OC is a hot bed of philanthropic activity. Almost every night of the week, one could attend some type of charity event. Some professionals love that “giving back” feeling and get involved, both for networking and for true humanitarian reasons.

So, how do you get the most return on your investment when it comes to raising money for charity? “Try to get as much donated as possible,” says Michelle Ray, development director for Art & Creativity for Healing (art4healing.org), a nonprofit organization that works with over 30 hospitals, treatment centers and nonprofits to bring free Art for Healing workshops to children, teens and adults suffering from abuse, illness, grief or stress.

“Another way to keep costs down is to get sponsors for different items,” says Ray, who helped net more than $67,000 at her organization’s annual The Palette of Colors: Celebration of Red Auction Dinner. For example, she says the invitation sponsor can expect several “recognition perks.”

Michael Caudill, president of Driven Media Communications (drivenmc.com), agrees. “The best way for a charity organization to keep their costs down is to seek outside sponsors for their event,” he says. Caudill’s virtual integrated marketing firm specializes in advertising and public relations geared toward automotive sectors. His company has supported automotive, corporate and dealerships with local events, including the Susan G. Komen Foundation and 200 for Youth.

Auction antics

More and more, it seems, charity events are using the live and silent auction as a clever way to gather funds. “Auctions are tricky,” says Teri Williams, publisher of Great Taste (great-taste.net) magazine.  “In my experience, live auctions are not raising as much as they used to. Recently, I have seen auction items that would have gone for $10,000-$15,000 are going for between $3,000-$8,000.” Williams is the event chair for Share Our Selves’ highly popular Wild & Crazy Taco Night and its Celebrity Chef Dinner, which is one of the most elite culinary events in OC.

To maximize donations for live and silent auctions items, it’s important to obtain hard-to-get items. She once helped procure a ride-a-long fantasy in a sheriff’s helicopter. “To gather items, form an auction committee at least six months prior to the event,” she says.

Ray says the committee is “to make contact with anyone in their circle and ask them to donate something for the auction.” She also recommends building packages around donated items. “For example, if one member gets a barbeque and another gets a patio set, you could ask the rest of the group to get a patio heater and build a patio package.”

And what about food? “Food is key,” says Caudill. “The quality of food is what keeps people talking.”

Williams, whose magazine is geared towards chefs and other food service industry personnel, says it is getting harder to get chefs and restaurants to participate. “There are so many events that revolve around them that they are inundated with requests and have to pick only a few in which to participate,” she explains. “Some events now invite only the elite, others include all skill and celebrity levels and other events are completely casual and include any generous restaurant that wants to be involved.”

Sheryll Alexander is a lifestyles writer based in Costa Mesa. She is a regular contributor.