Nonprofit organizations rely on hands-on support from boards of directors and volunteer committees who provide invaluable help with everything from budget oversight and program development to fundraising. Event planning is another great way to involve members of the community in our work. Who doesn’t love to throw a party? However, as we say in our “Beyond the Pink Napkins” event management trainings, nonprofits never have the luxury of producing an event just for the fun of it. Our events must be mission-driven and purposeful, and must engage volunteers who bring relationships and resources, and in some cases, the “good problem” of a flurry of ideas. I affectionately refer to this issue as “catching a case of the oughtas.”
