A Little Change Can Go a Long Way

In the past year, I feel like I’ve learned more from school than ever before. I took a few public relations skills courses that really helped me. I also took a visual communications design class that showed me how to use programs like InDesign. Moreover, I’m taking classes for my marketing minor that really have given me some insight into why people buy the way they do.

But all of this pales in comparison to what you can learn from real-life experiences. And while I don’t have any internship experience yet, I DEFINITELY have dealt with event planning through my fraternity, Alpha Tau Omega. The biggest event I’ve planned is our annual spring philanthropy, Cornhole for a Cure. Cornhole for a Cure is a large-scale cornhole tournament that raises money for a cancer victim from the Kent community.

And in event planning, I’ve learned that a few small changes can really make a big difference. Last year, I was put in charge of Cornhole for a Cure with about a month to go before the event. Through sheer force of will and an intense word-of-mouth campaign, as well as excellent communication through the Greek community, we were able to raise $1,000 for Chuck Ciccionetti. Others noticed as well, and Cornhole for a Cure won the Inter-Greek Programming Board Philanthropy of the Year last year.

However, this year I was in charge from the beginning and Cornhole for a Cure has been my focus – my obsession, even. It was our goal to raise double the participation and the money raised from the event. In order to do this, some changes had to be made.

Some new elements I included were a Facebook group and event page that really helped increase awareness. I also sent press releases that were published in both the Daily Kent Stater and the Kent Record Courier. The Facebook group had over 300 members and was a perfect example of how one can use viral marketing and social media to make an impact.

I feel like both were equally important to the success of the event, showing how much we (or at least young people) have become engrossed in internet culture. Another tactic I used was a podcast with AJ Holloway about his cancer-fighting dad to personalize the event for people. I was also able to build upon some of the same tactics of the previous year, like a phone tree for alumni and friends as well as event reminder emails.

After all of these changes, we raised just under $2,000, doubling the money raised to help a friend’s father fight cancer.

To understand just how much a little change can effect even a much bigger event, consider this year’s NFL Draft. A national holiday weekend for the many football-aholics like myself, Roger Goodell shortened the amount of time teams could wait to make picks, to great effect. It made for a much more watchable event. Even the big concerns about the move, that teams would not have enough time to make trades, were unfounded. In fact, the NFL set a league record with 33 draft day trades this year. More importantly, they set up for the future of a primetime broadcast first round.

Regardless of whether an event is a big deal like the NFL draft, or just a local event like Cornhole for a Cure, a little change can go a long way.