Bowie Health Center Foundation
25th Anniversary Fundraising Gala

Situation
Schiller Communications managed the activities of the Bowie Health Center Foundation, as a consultant, for five years. The Bowie Health Center is a free-standing emergency department located in Bowie, Maryland - a suburb of Washington, D.C. Bowie is a city of 16 square miles, with 50,000 residents. We were directed to develop and produce the Bowie Health Center's 25th anniversary fundraising gala in September 2004.

Strategic Thinking & Responsibilities
There were two primary goals - raise $20,000 and cultivate new/potential contributors. A third goal was to achieve recognition for the Bowie Health Center's 25 years of service to the community. The event needed to be an elegant, yet fun affair. It also needed something special for guests to remember. We accomplished the "fun" by holding a live/silent auction with 50 items. The "special" part of the event was the 12-minute award-winning video we produced. It made guests reminisce, laugh, and cry. We also had a special surprise guest - the young Washington-area sniper victim, Iran Brown, who was treated at Bowie Health Center. The food, entertainment and ambiance helped create an elegant affair.

Our responsibilities were substantial and included: logistics, guiding the committee, public relations, video production, and fundraising. Specifically, we contracted and worked with the caterer, entertainers, rental companies, florist, valet parking company, and printer. We hired a video production company and served as executive producer of a 12-minute video about the 25 years of the Bowie Health Center. The video won an Award of Distinction from The Communicator Awards. In addition, we worked with the local newspaper to produce a special tab insert (at no cost), which appeared in the Bowie Blade-News a few days before the event. Schiller Communications also directed the creation of a donor wall, which was unveiled in a special reception prior to the event.

Results Delivered
The results exceeded everyone's expectations. The Bowie Health Center Foundation netted a record amount of money on this event - more than $56,000. Included in the net total was $28,500 raised during the live/silent auction portion of the event. Numerous new guests, who were potential contributors, attended the event. Finally, through the special tab section we wrote and had published in the local newspaper, hundreds of thousands of people in Bowie and the surrounding community became aware of the Bowie Health Center's 25th Anniversary.