Have a Mardi Gras Fundraiser for Your Domestic Violence Agency

As the director of a small nonprofit it is my job to plan fundraisers. It's always a tough job. Everything clicked when I looked into how to have a Mardi Grass fundraiser for our domestic violence agency.

We used a large room, DJ, representative food and had auction items. For us, the combination of a silent and live auction raised the money. Here's how we did it:

Decision making.
Since the celebration runs from January through Fat Tuesday I had a wide range of dates to pick from. (Fat Tuesday is the night before Ash Wednesday). It coincides with the time of year that people need something to celebrate. The holiday bills are usually paid and spring hasn't arrived yet.

Purple, green and gold colors
When looking at how to have a Mardi Grass fundraiser for our domestic violence agency. The traditional colors work perfectly because many programs are dual-issue. This means they serve victims of family violence and sexual assault.

Here's how the color scheme breaks down:

Purple '" domestic violence awareness
Green '" sexual assault awareness (choose green that's a little closer to teal)
Gold '" healing

Venue
Plan for a crowd. A large ballroom, restaurant, cafeteria or church fellowship hall can be used. Many people associate drinking with Mardi Gras. If you use a church fellowship hall be sure to check their rules regarding alcohol. The decision to serve this or not can effect your choice of venue. As the event planner, that decision is up to you.

Food
When deciding how to have a Mardi Grass fundraiser for our domestic violence agency we chose tradition Mardi Gras food items. Our menu included gumbo, Cajun fried chicken with two sides, king cake and cookies.

Event team
When deciding how to have a Mardi Grass fundraiser for our domestic violence agency we knew we needed someone who was already familiar with this type of celebration. It wasn't hard to find someone. All we had to do was ask a few friends if they knew someone from southern Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama before we found the perfect person who was willing to help.

You will also need coordinators for:
Recruiting volunteers for set-up through breakdown and coordinate them on the night of the event.
Auction coordinator (will solicit and arrange auction volunteers).
Food for everything solicitation, cooking, serving or working with a caterer
Check-out team to process auction items
Decorating
Thank you notes
Sponsorships and any grants that your agency applies for.
Photographer
Publicity

In the early years of the event it's possible for one person to do multiple jobs. As the event progresses the need for more help becomes evident. As word grows, so does your potential volunteer pool.

Pulling it together
When deciding how to have a Mardi Grass fundraiser for our domestic violence agency we chose to begin decorating the night before. This helped us avoid last minute surprises.

Selling tickets let us know how many to plan for. A limited number of tickets were available for those who showed up on the night of the celebration. After that, people were allowed in but food availability was not guaranteed.

Appetizers were placed on the table. Everything else was set up buffet style. Servers delivered refills of iced tea and water. Dessert was put out later.

Tables of silent auction items were set-up. Copies of gift certificates were on display while the originals were filed at the check-out table. These tables closed when the desserts were brought out. Items for the live auction were prominently displayed.

Using an MC in addition to the DJ kept the night moving. The MC handled the live auction for the first year. After that, the MC introduced the auctioneer.

Winners of silent auction items were posted before the live auction began.

The DJ played music while the guests were paying for the auction items and continued until almost everything was put away.

When holding a Mardi Grass fundraiser for our domestic violence agency we found it helpful to have a get together in the following week. This helped us decided what worked and what didn't. Essentially, it helped us begin planning the next one.

Sources:
Personal experience