At a time when the DOW has suffered a 12-month, 50 percent free-fall, and Detroit’s big three aren’t sure if the lights will be on next year, Faith in Marketing helped a local church double its profit at an annual food-tasting fundraiser. The 5th Annual International Food Faire was held at Santa Sophia in San Diego County on November 15th.
“We were happy to donate more than 100 hours of time in an effort to help bring the event to the next level,” said Thom Hiatt, President at Faith in Marketing. His staff volunteered logo design, banner design, event website maintenance, ticket design and printing, on-site posters and banners, table tents, creative strategic ideas, ideas for new revenue streams, and corporate sponsorship sales support. “Thom also emceed the event and arranged for free prime-time news coverage on the local CBS television affiliate,” noted the church pastor, Fr. Peter McGuine.” The church’s net profit from the event doubled this November compared to last year.
“We believe it’s important to support non-profit organizations whenever possible through donations, discounts, or by simply volunteering talent and ideas,” said Melissa Hiatt, Director of Design at Faith in Marketing. “During a tough economy, non-profits can suffer the most as consumers tighten their purse strings and cut donations long before they cut their morning latte,” said Melissa, “And that can be devastating to a group that is trying to keep kids fed, stop abuse, prevent animal cruelty, or cure cancer.”
Your donation of time, talent, or treasure can also be a great marketing & networking opportunity. “Over the years we have volunteered with a wide variety of organizations,” said Thom, “And more often than not, it has translated into opportunities, proposals, and signed contracts.”
But much more important, noted Thom, are the new relationships. “Some of my closest friends are people I met ten years ago while helping to keep teenagers away from tobacco!”
When you give of yourself, everybody wins.
(The above article was written in November 2008, and re-posted in November 2017.)