Happy Halloween!!!

Well, at the time, it was a good plan...
I hope everyone had a great Halloween filled with pumkins and scary costumes and lots of candy. Unfortunately our Halloween Party fundraiser? ...yeah, not so much with the "happening" on that front. I'm not sure if it's fundraiser fatigue, or if people just lock in their Halloween plans well in advance and so weren't able to come to our l'il fundraiser, but, whatever the reason, the Halloween Costume party for 50 turned into a quiet dinner for 4... Don't get me wrong, fun was had, but I think I need to strategize anew about fundraising in general. I did feel like turning my eyes to the heavens with an: "I get it, Universe! Thanks!" But that seemed too melodramatic. Instead I just focused on a fun evening with friends, good food, lots of trick or treaters (meaning no more candy left over from the movie night), and the Yankees winning game 3 of the World Series. All in all it was a good night...if a low key one.

So, yeah, on the fundraiser front, I'm taking a break until 2010. I have put together a rough calendar for events all through next year and as soon as I lock down some details, I will definitely publish that calendar. Maybe if GTTP takes a little break from Evites and invitations, then when we come back in January, people will be more excited to hear from us after a period of silence...hopefully folks will approach us more with an, "ooohh, Going to Tahiti is back. Where have they been?" then with an, "Oi, another GTTP fundraiser!"

That being said, here are some things I've learned. No more Evites. Look, it's a great website, very convenient and fun, but I think we've all just gotten to a point where we get the Evite and even if we open the thing for details, we just don't respond. I mean, it's not like the planner can't see that you've viewed the Evite and yet, there's a lot of viewing but not responding. I think it's the same thing with Facebook events. I think, if I use either in the future it will be in addition to individual emails, or even, dare I say it, printed invitations!!! I know, that's just plain crazy talk.

I've also decided to switch tactics. Instead of planning fundraisers only a month or so in advance, I'm going with a well reasoned and well scheduled calendar of events. I think this will be better for GTTP, both for actual money being brought in and for budgetary planning reasons. I'm putting together a fundraising budget, how much we need, how many events we're planning, and what our targets are for attendance. That will hopefully allow us to have a more, well, targeted approach for all our events. Although we've had some planning in the past, it's definitely been more slapdash than what I'm aiming for in 2010.

And, the last thing I've learned this year about fundraising (heh, this sounds like one of those "What I Learned Last Summer" essays from elementary school), but I digress...a friend had a suggestion for me that I'm totally taking her up on. Are you ready? Here it is. Going To Tahiti Productions is no longer holding "fundraisers". That's right, you heard it here first. From here on out all we're doing is "Events". I know it seems like a silly change and maybe it's just semantics, but, gosh darnit, words have power and I think after so many Evites from me with the word "fundraiser" in the title, people just got tired of seeing it...not that those people have actually come to any of the events, but I've noticed that people still get very irritated about it: "why so many fundrasiers, Jess?"

So, I'm done with fundraisers. From here on out it's all just a series of "events that cost money." Genius, I tell you, frickin' GENIUS? :)