Some Great Fundraising Tips

Want to attend the CCFCC 2011 National Conference, but don't know how to fund it? Keep reading!

The CCFCC 2011 Conference Committee was asked if we had any thoughts on chapters raising money to attend the annual National Chefs Conference – asked by many groups actually.

We wish to share a few ideas with you:

Saving Money takes a lot of time and effort – but, if you invest some time into research on the internet, into networking and business development, and into your community, you can always save money.

The Short list of Ideas: (for those who don’t have time to read everything below)

· Fundraise – sell your services – people love good food – cook for them!

· Ask people to donate points for air or hotel

· Ask people you do business with to sponsor your association

· Invest in saving money with your time and research on the internet

· Ask experts for their help – travel agencies, marketing and sales, chamber of commerce, successful fundraisers – ask them for advice – not to do the work for you

· Give back to those that help you – support their business, write thank you letters, mention them by name in print, Facebook, Twitter

o Network – that is the key to success, and a big reason to attend conferences

The longer list – with more details:

o Host a fundraiser as an association

§ Each chef could cook dinner for 8 people, in someone’s home, with 4 courses and wine, that you could auction this off, or raffle this off for a $1000 per dinner

· Invite food and beverages partners to provide the ingredients

· Make sure your written menu includes their names and companies

§ Chef Poyan Danesh donated a dinner for 8, with appetizer and welcome cocktail, three course dinner with wine, dessert (and of course, shopping, menu planning, and cleanup) – sold for $2000!

o Host cooking classes

§ It is truly a time that families want to get back to preparing their own meals

· People want to learn to cook healthy, wholesome, family meals

o Organize with your local hardware stores or plant and landscaping stores or…. Well you get it

§ to cook hot dogs and sell pop every Saturday and Sunday – many businesses will match your funds, give you the storefront space

§ think outside the box – barbecue veggies, stuffed potatoes, “prawns on the Barbie”

· whatever your community will allow you to do

· include your suppliers and new products – great marketing opportunity for suppliers

o Make chocolates, caramels, etc - box them up and sell them – Easter coming up, Mothers day – get your local supplier to sponsor the ingredients

§ You could raise 10K in no time with chocolates

o Host a soup cooking competition – cold days, coming to spring – hit the local fairs, or farmers market – sell soup each Saturday and Sunday for a few weeks

§ Great homemade soup! People love it

· Add in an artisan bread or roll; even do soup and sandwiches!

· Be a member of airlines, hotels, car rentals

o Sign up online – watch for their specials and deals

· Go to your local travel agency – especially if you spend any money with them

o Ask them to see if they can get you a flight and/or hotel package sponsored thru their partners

o Maybe even visit a couple travel agencies and invite their support

· Ask your associates and corporate members if they have airline points they will donate to you and your members to fly out

o Oftentimes sales reps have so many airline points they would love to help out

· Ask the suppliers you do the most business with to sponsor the association to come out

o Or a portion of it – something is better than nothing

· Put together a letter of request to potential sponsors

o These sponsors can be numerous

§ Your suppliers and business associates

§ Local chamber of commerce

§ Local bank

§ Local car dealerships

§ Local associations that your association has helped or donated time and food to

· Outline what you are asking for – flights, hotels and conference package - $1500 to $2000 per person (with hotel, flights and conference package, it can be done for as little as $1500)

§ Outline the benefits to them

§ You will support their business and buy this amount of product over the next year (a shorter timeline if you can commit to it)

§ You will have their logo put on your delegate badge

· We can do that for you

§ You will write a thank you letter to them

§ You will write an article about them and their support for Mis en Place

§ You will mention them on facebook, twitter, and social media

o Outline why you should attend this conference

§ What this education, seminars, and networking does for you, your company, and your association

§ Read my article in mis en place – or the blog, about why people should attend conferences

§ Include this in the letter

o Take the attached sponsorship package to Cogeco and invite them to be a sponsor

§ They have a good opportunity to get involved with the association and gain recognition

§ As your employer, the article in Mis en Place would help for you to apply to them for financial support

For the Vancouver 2011 conference – specific ideas

· Google cheap flights – yesterday there was a $200 round trip flight from Toronto to Vancouver with Sunwing

o Sign up for flight alerts – when seats go on sale – grab them

§ Check out last minute sales, vacations, etc

§ Often you can get a hotel and flight package, with transfers, at a great price

· Fly out of the States – there are always cheap, cheap flights – fly into Bellingham or Seattle

o Right now Bellingham to Vancouver on Amtrak is on sale for $13 each way.

§ There is a shuttle from Bellingham airport to Amtrak.

§ Seattle to Vancouver is on sale with Amtrak for $36

· Reach out to your associate members in Vancouver – ask if they will pick you up at the Bellingham airport – it is only an hour or so out of Vancouver – depending on traffic

· Finally, consider investing in your own education and development

o This is a great 4 days to a week, in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, with the delegate fees subsidized by 50%

§ Where in the world could you eat, drink, learn, and network, for 4 days, for $500.00

· All food and beverages, plus a black tie gala, for such a low, low price

· Not to mention the education seminars, and the world class chefs that will be in attendance, hosting round table sessions

· Make it a holiday with your family

o Research Tourism Vancouver, get a good deal on a suite or a condo – there are good deals to be had if you work at it

§ As long as you are staying anywhere downtown, you are only a 15 minute walk from the Renaissance Vancouver Hotel Harbourside–

§ If you get closer to false creek you are a 30 minute walk, or a 10 minute bus ride

§ Or, stay on the north shore (north Vancouver) – the seabus comes right across to the waterfront – a five minute walk to the hotel

§ Or, stay in Richmond, near the Canada Line Sky train – 30 minute ride into the hotel

· Remember, a good idea is only good if it is put in place

o Raising money is hard work, and takes time – but, if you commit to it, then, you will be successful

o Make a list of everything you and your chapter have done for the community

§ Then ask the community to give back to you now

o Make a list of everyone you spend money with – all 7 of you

§ Your bank, insurance agency, cars, furniture, equipment, food and beverages

· Ask them to sponsor you

· In return, you will continue to do business with them

Start Now for the 2012 Conference!

Put Fundraising for the Annual Conference into your Chapters Annual Strategic Plan.

A Pre-Conference Planning Guide

Keith Ferrazzi, an expert on relationship development and author of Never Eat Alone and Who’s Got Your Back? provides these tips for getting the most out of attending conferences and social events.

In brief, they are:

1. Consider why you’re attending the event and write down what you want to accomplish and/or who you want to meet to better plan your time;

2. Use your sleuthing skills to get a list of attendees and keep it with you at all times to take notes about the people you meet;

3. From the attendee list, see if you can learn more about the people you want to meet - not just their business interests - to find topics of conversation;

4. Try to arrange a meeting with your top three targets before the conference begins or, failing that, leave a message at their hotel (quite possibly the same one you’re staying in) inviting them to join you and friends for drinks the first evening;

5. To get noticed, take advantage of Q&As. Stand up tall, state your name and company, and ask an intelligent question about the presenter’s topic. You’ll be remembered as a thoughtful listener with keen insights.

6. Don’t stand in a queue to meet the speakers; venture out and meet other attendees who will also have information to share;

7. Try to find a buddy to support and guide you as you work the conference crowd - and be sure to tell your buddy exactly why you’re at the conference (refer back to tip #1);

8. Instead of checking emails during breaks, mingle with the crowds. In many instances, you can eat during the presentations - as long as it’s not overly odoriferous;

9. If seating is not assigned at dinner, invite folks you meet during the day to join your table and get into deeper conversations to establish your connection.

Keith offers more sage advice and free resources on connecting with others on his website, http://www.keithferrazzi.com/.

Why do people attend conferences?

The following is from an article by Dawn Donahue, Director of the CCFCC National Conference, and President & CEO of Go Golf Events Management. It was published in Mis En Place in the fall of 2010:

Why do people attend conferences?

Some go to learn, some go to play, some go to teach.

However, the paramount reason to attend a conference: Take all of the above, add in the networking, business development opportunities, and the health advantages, (a change is as good as a rest) and then you have all the reasons to attend the 48^th Annual CCFCC 2011 conference. CCFCC 2011 Conference will be held in beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia, from June 12 to 16, 2011, and you are invited to participate.

What a conference it will be.

Attending the CCFCC 2011 Conference will be President Gissur Gudmundsson, World Association Of Chefs Societies (WACS), President Diego Silva Lehmann of the Asociación de Restauradores Gastronómicos de las Américas ((AREGALA) Association of Culinary Restorers of the Americas), President Michael Ty of the American Culinary Federation (ACF), and Dr. David Roman Tauber, Director of Poland, Vice President – Europe, and Director of the European Academy of Hotel Management and Catering Industry.

All delegates are welcome to arrive early in the beautiful city of Vancouver. The Renaissance Vancouver Harbourside Hotel has a very special rate for our CCFCC2011 delegates and guests, a rate of $189.00. The Vancouver Convention Centre is across the street, Stanley Park is a beautiful 10 minute walk by seawall, and transit from the airport to the hotel is direct. No need to worry about vehicle rentals, parking fees, or getting lost.

Delegate registration will open Saturday and Sunday, June 11 & 12. All delegates will receive a complimentary ticket to attend Eat Vancouver www.eat-vancouver.com - a food, beverage and cooking festival that will delight all. Eat Vancouver is on June 10 to 12.

The National Board meetings will start Monday with the Presidents Day Meetings, followed by the AGM, Tuesday, June 14, and the President’s Ball on Wednesday evening, June 15.

Sunday, June 12 - The Icebreaker and Welcome Reception will be a taste of Canada. Each province and territory is invited to host a grazing station, food, beverages, with chefs as a representative of each province and territory. Of course, Canadians being renowned for hospitality have invited our guests from the north and south Americas, as well as our WACS guests to host a station, should they desire. The format of the icebreaker is a prelude of the educational component of the conference – each station will have a mentor and a junior. The goal, for the mentor to be the Junior’s apprentice. All welcome to be involved – contact us now!

The International Chefs Challenge and the Hans Bueschkens Junior Challenge will be hosted in conjunction with Eat Vancouver 2011; the competitions will be on June 10 and 11. These two competitions will garner world attention, as the Media will be in full attendance in the new Vancouver Convention Center.

Vancouver Community College will host the CCFCC competitions, starting with the Juniors on Monday, followed by Chef of the Year and Pastry Chef of the Year on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Culinary Competitions are a vital and evolving branch any Culinary Federation. Some competitions are single events taking place at local and regional chapters. Whereas other student and professional competitions that include individual and team events engage in a rigorous qualifying process that begins at the local chapter level, advances at the Regional Conferences and culminates with the finals at the National Conventions. Regardless of the level, the purpose is the same: to continually raise the standards of culinary excellence in the world while promoting camaraderie and educational opportunities among culinary professionals.

Conference Chair, Chef Marcus Von Albrecht, says: “The Conference is jammed packed with seminars, educational sessions, healthy eating, a taste of BC, fabulous meals from farm to fork, from sea to service, from gate to plate.”

BC Chefs Association, President Don Gyurkovits states “The educational seminars, breakout sessions and destinations are designed with professional development, networking and food functions, as well as countless opportunities for camaraderie.”

What people always say – “I’m also going to conferences to learn. I’m attending a number of tutorials at CCFCC 2011, as well as the educational sessions and tours organized by the conference.”

What people always think: “Of course I am going to play, and Vancouver will not disappoint you. It’s not possible to travel to Vancouver BC, foodie mecca heaven, chefs delight with all the regional products, for purely a business trip. Not with a straight face it isn’t. The Conference Organizers will insure there are always smiles on everyone’s faces, food galore, and many moments that make memories.

What all conference delegates offer – their time, expertise and knowledge. The National Chefs Conference is very much a transfer of knowledge. Our Senior Chefs lead by example, teach merely by their presence, share tales, tell stories, break bread – our Juniors gain experience just by being in the same room.

None of these reasons are as excellent as the underlying theme of any conference, however. We all participate in something more important, more useful. Conferences offer the highest potential to advance our careers and industry. Why? Face time.

Throw four hundred like-minded people in a room and you’re bound to get something good out of it. Conversation is the inspiration for innovation. When you attend a conference the opportunity to contribute to our careers is huge.

Conferences like CCFCC2011 present a unique opportunity for innovation due to the vast melting pot of expertise and interest. When Chefs from across the world come together, the sharing of products, ideas, and flavours create that fabulous global pot of culinary expertise.

To those who are attending a conference that interests them, I encourage you to get out and talk to people. You have unique knowledge and unique interests that can pollinate new ideas. Breakout sessions, and hospitality suites, more than conference sessions, offer a low barrier to entry to talk to like-minded culinary professionals. Consider those sessions as the jumping point for new and interesting conversation. Sessions are designed to make you think. Conferences are designed to make you think together. That’s where The Next Big Thing lies in waiting.

To those who are not attending conferences, but have the means, I offer a truism. Anyone can sit at home reading books and consume knowledge. Likewise, anyone can approach the world and provide knowledge. Choose to give back, that’s how we grow. That’s what Chefs excel at.

To conclude this thought, go to conferences to teach, learn, and play. We attend conferences to make things happen - the culinary and hospitality industry can benefit by everyone being there.

See you in Vancouver, June 9 to 16, 2011.

Dawn Donahue,

CCFCC National Conference Director,

President & CEO, Go Golf Events Management