Earlier this week I received an e-mail from a good friend which she titled "greetings from the tundra".  She was referring to the latest round of wintry weather in our area of western New York.  Fortunately I missed it as I am  vacationing on the gulf coast of Florida.  The weather isn't the only difference between the gulf coast and western New York; fund raising in the two areas is quite different as well.   I have often marveled at these differences, and thought it might make an interesting post. 

Let's see where to start?

Well, how about the Naples Winter Wine Festival that was held about a month ago and raised $14 million dollars for childrens' charities?  Auction items included fantasy trips to the Oscars and the Olympics purchased by generous and high net worth individuals.   Raising that amount of money in a weekend boggles my mind. 

Fund raising here appears to be social in nature, and it seems to be about seeing and being seen.  There are always smiling pictures in the n Magazine or the Naples Daily News of this or that person or couple at the pro-am golf and tennis tournament, the various balls and dinners - some in tuxes, some in kilts - plenty of glitz, glamour and gowns. Thursday's paper reported on the Magic Under the Mangroves gala where 440 attendees generated an estimated $350,000 for the Nature Conservancy.

Here's  just a sampling of upcoming events:  Race to the Moon by the Cancer Alliance - tickets $150 a couple - this is on the low end of ticket pricing for these events.  How about Passport to Paradise - hosted at the hanger of the local airport - $250 per person or the Carnivale in the Garden - a Brazilian-themed dinner, dance and auction at the Botanical Garden - tickets $350.  All worthy causes and all well attended. 

Celebrities are often involved in the Naples fund raisers as well.  Jane Seymour will be attending the Naples Flower Show next week, John McEnroe is often featured at the tennis classic (the name of which escapes me) Martha Stewart was a featured speaker a few years back and Robin Cook has opened his penthouse on the Bay for fund raisers and the list goes on. I am not doing justice to all the celebrities who have supported worthy causes in the sunshine, but I think you get the picture.

In western New York, we seem to have work harder to raise the funds necessary to support our favorite causes.   Events that raise $5 - $10,000 are considered very, very successful.  The last fund raiser I attended in Jamestown was for Joint Neighborhood Project- a spaghetti dinner - tickets less than $10 a person .  Board members were happy you came and happy to serve you and happy to earn several hundred dollars to support the food pantry. Friends,who are board members of local non-profits, apologize before asking you to buy a $100 ticket for a cash give-away which includes several money prizes, a buffet dinner and other door prizes as well.  As a ticket taker at last year's Scandanavian Festival, I was shocked when one would-be attendee thought the admission price of $6 was high and wondered if she would get her money's worth!

On Thursday I attended a designer show house to benefit the Naples Art Association and The Naples Players - tickets only $20.  I have attended many of these show houses as I am always on the look-out for decorating ideas and glimpsing how the other half  might live.  I may have been coming here too long, or spending too much time in the sun because when a back home friend asked about the price of the home, I replied only $2 million!  The program booklet lists and shows dozens of volunteers and decorators who donated their time to the project.  There's usually a cheerful volunteer in every room who can talk to you about the French Boussac fabric on the sofa or the powder room mural that makes you think you are in a cabana on the beach.  One volunteer I spoke with said she just loved being a greeter and she was scheduled to work 2 more times before the show house closed.  It sure seemed like way more fun than organizing a rummage sale. 

It seems as if it is easier to volunteer in this part of Florida as every week the newspaper lists over 100 local non-profits looking for volunteers.  The information includes a brief description of what they are looking for i.e. translators, computer data entry, retail help, party planning, etc. and contact information.  Many so-called "snow birds" spend some of their leisure time here helping these agencies.  The daily paper also has a weekly column called BENEFITS which lists all the upcoming open houses, races/walks, auctions and golf tournaments.

While my involvement with non-profits on the gulf coast is limited, and my involvement with non-profits in western New York is extensive, one common theme in both places is the passion volunteers have for the causes they support.  While the scale and grandeur of the events varies widely between the two localities, the net result - funding for the women's shelter or library services or tutoring is the same.  People in both places get behind the causes that are important to them and try to make their corner of the world - sun-kissed or blustery - a little better for others.

Until next time,
Pat

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