This week I was dropped a kind note on LinkedIn about an outreach event I helped spur into action 9 years ago, back in 2016 at the California State Fair. Sometimes I do wonder about how lasting my efforts were in past endeavors. This helped out that notion.
Here’s the note from Mark, a long-time leader in the California:
Just wanted to thank you for the initial phase of our LP booth at the California State Fair many years ago when you came out to help us get that outreach event going. We are once again back at the State Fair through the end of this month. Thanks again for your help in getting this whole project started and maintained.
This political group hadn’t been at the fair in years prior to my engagement. In my home state of Minnesota, the MN State Fair is a huge deal, the largest attendance per day in the country. Texas, naturally is #1 with overall attendance, but that’s due to it running twice as long; it’s not necessarily apples to apples. Everything is bigger in Texas, right?
Regardless, I wanted to take that concept and spur similar outreach in California. I only had one year to try and make this a habit for the group. I wasn’t going to be there to put in the long hours each year like I did with a week-long stint that first go-around.
One of the reasons for their lack of presence was it is simply a lot to man the booth for 16 days! (This year it runs from July 11-27, 2025)
But with some guidance we did it, a few details for those interested:
- Created a volunteer recruitment system for easy a scheduling based on the slots we needed filled,
- Documentation on what to expect when volunteering to make it more accessible for newbies,
- Selling sought after merchandise which included procuring a button maker that allowed volunteers to make custom buttons on the fly (and cost-effectively),
- Which in turn, allowed them to turn a profit, making it a sustainable venture.
It boiled down to a go-first and do it mentality and volunteer recruitment system that has built a solid bench of volunteers to make this a possibility.
Here’s the deal:
Nonprofits don’t run on good ideas alone; they need people to lead the way to make it happen, a clear process to follow and then execution to keep the momentum up. Document what works, keep refining and train your team—and then it’s a matter of improving on existing efforts that keeps up the momentum.
Sometimes you just need to try and experiment and see what sticks. What valuable processes or initiatives could you try and set in motion that would have lasting-effects?