Buzzy’s Bees tried something new this spring. We held a ‘this-is-not-a-fundraiser’ event for donors, supporters, and industry professionals in Seattle. A little bit outside of our comfort zone (no fundraising goal!), the idea was simply to invite people to experience the Give Grief a Voice project in 3-D.
Held on a Thursday evening at a tea shop in Ballard, invited guests were surrounded by several artwork reproductions, offered a glass of wine or cup of specially blended tea, and experienced the magic of the program off-screen. There were no speeches and no call-to-action for a donation. Simply a chance to gather, ask questions, and shake a few hands.
Over 40 people attended (our goal was 25!). The invitation provided an opportunity to reach out to organizations and people involved in the local grief space with who we hadn’t previously had a connection. Several pre-event meetings were held with folx who weren’t able to attend but wanted to learn more about the project.
Also, we heard from a number of our donors that being in the room with the art and reading the excerpts provided a deeper understanding. Sometimes you just need to gather a ‘feeling’ or see in-person and hear through conversation what a project is really all about.
The event was set up to be a trial run. We would work out a few kinks and then see if there are other Buzzy’s supporters who might wish to host an Art Salon for their network of people. If this interests you, please reach out to Julie Schneider at julie@buzzysbees.com.
