CONGRATULATIONS! YOU'RE THE GALA CHAIR
Now pull off a polished, profitable event
without the stress.
The 5-step checklist every new gala chair needs to skip the auction-item chase, reverse-engineer your profit plan, and feel genuinely confident your event will be a success.
GET THE CHECKLIST NOW!Did you volunteer, or get voluntold, to run this year's gala and now you're staring at a blank spreadsheet, wondering
where on earth to begin?
Maybe you agreed because the cause matters so much to you, or maybe you said yes because no one else would. Either way, you're in it now. And the clock is already ticking.
SO YOU DO WHAT ANYONE ELSE WOULD DO:
✔ You start Googling.
✔ You look at what other galas have done.
✔ You start making a list of silent auction items to collect, venues to call, and themes to explore.
It feels like you’re making progress, but you honestly have no idea if this is what it takes to
pull off a gala that hits its revenue goal.
HERE'S WHAT FIRST TIME GALA CHAIRS FIND OUT WHEN IT'S TOO LATE...
Things that feel most productive are often the ones that cost you the most money in the end.
Chasing auction items. Booking vendors before you have a budget. Designing an event before you've defined what success actually looks like. All of it feels necessary, but none of it is where the money comes from.
MEANWHILE, THE QUESTIONS KEEP PILING UP...
How do I know if my revenue goal is realistic or not?
What if we spend money on things that don't make us a profit?
What if the board expects something I can't deliver?
What if we've done this before, and it bombed, but I don't know why?
The most frustrating part is that the answers are not always clear.
That is exactly why I’m here today.
Hi, I’m Dean.
Benefit auctioneer and profit consultant.
I've spent the last 15 years helping nonprofits across the country raise millions of dollars at their gala events.
BUT I DIDN'T START OUT AS AN EXPERT.
I started out as an actor who got hired to play a Frenchman at a Moulin Rouge-themed school fundraiser. I knew nothing about auctioneering or nonprofit fundraising. But something worked.
People started calling me up. I got licensed and trained. And since then, I’ve helped raise millions of dollars for hundreds of organizations.
Today I work with 50+ nonprofits every year, organizations who've never run a profitable gala before, or who keep calling me back because the results speak for themselves.
I'VE NOTICED THE SAME PATTERN REPEATS.
The organizations that struggled to reach their donation goals weren't failing because their cause wasn’t good enough or because they didn’t work hard enough.
They planned a party. Not a fundraiser. And those are two completely different things. A party is designed to impress, and a fundraiser is designed to raise money.
If nobody teaches you the difference before you start planning, you'll spend months doing all the wrong things and not realize it until the night is over.
Organizations with only a roomful of guests and no in-house staff that consistently walk away with $30K+ from a single event aren’t always putting in more hours than everyone else. They're working differently. They start with a number, build a plan around it, put the right people in the room, and ask for money the right way.
It all starts in those first 48 hours of planning.
MOST GALA CHAIRS JUMP STRAIGHT TO PLANNING...
without asking themselves the questions that determine whether an event succeeds or fails.
They didn’t have a realistic revenue goal before they started spending money.
They never thought about mining their data from past events to understand what worked, what drained their budget, and where they left money on the table.
They didn’t have a planning window that gave them enough time to get everything done.
They had no idea how to build a realistic budget or estimate their expenses before committing to vendors.
And almost nobody thinks to reverse-engineer their profit plan, starting with the number they need to raise and working backward to figure out exactly what it's going to take to get there.
The First 48 Hours checklist gets your event on paper first, and walks you through an easy step-by-step process to get it DONE in just 48 hours. This step-by-step checklist, with built-in worksheets and budget tools, walks you through the math and data you need to start planning with absolute clarity.
By the time you're done, you won't just feel ready.
YOU'LL HAVE A REAL PLAN TO HELP YOU MOVE FORWARD ON THE RIGHT FOOT.
HERE'S EVERYTHING YOU GET WHEN YOU GRAB
First 48 Hours:Your First 5 Steps as “Gala Chair”…
Get instant access to the step-by-step checklist and video walkthrough that show you what to do from day one, so you can stop spinning your wheels and start building a profitable gala from the ground up.
Here's what that looks like…
STEP 1: DEFINE SUCCESS
Most gala chairs start spending money before they've agreed on what a winning event actually looks like. This step makes sure you never do.
STEP 2: MINE YOUR DATA
If you've hosted a gala before, you're sitting on information that could change everything about how you plan this one. This step shows you how to use it.
STEP 3: CHOOSE YOUR DATE
Picking a date isn't just a logistical decision; it's a strategic one that affects everything that comes after it. This step makes sure you get it right.
STEP 4: BUILD YOUR BUDGET
No more guessing, hoping, or finding out too late that the numbers don't add up. This step gives you a clear financial picture before you commit to anything.
STEP 5: START YOUR ACTION PLAN
With everything locked in, you'll know exactly what to do next, and in what order, so you can stop feeling overwhelmed and start making real progress.
BONUS INCLUDED!
Enjoy an extra bonus with a short video walkthrough from Dean that takes you through all five steps, so you're never left guessing about what to fill in or why it matters.
Right now, you have two paths.
Keep planning the way most first-time gala chairs do: booking vendors before you have a budget, chasing auction items that won't move the needle, and hoping the night comes together in a way that impresses the board and somehow raises enough money.
Cross your fingers. Hold your breath. And find out how it went when the final numbers roll in.
Spend $27 on a proven, step-by-step checklist that walks you through exactly what to do in the first 48 hours, so you start with a clear revenue goal, a realistic budget, and an action plan your entire leadership team can follow through with.
