From Antique Car Tours to Rave Reviews:
Events Bring Excitement and Economic Return
to Byway Organizations
The following list represents actual events and ideas for events shared by the byway representatives participating in the roundtable discussions for this CD. Events have the potential to draw funding support from individuals as participants and spectators, from businesses as participants and sponsors, and from government and foundations interested in tourism promotion and community development.
Annual Nationwide Byway Fundraising Event
Hold an annual nationwide event for byways with a common theme, e.g., garage sale, auctioning bankers for a day’s labor, sporting or family event… a spring birding event could be sponsored by an organization such as the National Audubon Society as a shared fundraiser.
Antique Car Tour
Drivers of antique cars pay a fee to drive the byway on a designated tour weekend. Spectators purchase byway-theme souvenirs. Learn more
Art Auction
One byway organization holds an annual potluck dinner event and an art auction at a local theater. That event raises about $1,000 from in-house and public attendees – usually 40 byway organization members plus guests. Consult “Making Auctions Work Best for Corporate Sponsors and Fundraisers” – a best practices article by Jon Carson, May 2005.
Back Stage, Behind-the-Scenes Tours
Charge for specially packaged back stage or behind-the-scenes tours that are not generally available to the public; price the packages appropriately for their rarity.
Bring-Your-Checkbook Dinner Party
Bring-Your-Checkbook dinner parties take place with guests willing to support a community project. In some areas, the minimum donation is usually $1,000. The evening can raise large sums all at once or secure long-term pledges for funding.
Byway Awards Dinners - Learn more
Competitive Races
One byway organization projects a potential of $5,000 net income could be made from a running-bicycling Duathlon event. In the first year of the event, the byway organization made $500 on sponsorships. The second year event drew 85 participants and the byway made a total of $1,200 on sponsorships and race fees. Insurance was provided via the sanction of the event as a pre-season training event by a local ski association.
Corridor Clean-Up Event
For one byway organization, a corridor-wide clean-up event makes about $5,000. Advertising, underwritten by sponsor dollars, broadens community support for the event. The event attracts support from roads commissions, garden clubs, and about 250 volunteers and families from the byway communities. The event targets public spaces as priority points for cleaning. Work crew services are donated in-kind. Sponsor donations provide revenue to the byway organization that gives volunteers commerorative shirts. Restaurants donate a free picnic lunch for volunteers, and a raffle of donated prizes is held.
Golf Tournaments
One byway organization noted that after nearly 10 years of running a golf tournament that included hole sponsorships, individual player and captain-and-crew team registration fees, a dinner, raffle and auction with more than $6,000 worth of prizes and tour packages donated, the event made $3,100. The observation was made that this amount paled in comparision to the $40,000 plus tournaments held by such groups as the Red Cross and Hospice.
For tips on how to run a successful golf tournament, look for the How to Guide at on the left side of the webpage of Hole in One International.
Hollywood Connections: Get Your Kicks and Tickets on Route 66 and Other America's Byways - Learn more
Invitation-Only Harvest Supper
One byway organization holds a members-only, 30 tickets–only event featuring a harvest supper cooked over the hearth in a historic site, with a concert and museum tour. The fundraising potential of this event is estimated at $3,000 in charitable donations.
Merchandising - Click here to view a list of byway theme merchandising ideas that include books, jewelry, playing cards…
Rave Review Parties - Learn more
A byway organization’s 15th anniversary celebration was built around a food tasting event that also included donated travel packages and merchandise for an auction. Twenty dollar admission tickets were sold. Tickets were given to government and industry leaders. The mayor of the hosting municipality emceed the program. Everything from food and tables to decorations and the paper for the printed programs was donated. Some of the food donations traveled in from 150 miles away. The value of auction donations was estimated at $23,000. That value was used as a match for a grant to help underwrite the event. The event netted about $8,000 and was recognized with a best tourism event award. Sponsorships will be added for future such events that will move to different locales each year.
Tours - Learn more about byway partnerships with travel and tour packagers.
Resources
IEG, Inc. - for sponsors, sponsees, and agencies interested in sports, art, entertainment, events, causes and association marketing; IEG Sponsorship Report, annual survey of 3,000-plus sponsorship opportunities worldwide; some resources free, others by subscription
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