Fundraiser Spotlight
RJ Lisander
RJ (she/her) is a LoveYourBrain (LYB) Program Leader, longtime fundraiser, and passionate advocate of LYB who recently attended a storytelling workshop - hosted in collaboration with The Moth - in which she was equipped to re-craft and share her story of brain injury.
Weeks later, RJ and her partner, George, hosted a fundraising event in support of LYB and used the power of story to elevate their event and fundraising goal. We hope you find inspiration and learning in what she’s shared with us:
RJ’s tips for a successful fundraising event!
Set a theme/event objective: George and I wanted to share the power of the LYB Retreat experience, but we needed a draw to get people in the room. We landed on a “Sip and Share” - a wine tasting and treats, and storytelling by George who had recently volunteered at a Retreat.
Invite everyone! Seriously - we invited almost 300 people, and found that we needed just to fill the room. Very few were likely to attend, so we over-invited to ensure we had a nice crowd and get as many donations as possible.
Make it accesible: While we hosted at a wine store, we offered non-alcoholic options at each tasting station. We also set up the venue to be TBI-friendly with soft lights, no music, anxiety toys, and noise check signs.
Ask for what you need: Event costs add up. For us, we knew we’d need support:
Space rental: We asked retail shops to donate the space (knowing they’d see it as a plus to have foot traffic and potential customers in the room!).
Food: A friend donated brain-healthy food!
Tickets vs. donations: we set a $45 ticket price we knew people could afford and would be comfortable spending on a night out. We also offered 3 donation options:
$85 - 1 ticket + $40 donation
$45 - 1 ticket + ask for a donation to my fundraising page of any amount
Any donation - for those unable to attend, we still gave them a chance to make an impact by linking to my Classy page. This was the most popular option!
Create connection for attendees: We opened with ice breaker questions when people arrived (Why do you think they have these toys on the tables? Why do you think they are using signs to ask us to check our noise volume? Can you find the picture of George in an apron?)
Communicate with everyone you invite, before during and after! Here’s what our communications looked like:
Initial invitation was sent 4 weeks ahead of the event
A follow-up was sent 2 weeks out with a little teaser to our story.
1 week out, we sent a last minute communication, and - because RSVPs were less than stellar - the wine shop offered to donate 3 nice bottles of wine for an auction prize to encourage more people to attend. It worked - our attendance doubled! We also waived the ticket fee in that final week, so last minute sign-ups actually attended without a cost!
The morning after the event, I thanked everyone who donated by way of hand-written notes.
And finally, two days before Giving Tuesday, I emailed all the people again and let them know to check out the fundraising page to preview the story I recorded and let them know they could donate then or on Giving Tuesday.
RJ’s reflections
We have a truly inspired and generous group of friends and family who really care about community, as well as a truly generous venue that wanted the event to be about us raising money and awareness, not them making money.
We were intentional in the stories we shared, how we shared them, and worked to paint a picture of strangers arriving and leaving life-long friends.
Just before we started the auction began, we let people know where we were to goal - the balance came by way of bids! We actually ended up (once all checks arrive to LYB) at about $800 over goal. (I cried tears of joy! And, hugged everyone … HUGE!).
Most of the donations came directly to my fundraising page from friends and family who could not attend. Those who came to the event did an amazing job of participating in the setting we recreated, listening to the stories, and feeling the connections. This is what really moved them to donate so generously.
RJ and George, at a LYB Retreat
We are so grateful to RJ, George, and all of the wonderful humans who lean into bravery, vulnerability and story to make a deep impact on the brain injury community!
