I’m Hosting a Dining-Out Fundraiser

Community-building in action.

As I grow relationships with current donors and supporters, I’m continually thinking of ways I can get in front of more people to talk about Survivor Justice Center, our mission, and the impact we have in LA County. Over the summer, I created a list of ideas for what I could do and where I could go to share all about us. At the top of the list was to think about planning an old-fashioned Dining-Out event to not only raise funds, but also build community.

I say old-fashioned because in my fundraising past, I did events like this all the time. They can be amazing, and people attending not only have fun and run into friends while learning more about the mission and impact, but they leave with a better understanding of our work and our community. In many cases, they want to be part of our community.

There are local restaurants I want to eventually work with, and I remembered that the chain Chipotle does these, and that it’s rather easy to apply to do one. I knew I wanted to do it in October for Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and I checked with my team about dates that would work. I settled on a date, filled out the online application form, and within two days was planning the event.

Any time I can talk about the amazing work our staff does is a win for me and our mission. And to do that in an area where we rarely do events is another win. I have been inviting local electeds, police and fire departments, and am not working with local places of faith. I envision a casual event where we raise a little money while eating burritos and building community with others who want to support survivors.

We have a month to go, and I will invite people nonstop until the day of the event. I’ve also invited the whole staff, adding to my vision of a restaurant filled with Survivor Justice Center T-shirts and conversations about our work.

If you’re in the area, join us!

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Take a risk. Be of service. Support your friends and colleagues. Be kind.