Paws for a Cause

Humane Society of Central Illinois

Fundraising Event
Saturday, April 30, 2022
10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

COM 273: Media Event Planning and Promotions

Ragan Kueltzo, Helen Gregson, Kenzie Reimers, and Diana Tostado

1
Table of Contents

Section #1………………………………………………………………………………….. 4
Organization Description………………………………………………………………… 4
Event Description………………………………………………………………………….4
Purpose and Objectives…………………………………………………………………... 4

Section #2………………………………………………………………………………….. 5
Key Stakeholders…………………………………………………………………………. 5
Audience……………………………………………………………………………………
5

Section #3………………………………………………………………………………….. 6
Sponsors…………………………………………………………………………………… 6

Section #4………………………………………………………………………………….. 7
Dates and Times……………………………………………………………………….….. 7
Competing Events………………………………………………………………………… 7
Venue…………………………………………………………….…………………………7
ADA……………………………………………………………………………….………..7
Parking……………………………………………………………………………………..7

Section #5………………………………………………………………………………….. 8
Expenses……………………………………………………………………………………8
Income…………………………………………………………………………...…………9
Payment Methods………………………………………………………………….………
9

Section #6………………………………………………………………………………….. 10
Agenda………………………………………………………………………..…………… 10
Atmosphere……………………………………………………………………………..… 10
Registration……………………………………………………………………………..… 10
Technology…………………………………………………………………………………10
Food……………………………………………………………………………………….. 10
Drink………………………………………………………………………………………. 11

Section #7………………………………………………………………………….………. 12
Marketing and Promotion……………………………………………………….………..12-13
Marketing Calendar……………………………………………………………….. 14

Section #8………………………………………………………………………………….. 15
Security……………………………………………………………………………………. 15
Planning for Problems………………………………….…………………………………15

2
 Debriefing…………………………………………………….…………………………… 15
COVID…………………………………………………………………………………….. 15
Section #9………………………………………………………………………………….. 16
Evaluation Methodology……………………………………………………….………… 16
Survey………………………………………………………………………………………
16-17

3
Section #1
Event Name: Paws for a Cause

Organization Description

The Humane Society is a not-for-profit animal welfare organization. Humane Society of Central
Illinois (HSCI) relies heavily on donations from individuals, foundations and corporations who
also have a commitment to animal welfare, and fundraising activities. The Humane Society
provides adoption to many animals like dogs, cats, rabbits, and more! The HSCI has donation
support of over 900 individuals and volunteers who dedicate countless hours each year. The
organization spays/neuters over 1,000 animals and helps more than 2,200 animals annually.

Event Description

This will be an indoor/outdoor event at the Humane Society building in Normal, IL and across
the street from the building. Inside the building, attendees will be able to tour the facility, see
how their donations help in day-to-day operations, and complete adoption forms. Outside on the
lawn across the street from the Humane Society, attendees will be able to participate in a silent
auction, 50/50 raffle, play with animals, and make donations. Silent auction items will be gift
baskets (animal essentials, restaurant gift cards, etc.). The 50/50 raffle will be six tickets for $5
and an arms length for $20, and the winner will be announced at 1:30 p.m. Tours of the facility
will be at noon. They will give attendees the opportunity to meet the animals that will not be
outside and make them more aware of what donations go toward. Our event will be held on
Saturday, April 30th, from 10 a.m. through 2 p.m.

Purpose and Objectives

The purpose of the event is to raise funds and bring more awareness for the Humane Society of
Central Illinois. The attendees will be able to interact with the animals and become
knowledgeable of what this organization stands for while also having a good time.

SMART Objectives

- SMART Objective #1: Raise awareness of the Humane Society Central Illinois by 15%.
- SMART Objective #2: The HSCI will have 15 applications started that day.
- SMART Objective #3: The HSCI will raise $2,000 from the event.
- SMART Objective #4: Get at least 10 new volunteers for HSCI.
- SMART Objective #5: This event will have at least three vendors.
- SMART Objective #6: This event will have at least 10 baskets donated from local
businesses for the silent auction.

4
Section #2

Stakeholders
- Humane Society Board of Directors: As the directors for the Humane Society, any event
held by or at the HSCI is connected to them. A successful event can help with budgeting
and future planning, which is overseen by the Boards of Directors. The Humane Society
Board of Directors will impact the success of the event by bringing more customers in
and giving more animals a loving home.
- Volunteers: The volunteers are the people who use their time to contribute to the
organization for the people who attend and are adopting. The volunteers of our event will
help us to organize and plan this event to adopt more animals. They are impacted by this
event because they are doing a good deed to volunteer and help animals find a home. The
people attending will impact the Human Society by donating and hopefully adopting.
- Community Members: People in the Bloomington-Normal area that attend will be
contributing to a not-for-profit organization. Since it is a not-for-profit organization, this
will help bring similar people together and bring more awareness to the Humane Society.
The HSCI is a place within the community that is there to help in many ways, so an event
that helps the Humane Society ultimately benefits the community.

Audience
This event targets people who are looking to adopt a pet and/or donate to a good cause. We are
thinking it would be new parents with younger kids looking to adopt a pet. This would be
families with children, specifically parents. Young adults may also be looking to visit or adopt a
pet at this event. Since the event is in Normal, the target audience is people who live in the
Bloomington-Normal area.

Demographics:
- Age: 18-45
- Any type of race or ethnicity
- Any gender
- Location: Bloomington-Normal area
- Marital Status: married or single
- Economic Status: middle class and higher
- Parents

Psychographics:
- Care about animals
- Looking to adopt a pet
- Looking to donate money to a good cause
- Support the Humane Society
- A love for animals

5
Section #3

Sponsors

Pet Supply Plus: Pet Supply Plus has partnered with the HSCI in the past. Since they have had
business before, it would be smart for them to partner up again for this fundraiser. HSCI has the
animals and Pet Supply Plus has the supplies. If people decide they want to adopt an animal, they
will have to buy supplies for the animal. If they see that Pet Supply Plus sponsors the fundraiser
they will want to go there to buy supplies for their pet. Pet Supply Plus would also provide a
basket with pet supplies for the auction.

Station Saloon: Food and drink will be available for purchase at this event, and Station Saloon
would be a perfect fit to provide drinks. They are a perfect fit because the drinks would be for
sale, they would have the opportunity to raise awareness. While the target demographics may be
different, Station Saloon hosts a weekly Queen of Hearts raffle, with the proceeds going to the
HSCI. Besides selling food and drink, both organizations will have the opportunity to promote
the raffle and sell tickets.

Avanti’s: Since this event is mostly outdoors, Avanti’s would be a great option for selling
sandwiches. They would also have the opportunity to earn a profit. Avanti’s is a local staple for
Bloomington-Normal families (their slogan is “a place for the entire family”), so an event
targeted at families would be the perfect place for them to earn awareness. Avanti’s would also
provide a gift card to be auctioned off.

6
Section #4

Date & Time

This event will be held on Saturday, April 30, 2022, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Why?
We chose to do this event on a weekend because we felt that we could get more people to
participate and come to our event rather than a weekday. There is a higher chance that people
will not be at work and would want to do something on a Saturday morning. Kids also do not
have school on Saturdays so they will be able to come with their parents and friends. Holding the
event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. will give people enough time to meet the animals, tour the facility,
eat, and enter our raffles. We chose HSCI because it draws all ages and it supports animals. We
thought this would be a good event because it is an organization that many people like and it’s
for a good cause.

Competing Events
There are two events that are happening in Bloomington-Normal on April 30th (the proposed
date): The Great Clean Up! in Miller Park Zoo in Bloomington, Illinois, that is held from 9 a.m.
to 3 p.m. that could interfere with our event. There is also the Spring Vintage & Handmade
Market at Mackinaw Valley Vineyard which is held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April
30. These events could potentially draw our audience away because the Miller Park Zoo is about
the same age range as our event, ages 25-44 and kids. The Vintage & Handmade Market could
potentially draw our older crowd from coming to our event.

Venue
The event will be held at the Humane Society of Central Illinois, both indoor and outdoor.
Activities will be taking place inside the Humane Society building as well as outside the building
and across the street in a big grass lot. This will allow us to hold tours and presentations inside
and do activities outside. Having the event at the HSCI shows attendees what their support
directly affects. The Humane Society of Central Illinois is located at 423 N Kays Dr, Normal, IL
61761. The street that people will be crossing is North Kays Dr.

ADA
The event is ADA compliant. The venue provides handicap parking and the building is one floor,
making it easy to enter.

Parking
There is free parking at the location. There are 44 parking spots while two of those spots are
handicap.

7
Section #5

Expenses:

Fixed costs Total Notes

Venue Cost FREE This event is being held on the HSCI property.

Audio-Visual/Entertainment $308 Sound system = $245

Cost Extension cord = $13
Podium/microphone = $50

Total $308

Variable costs Total Notes

Food and Beverage Costs FREE We are partnering with Avanti’s and Station
Saloon. They will provide food/drink of their
choice and make the profit.

Decorations and Supplies $853 Stage = $763

Linens = $5
Signs = $85

Trash Removal $490 Port-o-potties = $400

Considerations Trash receptacles = $90

Collateral Materials $469 Advertising = $420

Posters = $26
Flyers = $23

Misc. Printing $26 Sponsor signs = $26

Total $1838

Total $2146

Income:

1. Silent auction
2. Raffle Tickets

Payment Methods:

8
This event will be free to attend, but donations will be accepted. We will accept cash, checks,
and Venmo.

Income

Sponsors $200 Pet Supply Plus: $100

Avantis: $50
Station Saloon: $50

Raffle Tickets $1500 $1/ticket, 6 tickets for $5, or

an arms length for $20

Donatations $1000

Silent Auction $1000

Total Income $3700

Total Expenses ($2146)

Net Income $1554

9
Section #6

Agenda
Saturday, April 30th
8 a.m. - 10 a.m. Set up (stage, chairs, vendors, auction tables, speakers, etc.)
10 a.m. Event starts
10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Drinks for sale
11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Food for sale
Noon - 2 p.m. Tours of facilities
1:00 p.m. Announce 30 minutes left for raffle and auction
2:00 p.m. Event ends
2:00 - 3:00 Tear down

Atmosphere
This atmosphere will allow people to enjoy each other’s company and the animals' company.
There will be background music playing outside as guests arrive to meet the animals, enjoy good
food and drinks, and enter raffles. The venue is mostly outdoors with some indoor tours of the
facility. The venue will offer natural sunlight when outside and dim lighting when inside. There
is a stage outside with speakers, a podium, and a banner. This is where we will talk about the
Humane Society and their cause. This is also where we will announce the raffle winners. There
will be round tables near the stage with chairs for people to sit, eat, and listen to the speakers.
When you walk in there will be a table set up where donations are accepted and information will
be provided. Tours of the facility will start at Noon and that is where guests can tour where the
animals live and what the Humane Society does for the animals.

Registration
No registration needed.

Technology
A sound system with a microphone will be used on the stage. The HSCI WiFi will be available
for the person using their phone to entertain attendees with music throughout the day. WiFi is not
necessary for guests.

Food
HSCI is partnering with Avantis for this event. Sandwiches will be for sale throughout the day
(11 a.m. - 2 p.m.). Avantis has a brand of being a “family style” restaurant, which strongly aligns
with this event. Sandwiches are also an easy and convenient food to eat. Avantis will set the
prices for the food.

Drinks

10
Station Saloon will be selling non-alcoholic drinks at this event, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. They will set
the prices for the drinks. They will also be selling their own raffle tickets for the weekly Queen
of Hearts drawing (proceeds go to the humane society).

11
Section #7

Social Media Posts

● Instagram:
○ Instagram posts once a week starting April 1st, twice a week starting April 18th
○ Instagram posts will include pictures of pets and the details about the event.
● Facebook
○ Make Facebook event with all information on April 1st
○ Post once a week starting April 1st
○ Post will include pictures of pets and details about the event (date, time, vendors,
raffle opportunities, etc.)

Radio Advertisement
○ Announcements would start April 4th. One advertisement, five times a week
Monday-Friday during the morning drive from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m.
○ Announcement would promote Paws for a cause, where, when, why, and benefits.
○ The 107.7 Bull Radio station and 99.5 Magic.
Flyers
● Flyers should be done and posted two weeks before the event date.
● Flyers will be printed two to three weeks before event date
● Flyers will be posted at the Humane Society, Avantis, Station Saloon, and Pet Supply,
because they are sponsors at the event.

Promotional Tactics
We chose Instagram posts, Facebook posts, radio announcements, and flyers to promote our
event Paws for a Cause. We chose these tactics to get people to attend our event because we
want to target every age group we can in order for them to attend our event. Each platform has a
different age range that can help us achieve the goal of getting as many people to attend the event
as possible. By promoting our event on these different forms of media and posting/announcing
consistently it will help people remember about our event and give them plenty of notice to
figure out if they will be attending or not.

Our target audience for Facebook is an older crowd between the ages of 35 and up. Posts on
Instagram will bring in people from a younger demographic, ages 13 to 35. For 107.7 The Bull
radio station’s target audience is men and women ages 18 to 45. Magic 99.5 radio station’s target
audience is women ages 25 to 54.

Radio advertising costs money, but is a great way to get the word out about the event. It’s $42
for a single ad a week for 107.7 The Bull and Magic 99.5 combo. We chose to place ads once a
day, Monday-Friday for four weeks during the morning drive from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. This equals
out to $840. We then cut the number in half to account for discounts we would possibly have
from a personal relationship with the radio, so the final number is $420. We also spent $23 for
flyers.

12
By enacting these tactics, HSCI will need to establish a relationship with 107.7 The Bull and
Magic 99.5 to advertise on their station.

13
Marketing Calendar

APRIL 2022
Wednesda
Sunday Monday Tuesday Thursday Friday Saturday
y
27 28 29 30 31 1 2
Post
Post
Make Event

3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Ad Ad Post Ad Post
Ad Ad

10 11 12 13 14 15 16
Ad Ad Post Post Ad Flyers posted
Ad Ad

17 18 19 20 21 22 23
Easter Ad Post Ad Ad Post Post
Ad Ad

24 25 26 27 28 29 30
Ad Post
Ad
Ad Ad Post
Ad
EVENT

14
Section #8

Security
For this event, no security will be necessary. There is no registration or entrance fee for this
event, so there is no need to monitor who comes and goes.

Event Disaster #1
Since this event is primarily held outdoors, extremely inclement weather would be considered an
event disaster. In the event of a bad forecast or rain before the event starts, this event will be
rescheduled for Saturday, May 14th. If the weather turns bad during the event, attendees can seek
shelter inside the building.

Event Disaster #2
If an animal were to injure an attendee, such as a dog biting someone, that part of the event
would be put on hold immediately. The event workers’ attention would be on this person until
they are properly taken care of to the severity of the injury. In the case of a mild injury, the
victim would be cared for by volunteers and the first aid kit on premises. In the case of a severe
injury, the victim will be taken to the ER or 9-1-1 will be called. That specific animal would be
off limits for the rest of the event.

Debrief
This event ends at 2:00 PM, with an hour of clean-up post-event. Debriefing will take place 10
minutes after the last attendee leaves (estimated time of 2:15 PM). The debriefing meeting will
last about 15 minutes to discuss the overall success of the event, possible changes for future
events, and gather the opinions of volunteers who worked.

COVID-19
Since this event is mostly outdoors, masks are optional for all volunteers and attendees. Both the
bathrooms indoors and the Porta-Potties will be stocked with soap and hand sanitizer. There will
also be hand sanitizer provided at the food and drink vendor booths.

15
Section #9

Survey Link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScomZTXNMe6lg4QBblnv7l-

NEjvili2u0WjiI6dNn5ZfiUxcQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

At our event, we will have QR codes so attendees can fill out the survey as they are leaving or at
the end of a facility tour.

Questions:
What is your age?
- Under 18
- 18-29
- 30-45
- 45-60
- Over 60

How far did you travel to attend this event?

- Less than 5 miles
- 5 - 10 miles
- 11 - 20 miles
- Over 20 miles

Why did you attend this event?

- To adopt a pet
- To support the HSCI (raffles, auctions, etc.)
- To learn more about volunteering
- Other: _____

How did you hear about this event?

- Radio Advertisements
- Flyers
- Facebook
- Instagram
- Other: ______

Did you know about the Humane Society before attending this event?
- Yes
- No

Did you participate in the raffle?

- Yes

16
 - No

The raffle was easy to participate in.

- Strongly disagree
- Disagree
- Neutral
- Agree
- Strongly agree

I would attend an event like this again.

- Strongly disagree
- Disagree
- Neutral
- Agree
- Strongly agree

What was your overall experience?

- 1: Poor
- 2
- 3: Neutral
- 4
- 5: Excellent

Provide suggestions for improvement. Please add comments or concerns if you have them.

17