Fundraising for Non-Profits

Fundraising for Non-Profits might seem like a huge challenge in this economy but it doesn’t have to be impossible. Most organizations, especially charitable ones, have had to rethink their business plans. People are holding tight to their pocket books and it takes a little more to convince them to loosen their grip. The recurring theme that I keep hearing is that people are looking for value in their expenditures and donations. People want to feel valued and respected for their support and patronage.
As a catering company, we have clients in both the for-profit and non-profit sector and we have had to learn to evolve with the economy in order to successfully serve all of them. Gone are the days of lavish fundraising dinners, and here are the times of budget conscious pasta feeds and spaghetti dinners. To caterers, this makes a huge dent in the bottom line during a time when the bottom line is looking a little more feeble than it has in the past.
To further challenge fundraising efforts for non-profits, they need to foot the original bill for dinners, concerts, rentals, etc. The hope is that enough tickets to the event will be sold and they will come out on the other end with a surplus of money to put towards their cause. This scenario has the potential to fall short of expectations and even become a financial liability to the organization.
Earlier this year, we had the pleasure of teaming up with The Dana Harris Full Recovery Initiative in order to help raise money for Dana’s continued recovery. After a few months of discussions and plans for a fundraising dinner, we decided to put plans on hold for financial reasons. Being the innovative caterers that we are, we decided to think outside the box for solutions. Our solution was to combine our already successful cooking classes with The Dana Harris Full Recovery Initiative and designate a class to benefit their cause. The result is the potential for successful fundraising and no financial liability for the non-profit. In this particular situation, Three Chicks Catering will be able to cover its’ cost by taking that amount from the ticket sales. The remaining profit goes directly to The Dana Harris Full Recovery Initiative. Win-Win.
If you would like to know more about this event taking place on Sunday June 28th, please click here.

Let’s talk Pizza!

About a week ago, Owner Chick Nems Scarim and I were sitting in the lounge area of The VENUE recoiling after a large event. For some reason, the topic of conversation turned to pizza. I can’t say it was the first time I have found myself obsessing about pizza at 1am… and it probably won’t be the last. Have you ever noticed that pizza “side dishes” are actually another form of pizza?

Customer; Hi, I would like to order a cheese pizza…
Pizza Parlor; Would you like cheesy bread with that?
Customer; What does that come with?
Pizza Parlor; A piece of bread, much like the crust of a pizza, that we put cheese on and then bake. It comes with a marinara dipping sauce.

Of COURSE we order the Cheesy bread. The side salad pushes us over the allotted budget for the night, but the cheesy bread is a “must-have.” The literal icing on the cake is the dessert pizza. But I digress…

Social Media Marketing Recap

Ohhh… where to start? We are literally floating on cloud 9 after another successful Social Media Marketing class. It was our largest class ever with nearly 150 in attendance. It has brought to light just how hungry people are for this information. Every class is kicked off with the disclaimer that we are NOT experts… merely a group of “chicks” who want to market. In this economy, working capital translates to time rather than money. We are finding that the more we interact with the community, the less time we have to concentrate on our own media efforts… I guess that’s an unavoidable side effect. The win-win situation that is created is a strong local economy built on empowered small business owners, and loyal friends and peers for us at Three Chicks Catering, Inc.

There were a few notable connections made at The VENUE during this amazing event. The first was with Addy Tseng (@Addyt) from Word of Mouth™ Book Club. She is an amazing example of how Social Media brings us all together. Her group of contacts and friends is literally worldwide, and we are privileged to have connected with her!

Another fantastic connection that was made was with Kieran and Sherri Murry of www.Kieranslist.com Their company has a website that promotes local business and helps with tech support for those interested in focusing more on Social Media aspects of marketing. Kieran and Sherri are wonderful people and we are happy to call them “friends of The Chicks.”

Finally I have to give Gary Burkhart some credit. At the beginning of the presentation, Nems took a playful little jab at web optimization companies. Sitting at the front table, was Gary, whose company Dennison Business Solutions caters to your computer needs… including Search Engine Optimization. At the end of the presentation, he graciously gave away a YEAR of SEO service to a lucky raffle winner. Gary was a great sport and is now a good “friend of The Chicks.”

There are many more people and companies that we have developed relationships with through this class and I will mention them in future posts. For everyone who attended  Thank you!

Meeting IRL?

For those of you not familiar with the acronym IRL, it means In Real Life. Yesterday, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Jim Thomsen, who is one of the night editors for the Kitsap Sun as well as a true crime novelist. As we sat down with our beverages (a smoothie & a chai latte) at local Bremerton coffee house Cornerstone Coffee, we discussed marketing. Sounds pretty run of the mill?

The testimony for Social Media in this story is the fact that Jim and I met on Twitter. After submitting an article to the Kitsap Sun, they began following my updates as @JmeLee. Because Jim is an employee of the paper, he took notice of my updates as well. Through the Direct Message (or DM) feature, we discussed marketing theory, social media, and how awesome Bremerton (Go Bremerton!) is. Shortly thereafter, I received a friend request from Jim on my facebook account.

That brings us up to yesterday when we decided to sit down and share ideas IRL. It was a very positive experience that reinforces my beliefs in the importance of social media. I frequently hear the argument that participating in online networking takes away from the face to face experience. I say that it cuts through the showy garbage and puts you in touch with the people you really want to know. @JimThomsen is someone who I would probably never “run into” at the grocery store as we live very different lives on different schedules, however, the asynchronous environment of social media is a perfect place to develop relationships.

Start following people you admire on Twitter. You never know when the opportunity for collaboration may arise. Thanks Jim!

This Little Chicky Wants To Market

Are you wondering how you fit into the strange new world of
Social Media Marketing?

Let The Chicks guide you through an informative overview of the easiest and most effective ways to utilize Social Media Websites to drive sales, educate prospective clients on your product, interact with the public, and generally stimulate some buzz about your company.

It is true that the general public has an expectation for companies to be on the cutting edge of technology. Don’t be left out of this world changing movement.


For ONE TIME ONLY, we are offering this class for FREE
($65 Value)

Date: Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Time: 5:30pm - 8:00pm
Location: The VENUE
Street: 3822 S Union Ave
City/Town: Tacoma, WA

Phone: 2534758333
Email: Chicks@ThreeChicksCatering.com

Get Your Culinary Bling on!

Bubbly, Flakey and Decadent Crusts!
Adding a little Culinary BLING

Come learn with The Chicks about how to create restaurant quality
“Bubbly, Flakey and Decadent Crusts!”



Individual Baked Brie wrapped in puffed pastry
Served with crackers

Homemade French Onion Soup

Asiago Cheese Tilapia with Tomato Beurre Blanc sauce
Grilled Veggie Skewer

Panko Dijon Chicken with Dijon Sauce
served with Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Pork Cutlet, egg washed and encrusted in thick bread smothered in Apple Demi Glace
accompanied by Honey Glazed Carrots

Crusty Burnt Crème

Offered at the reduced rate of $45 ($100 value)


Date: Saturday, May 23, 2009
Time: 4:30pm - 7:30pm
Location: The VENUE
Street: 3822 S Union Ave
City/Town: Tacoma, WA



RSVP: 253-475-8333 or Chicks@ThreeChicksCatering.com

Ever Stuffed a Salad?

Our Stuff It! cooking class last Saturday was a great success. Big thanks to everyone who made it out through the crazy hail and rain to join us. One of the biggest show stoppers of the night is also the easiest to prepare. In fact, I made this dish last night for dinner guests. It never fails to impress.

Simply hollow out a large tomato
Cut Cucumbers, Avocado, Carrots, Bell Peppers into strips/sticks
Arrange the salad ingredients as if you are making a flower centerpiece
The best lettuce to use (for show) is a "spring mix" with all different colors and designs
Place the stuffed tomato on a small bed of mixed greens
Drizzle the top with this simple dressing; 2 parts mayo, 1 part sugar, 1 part vinegar (use red wine, or any flavor you like)

Stand back and get ready for the applause!

Cheers!