Learn some great tips for putting the WOW into any nonprofit or charity event. Our featured vendors, Entertaining Company and Chicago Live Music, offer some great advice on creating successful events that your guests will long remember.
Putting the WOW into Charity Events – from featured vendor Entertaining Company:
Designs For Dignity Event at PIRCH
When Designs for Dignity (D4D) and PIRCH joined forces for the Valentine’s Day Partnership event, they asked Entertaining Company’s Julie Fitzgerald to provide some inspired lite bites and beverages to 
help set the mood for a successful fundraising event. Using the D4D groups donated alcohol , our team created a PIRCH “Passion Joy – Tini “ Welcome drink and passed Mini Maple Glazed Pork Belly Sliders with a fried Quail Egg ( who doesn’t love a perfect egg on anything pork! ) , Beef Short Rib On Wonton Crisp with Red Pepper Compote Tomato Tarte Tatin with Pesto Mascarpone Mousse .
The PIRCH Showroom Kitchens were a Catering Designers dream setting for small plate food stations placed for all guests to enjoy in between dancing and donating. The event created awareness of the D4D mission “Designs for Dignity transforms nonprofit environments through pro bono design services and in-kind donations – empowering lives through design” and cash to support ongoing grants.
“Our client said it all “A wonderful event, a huge thank you to you and your entire staff!!!!”
From presentation to first bite, it is easy to identify an Entertaining Company fete because all 
of your senses are firing at once. When a Client hires Entertaining Company, they are looking for a polished, food-driven event.
Entertaining Company has a reputation for creating customized, experiential party menu ideas that make every party stand out whether it is an elegant corporate gala, a wedding for 200 or an intimate dinner party.
Even when the client requests comfort food or street food, they know Entertaining Company will follow through with unique twists on the classics and a combination of fantastic flavors and creative presentations. Every event is unique and it is our attention to every detail that makes it effortless for our clients so they can truly enjoy their party!
A word on entertainment from featured vendor, Chicago Live Music:
A charity gala definitely presents its own set of challenges for any event organizer, and one of the most important challenges is how to keep the audience engaged and energized throughout the evening so that the event can raise as much money as possible. It is very important for the entertainment producer to
understand this type of event, so they are able to program the right kind of entertainment for each part of
the evening.
The key to scheduling the right entertainment is knowing how the entertainment will fit into the goal at hand. For instance, in the earlier part of the night, there is usually a silent auction or some sort of fund-raising component. For this, programming instrumental music with a nice energy, without allowing it to distract the guests is very important. During dinner, providing a nice ambiance for background, and possibly scheduling some energetic walk on music for key presenters as they make their way to the stage for speeches would be a nice touch. And finally, after dinner, keeping guests engaged at the event is key.
We have had the most success at the end of the evening by playing a variety of high-energy dance music, which also leaves guests with something to remember so they make sure to return the next year. It is extremely important that the organizers of any gala work closely with their selected entertainment provider to make sure that all of the elements of the evening continue to work towards the goal of the fundraiser.
Chicago Live Music Highlighted Entertainment:
Steve Biossat and Sway Chicago have provided the entertainment for several of the top fundraising balls and galas in Chicago for many years. They understand the needs of their fundraising clients and have been involved in events raising anywhere from $20K to more than $2M in one night, including The Museum of Science and Industry’s Columbian Ball, The Adler Planetarium’s celestial ball, and The Boys and Girls Club of Chicago Gala to name a few.
For more information on hosting a nonprofit event and to begin planning, please contact us.