The CSC Gala Happenings

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I just wanted to let everyone know that we're consolidating all of the CSC blogs in one place. You can view them at http://www.washucsc.org/blog/ or subscribe to the feed at http://www.washucsc.org/blog/rss.xml. Students and community members are getting involved in writing the blog, and we've already had some great entries. I'll be posting all Gala blogs there from now on. Check it out sometime!

The winner of the New York package for the 2008 Newman Gala was Lynn Schmidt, who recently collected her prize in the Big Apple. The package included a backstage pass to Bob Costas' Sunday NFL Show on NBC, Football Night in America, dinner for two (Lynn took her brother) at BLT Prime, and luxury accomodations at the Parker Meridien Hotel. The CSC is extremely grateful for the donations and discounts these organizations provided to make this exciting package possible. You can see a few photos from Lynn's trip below:

I apologize for the delay on this entry. Things have been pretty busy around here, but I want to keep everyone in the loop.

The Gala kickoff party, my first, was held on Wednesday, October 29 at Greg and Vicky Sonnenberg's beautiful home. The whole point of the kickoff, a Gala tradition, is to get the volunteers who are interested in serving on the Gala committee excited about the Gala. Not only that, but the kickoff is a great time for the committee members, both present and future, to meet many of the other people they'll be working with over the next 11 months (yes, we're already down to 11 months!)

I can't speak for everyone else, but I had a great time. There were plenty of drinks and food for everyone, and the atmosphere was fun and social. Bob and Melissa Zaegel, the Gala chairs, did a great job of welcoming everyone to the Gala process. And I got to see a lot of the people with whom I worked on the Gala this year, as well as some new people for this year.

It's not too late to get involved with the Gala--if you're interested in serving on the committee, please give me a call or send me an e-mail (stegmaier@washucsc.org). Thanks!

"You moved the Gala date? Why?"

I've heard this question a lot ever since it was announced that the next Gala would be on October 10, 2009 instead of spring of 2008. To be honest, there were a multitude of pros and cons that were factored into the decision. We tried to reach out to as many people as possible when considering the change--there was the post-Gala online poll, informal polling after mass, and direct polling of the Gala committee. If we didn't hear your opinion, we apologize. I hope those of you who have thoughts and ideas about the Gala decide to attend the kickoff party.

So, why change the Gala date at all? Why mess with a good thing? The Ritz has hosted the event the last few years; before that, the Chase Park Plaza ballroom was used. We've had about 400 people attend the Gala the last few years, raised enough funds to cover a significant portion of the CSC's operations budget, and had a great time on the actual night of the Gala. Everything was good. Why change it?

The trouble with staying the same is that you're not getting any better. You're not improving. Now, I don't think it's a failure per se that we've plateaued at 400 attendees the last three years. That's a lot of people to pack into one room. And a lot of the same people come back every year because they had a good experience the previous years.

However, I think we can do better. About 1,000 people gather here for mass every Sunday (between the two masses)--if we can gather to celebrate our faith, why can't we take one day out of the year to get together to just celebrate? Plus, there are so many CSC alumni who love an excuse to come back to the CSC. The Gala is the perfect excuse for that.

It is among those alumni that the spring date presents the biggest problem. In the spring, there are reunions (both high school and college), spring breaks for those with children or who are still in school themselves, and Easter. I heard from a number of alumni this past year that they had to make a choice between coming for Easter or coming for the Gala. I wish they didn't have to make that choice--I wish they could come for both.

Also, there are a number of very similar fundraising auction events that happen in the spring. SLUH's Cashba and the Cardinal Glennon Gala come to mind. People often have to choose between one or the other if they're around the same time.

So those two factors have been avoided by moving the Gala to the fall. In doing so, we're hoping to significantly increase attendance. But in addition to community members and CSC alumni, we're hoping to get other outsiders to join us for the Gala as well. We want to celebrate with our friends. That's why we'll encourage people to sponsor tables so their friends, families, and coworkers can join them at the Ritz that night. This year we're going to include some special perks with full-table sponsorships to make the deals all the sweeter (ideas include limo service, a room at the Ritz that night, etc.)

Also, the auction, which is a major part of the night, factored into the decision as well. We've gotten a sense that some donors to the auction--businesses in particular--could use a break. We really appreciate everything they give us, so we're giving them a break, a six-month break. Also, an October gala allows people to purchase Christmas presents and patronize the businesses that are so generous to our auction--it's actually a great time to have an auction.

If, in the end, the decision to move the Gala turns out to be the "wrong" decision, we'll change it back. But it's you all who make the Gala successful--the choices to attend and bring your friends and family and participate in the auction--those choices are yours. I hope you'll choose to make the 2009 Newman Gala a special night for us all.

What is the Gala Kickoff Party, you might ask? It's not a meeting, I'll tell you that. We'd call it a Gala Kickoff Meeting if it were a meeting. This, my friends, is a party. A party to get people excited about the Gala and the community that forms around this event. It's a night to let your hair down and party to the wee hours of 8:30 pm. It's a night to remember.

So if you're interested in serving on a Gala committee, please come out for appetizers, drinks, and fun social time on October 29 (one month from today) from 7:00-8:30 in the evening. It will be held not at the CSC, but at Greg and Vicky Sonnenberg's beautiful outdoor patio. The event is rain or shine.

If you'd like to come, please RSVP to me by October 24. You can call me at 935-9191 ext. 221 or e-mail me at stegmaier@washucsc.org. I hope to see many old faces as well as some new ones.

By this evening, our gracious webmaster will have posted the Gala results to this website. Pull them up in a separate window so you can follow along. The first question: Was your overall experience at the Gala excellent, good, or poor?

Nobody said poor! Yay! That's all we need. On to the 2009 Gala.

But wait a minute...there's a lot more hear to look at. 43 Gala attendees (out of 404 total) responded to the survey, which if fantastic. I'm quite pleased with a 10 percent response rate. For those of you who took the time to fill this out, thank you--your input will play a direct role in the decisions we make for the 2009 Gala (if you want even more input and involvement, please contact me at stegmaier@washucsc.org).

I'm not going talk about every question here; that would get a bit tedious. Or maybe I will. There are interesting little insights in each question.

Dinner: 70% "excellent" is really good for rubber chicken. I'm a man who considers fish a fancy meal, but I really enjoyed the chicken at the tasting. I heard from very few people that they weren't happy with the food, and that sentiment is reflected here.

Ritz: This is the second year at the Ritz, and 79% of the responding attendees really liked it. Some people get invited to a number of Gala-type events, but others only go to the Newman Gala, so I can see why they'd like a night to dress up and go to a premiere establishment like the Ritz.

Silent Auction: So the most appealing silent auction items were the restaurant gift certs and the sports tickets. That's helpful data if we ever try to decrease the size of the silent auction--we know to focus on those things. But it's not like there was a category that had zero interest, which is also good.

Live Auction: These results were really interesting. Given that there were only a few live auction items (20 total) compared to the silent auction, I thought more people might respond that they just weren't interested in the live auction at all. As it turns out, 91% people like the live auction! That's great to know, and it pushes me to make sure that everyone can hear the auctioneer next year (we tried this year, but we failed, somewhat miserably. I apologize for that).

Raffle: I was disappointed in the raffle sales this year (50 fewer tickets sold compared to last year). I suspected that part of the issue was the price of a raffle ticket. I'm thinking next year we'll try to lower the price (and the prize), and perhaps put together some sort of a deal where if you buy a ticket to the Gala, you get a raffle ticket as well.

Appeal: Based on these results, we'll definitely be exploring a new approach to the appeal next year. I'm so happy that 38 people contributed to this year's appeal, and I want to keep it fresh and exciting from year to year. Again, audio is key.

Deep pockets: I was surprised that 50% of the people come to the Gala with the possibility of spending between $101 and $500. Wow!

Speaker: I was really pleased to see that the vast majority of people (80%) enjoyed the speaker portion of the evening (the non-live-auction portions of the program).

Band: Per the results, we'll be exploring a new band next year.

Question 12 is really interesting--this is the ranking of what people consider the most important parts of the Gala. At the top of that list are the dinner, the silent auction, cocktail hour, and dancing. People don't come to the Gala for the raffle (good thing it only takes a few minutes). So what can we do with that information? For one, if we ever want to have an event that's smaller than the Gala (in-between Galas), we know what's important to people. I'll admit, the silent auction is not easy to pull together, but Jeff Buchek knows how to make it happen. Dinner, cocktail hour, and dancing? No problem! (See the final question about a night of wine and dancing with the Javier Mendoza Band.)

Last is a question that is currently under hot debate at the CSC--feel free to weigh in your thoughts with Father Gary or me at any time. Gary's a strong advocate of having the Gala in September in '09 for several reasons: One, not much other than weddings happen during that time, so we don't have the same conflicts with other galas like we do in the spring. Two, it's a great time for alumni to return to St. Louis--the fall is beautiful here, and Wash U doesn't bring in any alumni during that season (opposed to the spring, when they have Thurteen and the reunions, and we have Easter). Three, it would give us a chance to try out some smaller events in September of '08 and spring of '09 so that the CSC could continue to get the support of the Gala without such a huge undertaking.

All good thoughts, really. However, according to the survey, the majority of the respondents said that late March/early April is their first choice, and September is their last choice. This is important feedback, and it says a lot about the time of year we choose to have the Gala. I'm curious about why people chose that answer--perhaps we have a good thing going for us, and we shouldn't change it? If you have strong opinions either way, now is the time to express them, particularly to Father Gary. He definitely values your opinions, as do we.

Thanks for hanging in there for this long post, and for filling out the survey!

For all of you eagerly waiting for a post-Gala report, I'm sorry it's taken so long. I'll warn you that this entry won't completely satisfy your curiosity. We're still obtaining the license for the survey software we want to use, so it'll be a few more days before I have the survey ready. I promise that it will be quick and easy to use, and we definitely will use your feedback for next year's Gala.

We're also still working on the photos, but they should be up really soon.

What I can provide for you are the financial numbers. Financially speaking, the Gala was a huge success. All of the funds raised at the Gala (aside from the appeal, which I'll get to in a second) go toward the operating expenses at the CSC. That primarily means the staff, who spend every waking hour engaging students and making them feel at home here, but it also includes the basic expenses to keep a building of this size running 24/7. Last year the Gala profited $100,000--after all expenses, that was the amount the CSC could use. This year we had a 30% profit increase--after all costs, we raised $130,000. We also broke the 400 mark in terms of attendance.

Although the Gala was a rousing success, I'd like to address a few concerns that have been expressed (you'll have the chance to express any of your own thoughts and ideas in the survey, or you can e-mail or call me [935-9191 ext. 221] at any time). Financial success is one thing; however, I want to make sure people have a good time on the night of the Gala itself.

The complaints I've heard most was that the band wasn't great and they were too loud, and that people couldn't here the auctioneer during the live auction. These are valid concerns, and we'll make sure to fix them next year. I hope these aspects didn't ruin your night.

A few people expressed a concern that $20,000 is too much to spend on a sign. I think that's a very valid point, and I'd address it with the following:

1. The Sign Doesn't Cost $20,000. $7,000 of the money raised--the funds given by an anonymous donor--specifically go toward lighting the house and the sign. If you drive by the CSC today, you'll see workers busy installing the new lighting. The remaining $13,000 goes toward uprooting the current sign, leveling and paving over the island of plants where the sign currently stands, putting in new landscaping at the edge of the yard for the sign, and erecting the sign itself. I apologize to anyone who was under the impression that we would spend $20,000 on a sign--the full information about this should have been clearly announced at the Gala, just as it was outlined in the auction booklet.
2. Signs Are Expensive: Even $13,000 seems expensive for a sign, right? I think so. However, Clayton has very specific rules about what you can and cannot do with signs and landscaping. The brick on the sign must match the brick on the house. The stone must as well. Stone, in particular, is not cheap, nor is the engraving or the lettering on the sign.
3. Ministry of Welcoming: Despite all this, you may still be wondering why we're spending $20,000 on lighting the house and erecting a sign when we could spend that on students. However, a major part of getting the CSC to "work" is getting students in the door. There are some students who come to Wash U seeking a Catholic community. Many others come from parishes where they haven't felt welcome, and they're not necessarily seeking to expand their faith. The first impression any student has of the CSC is the front of the building and the sign--that's how they find us. That's their first impression. We want that impression to be as welcoming as possible, because if we can't get students in the door, we can't help them grow.. Does the current sign convey "welcome?" Does the current searchlight lighting invite you in?
4. Legacy of Welcoming: We are so pleased that the funds from the sign come from the 38 generous donors who raised their paddles at the Gala and who obviously feel very good about committing their resources to a legacy of welcoming at the CSC. We hope you share our delight in achieving the goal of raising funds separate from our operating budget so that no money would ever be diverted from programs, salaries and the many other things that the weekly collection, Archdiocesan support, and general donations support. These people wanted to give to the appeal. I think it's a disservice to those people who chose to give to the appeal to say it isn't worth it. Rather, let's thank those people and celebrate their generosity. We appreciate that our community represents a variety of values and interests and we like to create a way for everyone to contribute to the parts of the CSC that they are passionate about.

Again, if you have any thoughts about the Gala, feel free to contact me at any time. I look forward to posting the survey in the near future and seeing the feedback from all of you. Thanks for all that you did for the 2008 Newman Gala.

So here we are, one day away from the 2008 Newman Gala. The excitement is palpable. The volunteers are poised and ready to go. The guests...well, with nearly 400 guests attending the Gala, it's going to be a great crowd.

I left the CSC to get a haircut around 6:00, just as Kelli, Linda, and Terri were descending upon the CSC to finalize the seating charts. As an outsider to this process, it's an art form to choose where people will sit. As our Director of Development, Linda knows a lot of people, so she basically spreads everyone's name out on the CSC's huge dining room table and figures out the best matches for everyone. She consults coworkers and others (Gala co-chair Kelli McDonald and seating chair [sidenote: seating chair? Is there any other type of chair?] Terri Berg) too.

Before you go to the Gala, take a look at the Addendum, which should be posted on the website today. The addendum includes a great batch of auction items that came in after the deadline, but we're happy to include them in the auction. Guests will receive a printed addendum when they arrive.

Also, if you've bookmarked the CSC Gala website or this blog, check back the week after the Gala for a look at the photos taken during the event, raffle results (know your raffle ticket numbers!), financial goals reached, and most importantly, a quick and easy survey to get your thoughts on the Gala. This event is a way to celebrate the CSC's benefactors of time, talent, and treasure, so I want to hear your opinions!

Overall, I've learned that the Gala isn't just one night. The Gala doesn't begin on April 5 and it doesn't end on April 5. It's a ongoing process of building community--both the volunteer community and the St. Louis business community--and celebrating the benefactors who keep the lights on at the CSC. So I want to thank you for tuning in to see what goes on behind the scenes of the 2008 Newman Gala, and I invite you to continue to tune in for the making of the 2009 Newman Gala, a process that will begin on April 6.

But for now, just enjoy the party. :)