Focus on Your Message for a Successful Athletic Charity Event
When I organized Alzheimer’s Association Memory Walks, I remember becoming pretty overwhelmed during the couple of weeks leading up to the event. Although my committee and I had been working hard for a year, and we had thought of every last detail, it still seemed impossible that we would actually be ready in time. Stress would take over, and I would start to get lost in the minutiae of planning an athletic fundraiser.
This was dangerous, because becoming overwhelmed with the process of printing t-shirts, securing a guest speaker, making sure there will be enough chairs, and obsessing about the best color for the programs is the equivalent of failing to see the forest from the trees. If you get too caught up in the details, you run the risk of losing sight of your mission.
Your mission is the most important element of your organization and, therefore, is the driving force behind your athletic charity event. Do you know your organization’s mission by heart? Can you summarize it in a couple of sentences? Try it. If you don’t have it memorized, work at it until you do.
When planning your event, keep this mission front and center. Make a poster with your mission printed on it and display it at every planning committee meeting. At your event, talk about your mission every chance you get. Have participants affected by your cause speak about their experiences and how your organization has helped them. Unify and energize your supporters by reminding them why they are there. Provide concrete examples of how their contributions have helped you accomplish your mission.
One last thought. Write your mission on an index card or the back of a business card and put it in your wallet. Then, when you start to get lost in the minutiae like I used to, take out that card and read it three times. It will help you focus again on why you do what you do, and how you are making a difference in the world.
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