Ready, Set, Launch: The Secret to Making Your Non-Profit Event A Success
“We Rise By Lifting Others” – Robert Ingersoll
I’ve long preached about how vital it is to get involved in an organization or cause you believe in. Volunteering is one of the most powerful opportunities for personal and professional growth.
This year, I encountered a new opportunity to serve in a leadership role as President of Women of Global Change (WGC) Atlanta Chapter.
On Wednesday August 17th, our committee members successfully executed our Women of Global Change Atlanta Chapter Launch!
After the excitement of last week, I’ve had some time to reflect on the key components of a successful non-profit event. Here were some of the key elements that made the event a success and helped lay the foundation of growth for our new chapter.
A Committee You Can Count On.
A successful event requires a committee of like-minded people who believe strongly in a cause and have a passion for serving others. A dedicated team coupled with a clear vision and strong leadership is a recipe for success.
Working with myself and my Chapter Vice President, Tracy Neal, our powerhouse Committee collaborated for over 90 days to plan a strong, well-coordinated event. Each Committee member contributed unique, valuable skill-sets.
All our members brought enthusiasm, energy and a positive attitude to our planning meetings, showed up early, ensured we stayed on budget, vetted our charities, actively promoted the event and – most of all – were here to serve with open minds and hearts.
Without our Committee’s phenomenal effort, the event wouldn’t have had such a inspiring impact. When the right team collaborates, you can achieve tremendous results!
A Cause You Care to Stand Behind.
Every non-profit is driven by a mission. Women of Global Change’s mission is serve o thers in need and empower women in communities both locally and internationally. The WGC Atlanta Chapter decided to support two incredible charities this year. We invited representatives from both charities to speak at the event. and their messages were trul y motivational.
First, we are proud to sponsor the Amanda Riley Foundation which promotes childhood cancer awareness. Barbara Riley spoke at our Launch on behalf of the organization, sharing a story about her daughter Amanda and what motivated them to start their foundation. On August 27th, the Amanda Riley Foundation is hosting its 2nd Gala For Gold. What an honor it is for myself personally and the WGC team to support this important cause!
Second, we are proud to support the Avita Community Foundation known for their work with children and adults with mental illness. Cindy Levi, who came to represent the organization, did a fantastic job educating us on the Foundation’s needs and its service to local communities. We are honored to support them with a large project in 2016!
A Captivating Keynote.
Promoting a non-profit event is only the first step. The ultimate goal is to have your guests walk away educated, inspired and motivated to get involved and take action.
Our keynote speaker was Dr. Natalie Forest, the Executive Director of The Women of Global Change. Natalie is also the Founder of Revolutionize Your Potential, a series of educational trainings for individuals and corporations across the globe. Natalie engages leaders, corporate teams, and entrepreneurs to identify consistencies for their success. She did an incredible job empowering our guests to revolutionize their purpose.
Thank you Natalie for your inspirational words and the work you have done to propel Women of Global Change forward!
Sponsorship Partners.
If you’ve ever been involved in putting together a large event, you know the importance of sponsorship. Without the support of sponsors, our event would not have been a reality. Our team is fortunate to have relationships with individuals with integrity who were prepared to step up and stand with WGC Atlanta Chapter. Several of our sponsors spoke at the event.
One of our Gold Sponsors was my friend and client Thele Moore from Thele Moore American Family Insurance. She delivered an amazing talk on the importance of dreams and how American Family Insurance can help protect your dreams. Our second Gold Sponsor was Laurie Sossa with The Southern Barter Club in Atlanta. Laurie spoke about how we can use the Southern Barter Club to grow our businesses globally.
Our Bronze sponsors were Vivian Lynch with Vivian Lynch Photography who captured all our moments from the heart and is Dannella Burnette with Oakwood Occasions, a fellow WGC Atlanta Chapter Committee member, who helped us pay attention to fine details during the event planning process.
The support of our generous sponsors enabled us to share our mission with the community!
Location, location, location.
Choosing a venue is a decision that will have a large impact on your event. Establish your budget, a projected number of attendees and whether you want a formal or informal event before you select your venue. Do your best to book your venue well in advance and make sure your venue will comfortably accommodate all your event activities, from social networking to a keynote speech.
To kick off our Launch event in style and give new members a warm welcome, we selected the 1818 Club, an upscale venue in Duluth, GA. Of course, of equal importance to venue is food and beverage. Our committee selected an over the top menu to ensure our guests would enjoy themselves.
The Real Champions: Our Attendees.
Without attendees, there can be no success! The real champions of the day were the many guests who came with the desire to learn, grow and achieve. I would like to express my personal gratitude to my friends and clients who made time to attend this event. On behalf of my Committee, we hope every guest walked away with the knowledge that they too can leave a legacy by serving with like minded individuals and charities.
An Honor to Serve.
The rewards of serving your community are priceless. This is true whether you serve as an individual, on behalf of your business or alongside a non-profit organization.
Our Launch event would not have been a success without an elite class of women who share a burning desire to partner together to create something bigger than themselves. I am honored and privileged to serve with such an inspiring group of committee members, sponsors, friends, family, and colleagues to educate and empower women worldwide.
Our team also benefited from the full support of our headquarters, including inspirational Founder Shellie Hunt and her expert team. We were all driven by a clear vision, which is so integral to the success of any non-profit event.
Thank you to everyone who made our Launch such a great success!
Up Next: You’re Invited!
We invite our local community to visit us on September 21st from 11:30 to 1:30 p.m. at the 1818 Club for a second WGC Atlanta Chapter meeting. Stay tuned to learn who our special guest speaker will be! Pre-registration for the event is $25.00. Click here to pre-register. If you are interested in being a sponsor, please contact celeste@thewomenofglobalchange.com.
We are also opening up several other chapters across the United States. I am honored to help launch the Toronto, Ontario Chapter in the next couple of months. Please visit our website!
At Celeste Giordano Coaching, I work one-on-one with business owners who are committed to developing themselves personally and professionally. I encourage my clients to attend networking events and get involved in volunteering opportunities to further their development as well as develop new leads and referral sources! My clients learn the value of serving in addition to the mindsets and strategies necessary to increase their sales and “Double Plus” their income.
On September 8th, I will be co-hosting a “Building A Legacy Business” workshop with my colleague Joan Williams designed to help business entrepreneurs grow their businesses this year.
To learn more about our workshop contact me at celeste@celestegiordano.com or click here to register today.
Enjoy these last days of summer!
Celeste Giordano’s mission is to help business owners develop the skills, knowledge and attitude necessary to “double-plus” their income and become effective and inspirational leaders in their fields. Whether it’s taking your successful business to the next level or starting a new venture, she will teach you the exact skills and strategies you need to enroll more quality prospects, build a rock-solid team, and break through obstacles to achieve real profit and lasting success. Celeste is a professional business growth specialist, a master sales strategist, and dynamic speaker with almost 40 years experience in direct sales and managing high-performing teams.
To learn more about Celeste, click here.
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