| |
|
| |
Business Rule #43:
Look for the Win-Win
December 15, 2005
by Caroline Pfouts
Randal Pinkett and his Excel team faced a problem that shouldn’t have been a surprise if they had paid more attention to the weather report: their celebrity softball game got rained out. They optimistically called ahead and asked the groundskeeper to put a tarp down on the field, just in case the clouds cleared in time for the game. No such luck.
So at the very last minute, Excel had to orchestrate a move indoors. Certainly the look of the event suffered greatly. Instead of the green field and fresh air, they made do with a cramped locker room that was far too small for all of their celebrity attendees. What meager decorations they had did little to liven up the drab concrete walls. If it weren’t for the people and the festive spirit they brought with them to the charity auction, it would have been depressing.
As it was, the close-knit quarters and the feeling of togetherness that it instilled may have benefited the auction. Excel raised over $11,000 for their autism charity. When the celebrities bid, the auctioneer pointed out who they were and the crowd cheered in acknowledgment of their fame and generosity. Who wouldn’t want the good feeling engendered by a round of shouts and applause for their contribution? Although unintentional, it worked out as a great way to boost donations. Randal ultimately gained from his lack of planning.
Rebecca Jarvis and the Capital Edge team faced some serious problems of their own. Because of union restrictions, Joe Piscopo had to withdraw as the emcee for the Yahoo! VIP comedy night for pediatric AIDS. Sure the Capital Edge team pulled together in a pinch to find another emcee for the evening, but it’s baffling why Rebecca never had anyone at least call the union to find out what it would take to get clearance for Piscopo to appear. If the union made impossible demands, that would be one thing, but to assume it was a lost cause without any investigation was hardly the approach of a winner.
| |
| advertisement |
 |
|
| |
| |
The details of the Yahoo! comedy event were first rate, from the purple-and-white decorations to the flashing purple ice cubes in the new drink they concocted for the event, called a “Yahootini.” It was truly a tremendous event, from beginning to end. Donald Trump may have thrown a little hiccup into the schedule when he unexpectedly corralled everyone downstairs for the comedy show too early, but Capital Edge handled it well.
By the time Capital Edge got to the boardroom, it was clear that the biggest challenge they faced was in coming up with a way to raise money for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation that the Yahoo! executives would find acceptable for their VIP evening. Just because Yahoo! deemed overt solicitation inappropriate didn’t mean the fundraising efforts had to be relegated to putting envelopes in the gift bags requesting a contribution. What Capital Edge needed was a way to collect donations that night without having to directly ask for them, so that their results could be calculated immediately.
When I was President of a local bar association, we hosted an annual Judges Night, where we personally invited members of the bench to attend a casual dinner. We wanted to raise money at this event for a shelter for battered women, but, like Rebecca, we couldn’t directly solicit contributions from our guests of honor. Our answer was to include a silent auction as part of the evening’s festivities. Restaurants, spas, and other neighborhood businesses donated items. Throughout the night, attendees could go through the tables of auction items and bid on them. Everyone benefited: the donors got a tax write off, the judges and attorneys walked away with some great items, and the charity received the proceeds. Everybody involved felt great about doing something to give back to the community. Talk about a win-win situation.
|
|
What Capital Edge needed was a way to collect donations that night without having
