March of Dimes 35th Annual Beauty Ball

At a fund-raising seminar March 11, I learned the ideal way to attract supporters is to have a goal or desire; make a plan to reach it; figure out how to pitch your idea to donors; and offer them something that benefits them as well. I went from that seminar at the Foundation Center in New York, which was sponsored by the Association of Fundraising Professionals, to an actual fund-raiser organized by the best of them, the March of Dimes.

The New York chapter of the nonprofit charity organization was hosting its 35th Annual Beauty Ball and fund-raiser at Cipriani on East 42nd Street. That night reporters and photographers stood alongside the red carpet taking photos of wealthy, famous and generous guests, who paid $1,500 or more for tickets.
Daytime talk show host Wendy Williams caught the media’s eye as she made her entrance. Later, during a silent auction, a “Wendy Williams Show” package was up for grabs. It featured show passes for two, a chance to meet Williams, dinner, plus more. Bidding started at $5,000. Also on the blocks was a Grammy Awards package, which included event tickets and first-class flights for two to the 2011 show in Los Angeles. After starting bidding at $10,000, the auctioneer sold the package for $15,000. Buy it “for the babies,” she said, as the March of Dimes supports infants’ health, in part by preventing birth defects. The late President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis in 1938. It later was named the March of Dimes.

The March of Dimes New York chapter fund-raiser honored Neil Katz, CEO of Parlux Fragrances, which produces lines for Jessica Simpson, Paris Hilton, Queen Latifeh and Natori. It also honored Jon Pollack, executive vice president of Belk, Inc., a large chain of department stores located mainly in the southwest United States.
Thinking back to the fund-raising seminar earlier March 11 at the Foundation Center, the Web conference speaker Phil Immordino said nonprofits need to show passion for their organization and its mission, and to convey that to supporters. From the looks of the large turnout and the high bids, the March of Dimes did just that Thursday. The organization’s Web site notes it is also raising funds to help infants and mothers in Haiti. That reminds me: nonprofits fund raise all year, not just at special events.