Background

The annual Red, Heart, and Soul Gala is the signature fundraising event for Devotion To Children (DTC). DTC was founded in 1994 as a nonprofit organization focused on the needs of young children so that they could become mentally, physically, and emotionally healthy members of society. DTC is committed to its mission of providing access to high quality educational and childcare programs for children under age six from economically disadvantaged families.

The funds that DTC raise is to support scholarships for children from birth to age 6 attend a licensed, quality childcare or preschool program in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.

About the Red, Heart, and Soul Gala

The past several galas have been held at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Tysons. The average number of attendees has been about 200 guests. Dress attire is formal (black tie recommended); volunteers are also expected to dress formally. The Honorary Chair for this event in the past few years has been US Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, who often makes an appearance at the pre-gala reception that occurs an hour before the start of the Gala dinner. There is an open bar (with an assortment of alcohol, mixed drinks, and non-alcoholic options) and passed hors ‘d oeuvres are served during the cocktail reception. The silent auction is also open during the reception.

The Gala dinner is a plated formal (sit-down) dinner. Guests are all provided with bread, salad, a “surf & turf” (steak & salmon) entrée, and dessert. Wine (choice of white or red) is served during dinner and coffee or tea is served during dessert. Each table is usually filled with 10 individuals. Special arrangements can be made to table seating arrangements for VIP guests.

The program during dinner varies from year to year based on the Gala Chair’s vision for the event. Generally, the following components are included in the program:

Opening remarks
Highlights of Devotion To Children, its mission, and program(s)
Live Auction and appeals for donation
Raffle and silent auction announcements
Music and dancing

Volunteer Needs

Volunteers contribute tremendously to an event like this, especially details that often are overlooked by others. In general, there are five separate group of volunteers that take care of different functions of the Gala in order for it to run smoothly. Each group could have between 2 – 5 volunteers; one person in each team will serve as a lead and report directly to the Volunteer Manager. The five functional groups include:

Registration
General Help with Silent Auction Set-Up
Greeters/Item Procurement
Live Auction & Raffle

Sign Up

Registration

Check-in team job description: This requires BetterUnite training. Volunteers will check in guests as they arrive based on their names, assign them a number that corresponds with their table number, and get their credit card information for the raffle and silent auction items.

Qualifications:
- Confident in using new technology and adapting to it quickly
- Ability to understand computer coding
- Data entry skills
- Effective communication / customer service skills; demonstrate manners and business etiquette
- Ability to work under pressure and quickly adjust to solutions
Check-out team job description: This requires BetterUnite training. Volunteers will check guests out based on silent auction, raffle, and live auction items they won, OR general donations they committed to during the live appeal. This includes going to the guest’s page, charging them for the designated items, and printing out an invoice.
Qualifications:
- Confident in using new technology and adapting to it quickly
- Experience using a merchant check-out device
- Effective communication / customer service skills; demonstrate manners and business etiquette
- Ability to work under pressure and quickly adjust to solutions

FULL

Silent Auction Team

Job description: This requires help with setting up the items, aligning silent auction items with the proper bid sheets, entering in the sales on BetterUnite, and helping with clean up at the end of the night. (Make sure someone each basket is numbered according to its number on BetterUnite for proper check out)
Qualifications:
- Organization skills to clearly track auction items
- Presentation skills (ability to present items in an appealing manner)

FULL

Greeter/Runner

Greeters job description: These are volunteers who help guide guests into the ballroom.
Runner job descriptionThis requires volunteers to physically track down silent auction items at the end of the event, and hand it to the guests once they have finished up with payment.
Qualifications:
- Effective communication / customer service skills; demonstrate manners and business etiquette

FULL

Raffle Sale

Job description: Volunteers will be trained to track down which guests committed to the live auction item, as well as which guests won the raffles and input it into BetterUnite. They will later charge them for this on BetterUnite during check out. These volunteers need to know how to make payments by adding bid numbers to the item they will be purchasing.
Qualifications:
- Effective communication / customer service skills; demonstrate manners and business etiquette
- Ability to work under pressure and quickly adjust to solutions

FULL

Event Planner

FULL

Stage Manager

Audio Visual

FULL