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Farmers Branch senior advisory board discusses Game Night solicitation rules, sponsorship tiers
Summary
At its Feb. 8 meeting the Farmers Branch Senior Advisory Board discussed guidelines for soliciting donors and sponsors for an annual Game Night fundraiser, including donation types, proposed sponsor tiers and deadlines for donor lists, letters and program materials.
At its Feb. 8 meeting the Farmers Branch Senior Advisory Board discussed a set of solicitation guidelines and a proposed expansion of sponsorship tiers for the board’s annual Game Night fundraising event.
Board members said they will prepare mailing lists and solicitation letters, set deadlines for materials and donations, and clarify what kinds of donations will be recognized in event materials. The board outlined a schedule for donor outreach: a list of potential donors is to be completed by April 4, solicitation letters prepared for the board by the April 11 meeting, and program/publication deadlines were set for mid-August.
Why it matters: Game Night is a recurring fundraising event for senior programs in Farmers Branch. The board’s decisions on donor outreach, recognition and acceptable donation types determine how much revenue the event may raise and how sponsors will be credited in printed and online materials.
Discussion and details
A presenter for the solicitation effort reviewed the proposed process: each board member will prepare a list of potential donors and return the list by April 4. The board will assemble packets of solicitation letters for members to deliver after the letters are finalized; members were asked to make initial contacts only after the recipients have received the solicitation letter.
The guidelines reviewed by the board list acceptable donation formats (gift baskets, gift cards, gift certificates and cash) and set a minimum value threshold for sponsorship listing: donations valued under $25 will not be included in the sponsorship listing. The presenter said donations given as gift cards may be accepted if donated directly, but the board will not accept cash from donors with the explicit intent that staff use that cash to buy gift cards.
Sponsorship levels and prizes
Board members discussed sponsorship levels used in past years (examples recalled in discussion included $100, $250 and $500 tiers) and proposed adding a $1,000 tier as an option for larger donors. Members debated recognition for a “grand prize” and for high-value donation items: one example used in discussion compared an $800-value gift basket with a $500 cash grand prize. The group suggested tagging the first donor who designates a contribution as the grand-prize sponsor, and discussed operational trade-offs if many smaller door prizes are added to the program.
Deadlines and materials
The board set or reiterated production deadlines: program artwork was discussed with a finish date cited as Aug. 30 and a publication-program deadline of Aug. 16. Members proposed sending two versions of the solicitation letter: one thanking past donors and asking for renewed support, and another introducing the program to prospective new donors outside the immediate community.
Next steps
Board members will finalize donor lists by April 4 and work with staff to distribute solicitation letters by April 11. The board will monitor incoming donations and return to the group to decide how to allocate cash donations and prize purchases once the volume and type of contributions are known.
Ending
No formal vote on the solicitation guidelines or sponsor tiers was recorded in the transcript. Members planned follow-up work on letter drafts and outreach lists before the next board meeting.
