Lunar X’s Post

It’s 7am and I’m sitting on a plane headed to Austin, Texas with my team for #SXSW where The Hope Booth will be a featured social impact exhibitor in the Creative Industries Expo! Simultaneously, we have another team headed to Portland, Oregon for NTEN for #24NTEN as a social impact exhibitor in their Collaborative Art Space. Two Teams. Two Cities. One Mission. MAKE HOPE & HELP FREE & ACCESSIBLE TO ALL. Sure, we desire to walk away with new donors and sponsors to advance our work; we’re a nonprofit, that’s always a goal! …but truth be told, this is more than an event to us. Our heartbeat is that, individuals who are desperately searching for hope and an opportunity to feel seen, heard, loved, and valued would stumble across The Hope Booth. Our heartbeat is that, one of these days at one of these events at any given moment, someone would have a hope-filled encounter at Booth #645 or in the Collaborative Art Space that would save their life and becoming a marking moment in their journey forever. Our heartbeat is that, the person who has been too afraid to ask for help or too weary to search for help would encounter the local help that The Hope Booth offers them without them having to do the heavy lifting. Our heartbeat is that, the person who is questioning the value of their existence would choose to stay just a little longer… Our heartbeat is that, what we have spent years creating behind scenes would prove to not just be impressive, but impactful and dare I say; life saving. The level of our impact directly hinges on the intentionality of our heart posture. Our hearts are ready. And we are expectant. See you soon Austin Portland. We’re ready to spread a little hope. 💛

🌟 Elevate Your Brand and Support a Vibrant Community! 🌟 Are you ready to shine the spotlight on your company while making a meaningful impact? Look no further! We're thrilled to share sponsorship opportunities for our highly anticipated annual fundraising gala at the DANK Haus! As a sponsor, you'll enjoy unparalleled visibility and the chance to connect with a diverse audience of 200 globally-minded individuals who are deeply engaged in their local community. Here's why sponsoring our gala is a game-changer for your brand: 1️⃣ Prime Exposure: Introduce your brand to our esteemed guests and showcase your commitment to community involvement. 2️⃣ Networking Bonanza: Rub shoulders with industry leaders and forge valuable connections that could propel your business forward. 3️⃣ Brand Amplification: Gain visibility on both print and digital event materials, ensuring maximum exposure for your company. 4️⃣ Digital Reach: With a combined digital reach of over 13,000 social media followers and 9,722 email subscribers, your brand will reach new heights of recognition. 5️⃣ Support a Worthy Cause: By sponsoring our gala, you're not just promoting your brand — you're also supporting the DANK Haus's mission to preserve and promote German culture, heritage, and language. 🕺 Get ready to boogie the night away at our Disco-themed extravaganza! 🎶 From a sumptuous seated dinner to an open bar and groovy DJ and dancing, this event promises to be an unforgettable experience. Don't miss this opportunity to make a splash while supporting a worthy cause! Contact [email protected] or visit https://loom.ly/tnfSgHg today to secure your sponsorship and join us in making a difference. Together, let's light up the night and celebrate community, culture, and connection. #SponsorshipOpportunity #CommunityEngagement #SupportLocal #elevateyourbrand #fundraising

the bank of steelband i see all these people following pan in the prelims and I ask myself: how can steelbands monetize all of this love. you see after the crowds are gone, there are some people in that panyard and surroundings not sure what tomorrow will bring, in terms of basic sustenance so how can stelbands monetize this small window of love? what if we discussed some of these to find the way: 1. they "passed a hat around": a way for performers, and or those in need to collect funds directly from the audience. It could be done in partnership with lion's and rotary clubs in the area; having some fun by crafting some large hats or bags that may be more easily maneuvered in a crowd. long ago steelbands collected their "band fee" from masqueraders by walking through the band collecting 2. ticketed vip experiences: offer special access or perks for a fee, like backstage passes or exclusive seating. this is not to keep the community out, rather it is to have them benefit from the visitors 3. merchandise sales: create and sell branded merchandise related to the event or the organization. 4. food and beverage sales: partner with local vendors or set up a booth for refreshments. 5. silent auction: collect donated strelband themed items and auction them off during the event. 6. membership drives: encourage attendees to become members of the organization for additional benefits. 7. art or craft sales: allow local artists to showcase and sell their work during the event. 8. photography services: offer professional event photography for attendees at a cost. 9. donation stations: set up designated areas for direct monetary contributions. 10. online streaming: Charge a fee for online access to live-streamed events [Pan Trinbago] 11. raffles: sell tickets for a chance to win prizes donated by local businesses. These ideas can help steelbands generate revenue, while maintaining the spirit of community engagement.

Need a last-minute gift? Something that is helping you as a GTM executive and a good cause to make progress. 👇👇👇 Give the gift of - Growing Together. I have gotten tremendous value out of my Pavilion membership - since Aug 2020 - and great friendships out of the community. A unique group of GTM/growth leaders that exchange value and share knowledge with each other is brought together. Helping each other to transform and grow. My outcomes, playing the long game: - 1000 people joined the Growth Strategy Slack channel - 1000 new LinkedIn connections - 175 One-on-One Conversations with peers; from exchanging ideas to helping each other solve problems - 3 x Completed executive / C-suite education; CRO school, Enterprise GTM school, CMO school - 2 different continents my business IF Associates have signed up customers from - 1 x gifted a 3D object from a customer End of 2022 I had the honor to become an Envoy - functional community leader- for the CMO group of 1000 members and counting at Pavilion. - 12 x hosted a CMO round table together with my fellow Envoys - June '23 -> CRO Summit for the first time meeting peers IRL. - October '23 -> GTM Summit in Nashville an experience founded on camaraderie And 2024 is set to be another powerful year within our community. We are hosting events all over the world and re-introducing our local Chapters to facilitate local community among out GTM execs and CEOs members. I will be back hosting virtual events open for members and non members alike. Not a member yet? #JoinPavilion now and give yourself and a good cause a treat under the 🎄 There’s never been a better time to become part of a community of thousands of growth leaders. If you join before the end of the year, Pavilion will donate $100 to the charity of your choice, AND by using PVLN10, you can get 10% off your membership. Also, by using my referral link, they will donate $100 to the charity of my choice too. See the link in the 1st comment to join us. #growth #gift #pavilion #community

Remember this? When I shared with you of a solicitation request that hit wonky, at a Gala event last month, and to either "Give right here/be sent a bill?" Well, last week, I received a thank you letter for my gift of personal significance. Beyond the 15 inferences to "we/us/org" in the letter, here's the formulaic recap: ⁉ My gift, when pooled, helped raise $XXX,XXX. ⁉ My gift goes to "'Program XYZ'...supporting increased need, increased trauma...increased emotions...and increased need for support..." (Yes - this copy was lifted right from the letter.) ⁉ "Our video...our evening...we feel supported...we provide...we offer...our professional staff..." ⁉ "Mark you calendars for [Month/Day], 2024, for our XX/st/th benefit!" For organizations who have historically set acquisition and special event tactics on autopilot, please pause that and really take stock in what harm your fundraising is enabling, especially if you feel the need to continue the same tired equation and without genuine outcome-based story-sharing. And that quote in your video of "gotta try to get more donors"? How about you begin to think differently about seeing who you already have in your corner? The #cringecontinues, friends. #responsivefundraising #galas #events #selfdefeating #broken https://lnkd.in/g8qGmE56

Women in Auto Care is a community, a network, and a leadership conference that's all about lifting each other up, clearing those paths, and making the world a better place for us in the industry and, ultimately, for all car owners. It's a place where the "little guys" get as much respect as the c suite, where everyone mingles and networks and tries to help each other be the best they can be, and where competitors put aside their sales targets and recognize that we're all better when we're helping each other. I haven't been shy about sharing my experiences attending WiAC, but without the financial support of Jill Trotta and Kathleen Long and a media discount, I would not have attended even a single conference. Paying your own way is nearly impossible for non-corporate-funded people. Between the cost of the conference, hotel, and flight, along with drinks and dinner at networking events, you could easily spend $1,500 on a single conference. This is a deterrent to female mechanics, parts sales folks, service advisors, and everyone else with boots on the ground and no continuing education budget to tap into. If sliding-scale membership and event fees aren't possible, a program modeled after this one by the Women's Industry Network (WIN) would be a good alternative. This way, more "little guys" like me could attend and benefit from the education, community, and networking opportunities. https://lnkd.in/gGcmK-mq

So...I heard that last week. What?! Yes. A real “ask” overheard at a community benefit event. #cringemuch? As the organization closed their silent auction nearly two weeks post-event (they opened it after the event ended to continue generosity from the night), this next question came to event staff: “Why didn’t we raise more?” Another real quote, shared with me from the same organization that used deficit-based event program content and their subsequent deflating ask, and from a board member who may not fully understand this work. Now, the organization did meet their revenue goals, but some feedback from attendees (not me) hit super-awkwardly: “Why did the person in their video say they ‘gotta try and get more donors’?” As I’ve often elevated to clients, organizations, and peers, when you set special event and supporter acquisition strategies on auto-pilot, your results will eventually plateau. And, to have the energy in the room deflate during the ask, only focusing on “getting more”, what a total turn-off to existing and prospective supporters. To lift some phrases from Jim Langley here, I left: 😕 With less confidence in the agency; 😟 Feeling the story and ask were not relevant to their actual work in 2023; and 😢 Sad, knowing that without having received any donor outreach between events from the organization to me, to really learn what I care about (other than sending me this year’s event invitation...), my past commitments don’t appear to matter. Greg Cunningham, MBA, a local champion of larger systems-change and community impact so aptly stated yesterday morning, on a North Star Journey community panel with MPR News’s Angela Davis: “Culture is a factor to the success equation.” Is anyone talking deeply about true and lost opportunity (culture?) costs from events? Agencies always tout “goodwill” and “buzz” as an intangible benefit of galas, but rarely do they look inward to explore their true pain points of opportunity. For those agencies still expecting great results from a tired special events model, listen closely to and involve your stakeholders in event design. Your community deserves more; donors of all types are actively finding nonprofits that are seeing them as true partners in the work, over ones that simply share the dollars raised from a lens of competition. #responsivefundraising #gala #specialevents #brokenmodels #sensemaking

Looking for events that are happening in the Metro this week that you probably will want to consider as you are growing your network ? 6/10 Greater Des Moines Partnership's Small Business Success Summit. An all day event of networking and learning targeted for small businesses so if you are a small business or in the process of building one there will be a ton of resources to help you on your journey at the FFA Center. 6/10-12 The Hu Valuation Summit at the World Food Prize. Multiple days of roundtable discussions around valuation and human value as they strive to solve problems and add value to businesses #beyondcarbon It's designed to come and go as you want to, but start ups, businesses, and non profits from around the country will be pitching. 6/12 Brewing Up Business will be at Paws & Pints 5-7p. Grow your network, hear from Big Brothers & Big Sisters and ways that you can help support them. 6/13 House of Mercy Game Show Gala. Non-Profit support beyond your traditional black tie gala. It's a fun game show with audience participation. Of course still great networking, dinner, and the like but better. Still time to get tickets, and if you can't make it then support with a donation to #teamwill (selfishly that's the team I'm on) 6/13 Technology Association of Iowa's monthly Tech Brew 8-9a at West End Architectural Salvage. It's always a can't miss event that should be on your calendar (2nd Tuesday of the month). This month my friend John Bertrand will be the presenter and it's going to be awesome! 6/13 West Des Moines Chamber of Commerce's West YP monthly event is doing an HR Info Session focused on what are you doing to retain and develop your #youngprofessionals 4-5p at Beerstyles 6/15 Ankeny Young Professionals and Upton Ankeny have their AYP Summer Bash. Face painting, superheroes, princess and so much more. Entertainment for the whole family. 11-2p #promotepeoplenotproducts #networking #dsmusa #events #reppdesmoines #professionaldevelopment #jacobfromlinkedin

Thx Florian Schreitter Ritter von Schwarzenfeld (Executive Vice President of THOMSEN GROUP) for your moderation, not only during the historical pre-program with the ambassador of Frankfurt, but also during the award ceremony and the night of the #HallofFuture, the non-profit organization for responsible business answers to #future questions, in short: #QualityEconomy. https://lnkd.in/e3dRbD3V The Hall of Future member companies together represent more than half a #trillion euros in annual #revenue in more than 100 countries with more than 1 million employees. Yes, these are numbers. Because they will also play a role in the future, for example to prove that Quality Economy is also quantitatively more #successful. #PeterSchwarzenbauer Brigitte Mohn Saori Dubourg Thomas Lemke Stephanie Cossmann Sabine U. Dietrich Jan-Hendrik Goldbeck Hendrik Bitterschulte Jan Goetz Frank Thelen Lea-Sophie Cramer Sebastian Schels Andreas Ronken Josef Geiger Nicola Winter Florian Stetter Jan Grothe Astrid Schulte Andreas Huber Roland Dr. Lappin Thomas Wuensche Jochen Koestler Dr. Patricia Cronemeyer Frank Theis Oliver Everling Daniel Wiegand Zeljko Karajica Jonas Boldt Christof Hettich Dr. Florian Toncar Tobias Schulz-Isenbeck Tim Raue Manfred Bauer Christian Thess Simone Thomsen Florian Schreitter Ritter von Schwarzenfeld