BY MARY C. JOHNSON

 

The phone rings. It's a representative from a local non-profit organization

asking you to perform for free at a special event. Although it is not a cause in which you are interested, the planner has you con­vinced the show will be a wonderful opportunity to meet influential people and gain great publicity.

 

Every professional entertainer wants to meet people and get publicity, so you should definitely say, "yes," right?! Not necessarily. Before you agree to doing "pro bono" work, make sure the deal will deliver as promised.

 

When dealing with non-profit organizations, it's important to remember that fundraising professionals have two goals - to raise lots of money, and to spend as little of it as possible. Of course they want you to work for free, but that doesn't necessarily mean they have no money to spend. If you ask the right questions, you may end up with your full fee, or perhaps with a discounted fee.

 

Negotiating a fee and protecting your interests does not give you the license to act like Scrooge. While you cannot reasonably expect to say "yes" to every pro bono offer, you should take the time to contact organizations you support to offer your services. You may donate your time for them, or you may help to plan a show which benefits you and your favorite charity. The key difference is that you choose the organization. This article will help you to evaluate the offers which come your way each year under the guise of "exposure" and "publicity" rather than philanthropy.

 

Always remember to be friendly and polite. Even if you say "no" to this event, you don't want to turn anyone off, because they may need you for a paying event down the road! If you receive many of these calls each year, and know in advance you aren't interested, you have three options. The first is to suggest other amateur or professional entertainers who may be interested. The second is to suggest they rent costumes from a shop and use volunteers to wander around and pose for pictures with the guests. The third is a technique which Chris Carey, magician and the author of Find the Stuff That's You, suggests. Ask for a letter of request on the organization's letterhead. Carey uses this method and claims that next to none of the people ever send one along!

 

If you think you may be interested, ask these questions:

1. What other vendors are participating? Generally, non-profit events use a variety of services, including caterers, rental compa­nies and bands. Your goal is to politely ascertain which of these people or companies are being paid for their services. If all of the other professionals are being paid, why do they expect you to work for "exposure?"

 

Often, the decision to recruit entertainers is made at the last minute. The volunteers or staff responsible for calling potential entertainers have no idea whether you earn your living by juggling or whether you subsidize your juggling with a more traditional job. It's your job to let them know if you are a pro­fessional. If the rest of the vendors are being paid, you should definitely ask for a fee.

 

2. What type of publicity do you have in mind? Chances are if they want you to work for free, they'll claim that you'll receive "publicity." Unfortunately, most non-profits have a small, inexperienced staff that does not have good media connections. "Publicity" is often a press release, mailed sometime between one month and one week before the event. Your name, if included at all, will follow the names of the board of directors and the event planners. In other words, the closest your name will come to seeing newsprint is when it's on the editing room floor.

 

Always ask that your name be included in their publicity, but also ask if they would be willing to send out a specialized release, which you will provide, that focuses on your involvement. If that's not possible, ask for permission to issue your own release. Write one that highlights your involvement, and include high quality, action-filled photographs.

 

If they plan to videotape public service announcements (PSA), offer to juggle and speak on behalf of the event. A PSA stands a better chance of being used if it is interesting visually.

 

Offer to visit the local AM radio talk shows to promote the event. If the organization provides you with critical information - date, time, goal of the event and background on the organization - you can often talk for five minutes live on the radio! Stress the benefits of such a promotion to the organization. Having a poised entertainer promoting their event on the radio or TV will present their organization in the best possible light!

 

3. Will I be credited in other promotional materials? Larger events may use posters or programs. Always ask if your name can be included.

 

4. How many people do you expect to attend? You're not gaining any exposure if no one shows up. Believe it or not, poor attendance is a very big problem for event planners. They are so involved personally in the organization and the event they think everyone else is equally enthused! Unless they've held the event before, or have a ticket committee actively selling tickets, expect the actual attendance to be about one-quarter to one-half of what they predict.

 

The key to working pro bono is to learning all you can about the event and to be creative. Offer to do a quick 15 minute show for the ticket committee to inspire them to sell more tickets. Let them send out photos of you teaching the committee how to juggle. Creative photos stand a much better chance of being printed in the paper than the typical "grip and grin." Get involved, but also ask for an agreement in writing.

 

Ask permission to hand out your literature at the event. On the day you appear, though, instead of handing out a brochure or business card, give people simply designed three­by-five cards addressed to yourself, with space for potential customers to write in their names and addresses. By requiring the people you meet to return a card to receive your brochure, you'll create a mailing list of potential clients and you'll learn how many people you reached during the event. This method will help you evaluate the event as a promotional tool.

 

At the conclusion of the event, thank everyone personally and ask each one to write you a recommendation. (Give them a SASE to make it easy.) These letters can be used in future publicity materials.

 

There are some fundraising events which are so well attended that you'll be seen by half the community, and then there are the poorly planned and executed events where you'll be seen by only four or five people all day long. By involving the planners in a dialogue, and by trying to help them solve their problems, you'll be able to find the former and avoid the latter!

 

Mary Johnson raised over $7 million dollars in her five years as a fundraiser. She is married to Keith Johnson, a full-time family entertainer. The couple have attended many good - and far too many bad - fundraising events in their lifetimes.