Table Host Guide
We are excited to have you join us for our annual Celebration of Life Gala. The success of the event is truly made possible by you and your guests. With this in mind, we have compiled information to help you to be successful. Thank you for agreeing to serve as a Table Host for this vital fundraiser. Table Hosts are absolutely essential to a successful event. It has been proven over and over again that the majority of guests attend fundraising events because they have been personally invited to come by a friend, family member, or colleague who is serving as a Table Host. Our goal for the number of tables we want to have this year is ambitious. This year our goal is to fill the event space with 50 tables of guests! We need your help to reach our ambitious goals. Here are some ideas on how we can make it happen.
- Never been a table host before? Becoming one for the first time is a wonderful opportunity to bring friends and family together to support something you are passionate about.
- Co-host a table with a friend or family member. Have you hosted one table in the past but think you could pull together two tables this year? Do it!
- Do you have guests who have sat at your table in the past who might be ready to host their own table this year? Encourage them to become table hosts.
Table hosts have simple responsibilities: invite and confirm the attendance of 10 people, including you, and provide a list of these guests to us at least 10 days prior to the event. You are NOT asked to pay for your guests’ seats. While some events prefer to charge a set cost for the event, we work very hard to procure underwriting so that all attendee funds are put directly into our supporting our ministry. No matter your individual plans, please remember the reason this fundraiser model is so effective. In other words, please fill your table with 8 people whose values and motivations reflect your own and are open to give.
How to fill your table
- Invite Guest! Make your invite compelling and personal. Have you given financially, volunteered or attended one of our events before? Share your story with your guests! Personal and passionate invitations are always a success. YOU are the reason your guests will come.
- Invite more than 10 people! If you have overflow, no worries! We can make accommodations for all of your guests and the more people you invite the better your chances are of not ending up with empty seats at your table.
- Invite early and communicate details and confirm. Start early/NOW! It is considered best practice to begin with phone calls. Then email or text a confirmation with a personal note inside to affirm their commitment and follow-up the week before the event with a phone call to ensure attendance. Overflow guests (more than 10 per table) are welcome. Just let us know in advance so we can have seats for everyone!
- Clearly Communicate Goal. This is a fundraiser with the expectation to raise money for our mission. It is always best for you and your guests to understand the expectations in advance. Guests do not need to be wealthy, just likeminded and open to partnering with our ministry. Reach out if you need help or guidance with this piece. It is extremely important to our success.
- ALL CONTRIBUTIONS ARE 100% TAX DEDUCTIBLE and all donors will receive acknowledgement from The Pregnancy Center of Gadsden County.
- Ensure that we have accurate contact information for your guests. Please provide THOROUGH and COMPLETE
contact information for your guests. This really is the biggest way you can help as we will have a large number of attendees that will expect to be communicated with effectively.