FAQ

How Many People and What People Should I Have on My Organizational Team?

You and a team of two to three others will be the core group putting on the Helping Christian Boys Thrive Summit.  Building a team with people from like-minded organizations will give you a greater reach.  Other donors, sponsors, and helpers will emerge from your core group’s efforts.  In your core group, you will want at least one highly organized person, very good with details; you may also want one person who has experience with PR, and one person who has done some fundraising before.  The key person is your leader.  This is the person who will inspire your team with the vision for this event.  This may or may not be you, but you will certainly play an important role in making this event compelling and high-impact.

You will want people you like, enjoy working with, and want to spend time with over the next several months.

It is likely that all or most of your core team will have raised or worked with boys and seen the issues boys face in today’s world, or be otherwise involved in helping raise, educate, disciple, or mentor boys and young men.

What Amounts of Money Might Donors Provide?

All the basic costs of the event may come through donations, underwriting and co-sponsorships.  Donors can contribute $5,000, $3,000, $1,000, $500.00 or less or more.  The amount of money you receive for underwriting will depend on how vigorously your team pursues donations/underwriting, including what contacts you and your team already have in organizations, businesses, and agencies.  In the Organizational Packet, you’ll receive a suggested list of possible donor levels and possible rewards for donors as well as an already created letter/email to donors that you can modify and use.

Who Are Potential Donors/Underwriters?

Potential financial donors include like-minded congregations, public and private organizations and foundations, businesses and corporations, and individual philanthropists who have a stake in child development, child faith formation, family development, and social and community health and wellbeing. In your organizational packet (provided by Tim Wright Ministries and The Gurian Institute), you will receive ready-to-send materials with which to approach donors and underwriters:

• Local Congregations. If your church can be a donor (or even sponsor…see below), you will most likely save a lot of money on space and venue, a well as gain immediate access to outreach. The more congregations supporting this event the better.
• Local Christian organizations like a local Christian Thrift Store, a denominational office, or The Salvation Army (any Christian agencies who work with young people).
• Christian Schools represent a primary audience for an event like this and may want to be a part of donating to it, sponsoring it and promoting it.
• Non-profits organizations.  These would include United Way, YMCA, Boy Scouts, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Boys and Girls Clubs, as well as foundations and, quite possibly, universities or colleges.

• Counseling and psychiatric agencies can become underwriters.  Any mental health agency or organization can be a potential donor, especially those who work with Christian families.
• Corporations or Businesses can be approached.  These include businesses that set aside some money every year for corporate giving; as well as HMOs, physicians, and others who want exposure for their businesses and services.  This can also include Christian business owners you already know, your friends or acquaintances who own businesses (many of whom have sons and have faced issues with boys in school or life), and your team’s friends and acquaintances.  You may have business people in your congregation who might want to donate to the event (or help sponsor it—see #4).
• In-kind donors can include print, TV and radio media that donate in kind contributions of on-air time as well as print features and/or advertising.  Venues and food companies can be in kind donors, donating a location, keynote room, breakout room, and AV equipment as well as morning coffee and noontime lunch.
• Don’t be afraid to ask.  Don’t be shy about giving people and organizations an opportunity to be a change-agent for boys.

Are There Other Sources of Underwriting for the Event?

Yes.  These sources are: co-sponsor funding, exhibitor tables, and ticket sales.

• Co-sponsors might give a great deal in financial grants and/or in kind contributions.  They are “co-sponsors” rather than “donors” in that their names will appear, along with your organization, the Gurian Institute, and Tim Wright Ministries, on the playbill as “Sponsored by…” or “Presented by….”  A powerful symbol to the community is to see a variety of congregations and religious organizations working together across denominational lines for a common goal.  The co-sponsors will most likely be organizations that fill in a gap you and your organization might have.  For instance, if you lead a faith community, you might need a Christian counseling center as co-sponsor in order to expand your reach.  If you lead a faith-based organization you might want some congregations to join you as sponsors so that you can draw in local churches.  All this said, you may well decide you do not need a co-sponsor.  It all depends on how and with whom you want to fund the event.
• Exhibitors can be asked to pay $200 or more (or less, depending on your team’s decision regarding exhibitor fees) for an exhibitor table at which to sell their products.
• Ticket sales generate a great deal of income.  Depending on how much financial underwriting you receive, you will be able to determine how high or low to make the ticket price for the event.  You will want to charge each participant something so that the event has value to them.
• CEU hours and Participation Hours can help generate attendees.  The hours that professionals (educators, therapists, etc) spend with Michael Gurian can count toward CEU hours if you bring in an organization that can give CEUs.  The six hour day can provide all participants with six Participant Hours (especially useful for educators).  Church leaders can use the whole event for CEUs if they wish..

For the nuts and bolts of all this, as in all other areas in these FAQs, the Tim Wright Ministries and Gurian Institute teams will mentor you as needed.

Will a Profit Be Made on the Summit?

There is no way to guarantee a profit beforehand, but if the event is well organized, a profit should be forthcoming.  With some of the necessities donated as in kind contributions, and some of the financing coming into the event from co-sponsors, donors, philanthropists, exhibitors, and other stakeholders; and with help from media and grass roots and other outreach to create a large event audience, the event should make a healthy profit.  If a profit is made, 10% will go to Tim Wright Ministries and 10% to the Gurian Institute; the rest goes where your committee wants—toward a follow up Summit, into a local organization working with boys, toward your church, etc.  We believe this event can be used as a Benefit for a church, if the church wishes to be its primary sponsor.  With an 80% profit rate, the church could find significant financial return on the event.

Is There a Best Time of the Year to Have a Summit?

Each congregation, city and region has different needs, so the answer to this question will be a local one.  Our team can help you and your team in the discussion based on the many events we are involved in every year.  Some quick tips we’ve learned:  Check schedules closely for 1) competing major events on the day of your Summit, and 2) competing school/vacation schedules, e.g. Spring Break.  It is generally useful to avoid doing an event in the summer in most locations, i.e. it is generally best to wait until the kids are back in school (after Labor Day, etc.).  For a spring event, it is often useful to have the event a few weeks before most schools will end for the year.

How Do I/We Move Forward with the Event?

To continue the conversation, contact Tim at tim@timwrightministries.org or Jeff at Jeff@timwrightministries.org.   One or both can provide more information, advice, and a contract for Summit.  Once a contract is executed, a full packet of materials will be provided for step-by-step implementation of a Summit.

The Helping Christian Boys Thrive Summit™ is a service of the Helping Boys Thrive® Program.