Event Planning & Donor Relations – COMS 640

CG • Section 8WK • 11/08/2019 to 04/16/2020 • Modified 09/05/2023

Course Description

Focuses on designing theoretical communicative approaches for Implementation I in specific contexts such as conferences, professional meetings, celebratory events and programs for community outreach. Working from a praxis approach, students engage the development marketplace through professional, interpersonal, and organization coordination of information and people.

For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic Course Catalog.

Rationale

The objective of this course is to teach effective small group communication and problem-solving. This course requires the student to study group communication processes and to practice small group decision-making as a team. The student will be taught theory, and will learn how to participate in small groups in an application of that theory.

Course Assignment

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student will complete four discussions in this course. The student will post an initial thread of at least 400 words; these threads MUST contain an in-depth discussion of the reading for the week in current APA format AND biblical integration that includes at least one Bible verse.  The verse must be discussed in relationship to the rest of the student’s discussion. Then, the student will reply to two classmate’s initial threads, writing at least 200 words in current APA format. The replies MUST include the reading for the week in current APA formatting and biblical integration that includes a Bible verse and an explanation of how that verse fits into what the student is saying.  No outside research is required; the student must show that he or she has done the required reading.

The overall length of this entire assignment is 6-8 pages, not including the required cover page and reference list. Due to the nature of this assignment, no abstract is needed.

In the First Part of this assignment, the student will write a 3-4 paged paper identifying and researching a non-profit organization.

The paper will include sections on the

  • Organization’s mission
  • Brand image
  • Competition for donor contributions.

This part of the paper requires sources that are cited in the current APA format. 

In the Second Part of this assignment, the student will create a fictitious fundraising event for the non-profit organization. The total page count for this part of the document should be 3-4 pages.  The student will describe the event he/she is planning in detail. Components include the following:

  • What, where, and when will the event take place?
  • What will the program entail, if the student has speakers and music as a part of this event?
  • The budget should be estimated based on what online research says the approximate cost for an event of that nature would cost (e.g. the venue, food, entertainment, decorations, transportation, and the like).
  • How much will tickets to the event cost?
  • How much money does the student anticipate raising?

This part of the document should be three to four pages in length. It should look like it could be presented to a client. In sum, the event could be something such as a gala, a golf tournament, a dinner for donors, a silent auction, or the like. The purpose is to put on an event that will professionally represent the organization and garner money for the group.  

It cannot be an event the organization has done in the past or is doing at present. The event must be unique and created by the student himself or herself. It must be an event that requires a lot of planning. It CANNOT be something like a car wash or lemonade stand. Finally, the event must be described in detail, including a hypothetical budget. The student may NOT say that everything is being donated, so there is no budget. 

The student will create written content for his or her fictitious event that was created for the Fundraising Event Plan assignment. The organization will also remain the same. The document is to contain the following items:

A save-the-date card that is colorful, has graphics, and names the organization, date, time, and location of the upcoming event. It should also include contact information. This card should be the size of a standard postcard.

An invitation flyer that is colorful, has graphics, and names the organization, date, time, and location of the upcoming event. It should also include contact information. This flyer should be 8 ½ by 11 inches and have more information than the save-the-date postcard.

There should be two modified block one-page letters, one that invites the donor to the event and a second letter that thanks the donor for his or her generous contribution. The letters should have three paragraphs, each of which contains at least five sentences. The first should either invite the donor to the event or thank the donor for attending and contributing (depending on whether the letter is an invitation or a thank-you note), a second paragraph that discusses the organization, and a third paragraph that either re-invites the person to the event or thanks the person again. The third paragraph of both letters must include contact information, should the donor desire to contact the individual who wrote the letter. The letters must be from a titled individual in the organization (such as John Smith, president), rather than just be signed as being from the organization. 

There should be one reminder email that is approximately one paragraph (at least five sentences) in length, that is emailed the day of the event, to remind donors of the event.

There should be one page that articulates how the student would approach social media regarding this event. What platforms would be used and how would the student design the platforms so that donors are drawn to it?

The overall length of this assignment should be at least six pages. It must look like it could be presented to a client who the student wished to represent.

The student will write a 5-8 paged paper (not including cover page, abstract, or reference page) that describes a fundraising event or ongoing charitable opportunities for an established organization that the student has not or will not be writing about in another assignment this term. It must be a non-profit organization, though it does not need to be a Christian organization. 

The required components of the paper are as follows:

  • The student should offer a background of the organization,
  • any ethical implications of the fundraising that the organization does,
  • the type of fundraising the organization is involved in, and
  • how the organization does or does not exemplify a Christian worldview.

Citations are required for all background information. If the student is actively involved in the group, then the student must state that he or she is a SME. Biblical integration must be included in the paper and verses must be offered and explained as a part of that integration.

  • The layout of the paper must follow APA the current edition of the APA Style Manual, and
  • must include a cover page, abstract with Keywords, introduction, body, biblical integration, conclusion, and reference page.
  • The paper must have a minimum of six references, all of which are used in the paper.
  • All citations must reflect the current APA Style Manual.

The student will write a 6-8 paged paper that discusses the role of Corporate Social Responsibility as it applies to fund raising events. The student should have at least 8 scholarly sources. 

  • Please describe CSR in detail and then apply that information to two organizations that use fundraising events or ongoing charitable opportunities to raise money for an established organization. The sources of the background information for the organizations must be cited in the paper.
  • These organizations should be non-profit and cannot be ones that the student has used for any other assignment this term (or for another class). 
  • Compare and contrast the two organizations, noting the best way of getting and retaining donors.
  • Use biblical integration to demonstrate how organizations, even if they are not Christian-based, use biblical principles to maintain good relationships with donors.
  • The page count does not include the cover page, abstract, or references page.
  • Following the introduction paragraph, it is suggested that the student use the following formatting:
    • Discuss CSR (one to two pages),
    • the two organizations and how they raise money (three to four pages),
    • compare and contrast the two organizations (one page),
    • add in biblical integration (one-half page), and then
    • conclude the paper (one-half page).
    • The Reference page should follow.
    • Please do not over-write the paper.