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Event Considerations
The following is a guideline of event considerations which organizers and
potential hosts should keep in mind when deciding how best to make the most
of the Abolition Day Tour.
THE THREE P's
People
Publicity
Plenty of Money
PEOPLE
We've all seen really compelling programs play to ten or even fewer people
in the audience. We hope to make the most of these presentations by
seeking only opportunities where there is a high probability of a large
audience, or where the host group has a large constituency of its own, such as communities of faith and clergy groups, educators and students of all
age groups, politicians, and members of the media.
We recognize that few people want to come out voluntarily on their free
time to hear about death and dying, and maybe get asked for money -- unless
such an event is highly and effectively publicized in such a way, and in
such a community, that high turnout is likely. We have had success with
"free-will-attendance" events on college campuses, for example.
We seek "captive audiences," where groups are already
assembled. Invitations to speak to classes, or to groups such as Kiwanis
or Rotary, or at regularly scheduled religious services - such invitations
are desirable because the audiences are already there.
PUBLICITY
Each of the speakers on this tour have been profiled in the media and are
compelling voices to be offered to the media. Biographical information
suitable for use in approaching the media is available (CLICK HERE). We
encourage local organizers to seek opportunities for advance media coverage
to help attract people to public presentations, as well as media coverage
of any public presentations we give. We also seek opportunities to share
our stories on radio and television public affairs and news programs. In
cooperation with local organizers, we will run an aggressive media outreach
campaign to ensure the broadest possible dissemination of our messages.
PLENTY OF MONEY
The three speakers on this tour represent grassroots organizations which
depend on financial contributions in order to fund their ongoing
work. While the primary purpose of this event is to raise public awareness
about the death penalty, fund raising is also a key goal. We seek both to
cover the costs of the trip, and to raise substantial funds in order to
further the work of the organizations noted above, and the movement to
abolish the death penalty as a whole. Monies raised during the course of
this effort will go either to covering the costs of producing this event,
or to honoraria which benefits the following organizations:
Journey of Hope ...From Violence to Healing, Inc. (a 501c3)
Citizens United for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (NOT a 501c3)
The FADP Exonerated Prisoner Relief Fund (NOT a 501c3)
We are also excited about the possibility of joint fundraising activities
which will benefit both the above-named groups AND local groups which are
hosting the Tour.
Possible sources of revenue:
Honoraria/travel funds available through formal university/school presentations
Honoraria/travel funds available through student group presentations
Honoraria/travel funds available from organizations or institutions which
invite a presentation
Fund raising events, such as House Parties or after-work gatherings where
invited participants either make a contribution to attend, or come with the
understanding that donations will be sought.
Passing the hat, or taking a collection among those present at events.
Each of these speakers has individually been given honoraria from $100 to
well over $1,000. No amount is too much. The number one rule of fund
raising is: "If you don't ask, you get nothing."
Q: How much honoraria is required?
A: How much is available?
Not every event must be revenue generating. What has worked well in our
experience is in scheduling one event that provides sufficient honoraria
and travel funds, and build additional events around that where fund
raising becomes less important. We recognize that some opportunities will
be important to make the most of, but they will not be revenue
generating. These include public school events and media opportunities -
both of which are important types of events to try to schedule.
PLEASE NOTE: "AbolitionWear," or t-shirts, buttons, hats, stickers, and
the BOOKS authored by the speakers will be a key component of the Tour
Program, but funds raised via "minimum suggested donations" solicited for
such items cannot be counted towards honoraria and travel expenditures.
Please direct questions to abe@cuadp.org
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