volunteers: Need to raise a quick $20,000? Looking for a unique fundraising event? Get out the checkered tablecloths and bibs and have a Lobster Fest Picnic!
Here’s how the Oklahoma City Orchestra League does it:
1. Check the Farmer’s Almanac to assist you in finding the perfect evening for an outside picnic.
2. Find a supplier to provide fresh whole Maine lobsters (lobsters are cheapest in the fall). FYI, the overnight shipping can cost more than the lobsters.
3. Pick a great committee of volunteers to help with all the details (i.e., invitations, wine, table decorations, table and chair rentals, silverware, glasses, paper goods, valet parking, bartenders and thank you notes).
4. Find a picturesque outdoor location perfect for steaming hundreds of lobsters.
5. Put together a group of musicians from your orchestra who love to perform outdoors and also happen to love lobster.
6. Find a chef who can provide the staff and side dishes you need.
7. Make sure you have disposable bibs, wet naps, lobster crackers, picks, and placemats that demonstrate how to crack a lobster.
8. Send out invitations to the Lobster Fest Picnic and inform guests how the money will be used (i.e., to support the nationally acclaimed Oklahoma City Orchestra League’s music education program, We’ve Got Rhythm).
9. Sit back and enjoy a perfect evening of friends, music, wine, and lobsters!
For more information on this Gold Book Award-winning project, visit the Lobster Fest Picnic on Gold Book Online. For other project ideas, visit Gold Book Online and search for projects of interest to you. Gold Book Online is a resource for successful projects dating back to 2005, and facilitates easy networking and information sharing among organizations.
Posted July 2, 2014
