10 Tips for Effective Banqueting
1. Watch the Clock
The clock can be your friend or your enemy. Time out your banquet and stick to it.
If you have testimonies, consider recording them on video so you have hard times; people tend to take much longer when they are in front of a live audience. If your banquet is over 2 hours, you are losing money. Make sure your speaker has adequate time to connect with the audience and do the appeal. It is a fundraiser.
2. Tell the Story
The whole night should be telling the story of the center. People remember stories not laundry lists of all the things that you accomplished. Give them a couple of stories to hang their hats on to remember what the ministry has done. Every aspect of the night should be telling the story of the ministry.
3. Think About Men
Men often don’t come to banquets because we don’t think about them. We need to think about things that get their attention. Long banquets cause us to lose their attention. Speakers who can connect with men help keep their attention. Think thru how to connect with them even from the invitation that you send out.
4. Think About Food
Men like to eat (and so do women!). Find something that most people can eat. In our world today, there are a lot of allergies. Think simple. Many banquets have gone from a 5 course meal to simple appetizers, saved money, and had better results. Remember that the caterer works for you. You tell them what to do, not vice versa.
5. Think About Decorations
Don’t have decorations that distract. Why have a 6ft Venus flytrap as your centerpiece when you could have a centerpiece that reinforces the story of the ministry?
6. Limit Personalities
Some banquets try to have a musician, worship leader, four people from the ministry, and someone to do the appeal. People can’t consume that much content. Think through how you can strategically tell the story using few personalities to do so.
7. The Donation Card
Did I mention it is a fundraiser? The donation card can make or break you. Don’t make the font so small that it can’t be read by seniors. Also, make sure it’s not so dark they can’t see the donation card. Ask for a one time and monthly gift. Capture email so you can save money on postage.
8. Greeters
Consider having students or volunteers greet people as they come in.
The right kind of greeters can set the tone for the night and have people ready to open their wallets or wishing they never came.
9. Table Hosts
Table hosts should serve for you. They can’t have their own agenda. Their role should be to help facilitate the gifts that evening. Also, they should be brainstorming the right kind of people to come to the banquet. Friends who have money.
10. Someone Who Can Ask For Money
The appeal is like the invitation at your church service. It’s the most important time of the banquet. Find someone who knows how to speak and ask for money. It is an art and a science.