Fundraising season in northern Virginia is every season. How do you host a successful fundraiser – one that people want to attend year after year?

Who better to ask than Keri Ann Meslar (see her story on pg. 62), co-chair of the area Blondes vs. Brunettes football games? Having just finished their sixth season this past November, Keri Ann and her team raised over $300,000. Blondes vs. Brunettes, now the official fundraiser for the Alzheimer’s Association, has raised over $1 million dollars nationally and has franchised into Austin, Buffalo, Chicago, Columbus (Ohio), Dallas, Houston and Kansas City.

Keri Ann shared her start-to-finish tips with I Am Modern:

1. Find a nonprofit whose mission interests you and offer to host a fundraiser for them. Start with ones you have donated money to or volunteered with. The nonprofit should help you by setting up donation links on their website, lending their logo, and taking care of other time-eating details.

2. Make it unique, creative and fun. That’s a tall order in the fundraising-saturated northern Virginia market, but new ideas that surprise people get their attention. Research other fundraising events and put a twist on it. Offer something they would like to do, but remember that surprise and shock are two different things. Don’t offend anyone.

3. Form your team with a variety of people. One person can’t do it all. Your team needs people who are creative, detail-oriented, organized, resourceful, computer-literate and social-media savvy. Other team members can provide a service, such as media connections, floral arrangements, refreshments or porta-potties. Involve your team in the entire creative process, from concept to follow-up, so they become emotionally invested in the fundraiser’s success. Try to accommodate their requests if they want their organization’s name publicized. And always thank them for their time and effort.

4. Visualize the event from start to finish. Imagine yourself attending the event and think about each step along the way. No detail is too small. What does the entrance to the event look like? If there is a checkin desk, how many people will be there, what color is the tablecloth, where will the signs be placed? Don’t forget the event’s conclusion. What will the attendees see, hear, observe as they leave? What is the media plan?

5. Follow through. Host the event that you promised. The fundraiser you create is how sponsors and attendees will remember you and the nonprofit. If you deliver what you promise, they’ll come back year after year. And speaking of sponsors…

6. Approach sponsors whose products match the event. If you’re passionate about the nonprofit’s mission and why the sponsor’s product is a perfect tie-in that passion will ring loud and clear. If you can’t connect the event to the sponsor’s product, that will be obvious too. Begin with an informal email to your carefully selected sponsors (blanket emails not allowed). Tell them about the event, the audience and why they are a great fit.

7. Ask sponsors for money. It sounds intuitive, but it can still be intimidating. Once a sponsor shows interest, share with them how their donation will be spent and how many people it will reach. Offer creative ways to market their sponsorship in addition to placing their corporate logo on signs, invitations and advertising. For example, organizers put sponsor logos on foam fingers, cups and koozies for the Blondes vs. Brunettes football games. Use your network of friends to find sponsors also. Fundraising is ultimately about relationships.

8. Be proud of the dollar amount you raise. Be realistic in your fundraising goals, and be happy with the result. Smaller nonprofits can do a tremendous amount of good with even a few thousand dollars. If you host a great fundraiser, more donations will find their way to the nonprofit, even after the event is over.

9. Be transparent. Integrity and accountability, especially with the financial part of your event, are critical. Make sure the nonprofit you highlight can account for the source of all of its funds. Don’t give anyone a reason to question you or your work. Bonus tip: When the event kicks off, enjoy it! You and your team worked hard, and raised money for a worthy cause. Relax and have fun.

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JANE HESS COLLINS is a retired Air Force colonel who inspires people to contribute through writing, speaking and (hopefully) example. She also writes the "Get Out and Give Back" newspaper column, conducts workshops for clients to discover their most intrinsic way to serve, and has established game nights for at-risk families throughout the country. You can contact her at www.getoutandgiveback.com.