102. Banquet, Gala, or Vision Dinner: Which One Really Works?

Summary

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Podcast Summary: "Banquet, Gala, or Vision Dinner: Which One Really Works?"

The Fundraising Masterminds Podcast – Episode 102
Date: September 17, 2025
Hosts: Jason Galasinski (A) & Jim Dempsey (B)
Special Guests: Stephanie Thornton (D) & Melissa Neal (C), Chesterton Academy of St. Benedict

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Overview

In this episode, Jason and Jim dissect the most common types of nonprofit fundraising events—banquets, galas, and their signature Vision Dinners—to answer the fundamental question: which approach is actually most effective for raising funds and engaging supporters? Drawing on decades of hands-on experience with thousands of nonprofits, they explore the perceptions, pitfalls, and potential of each event style, highlighting how intentional strategy and future-focused vision can dramatically shift results.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Event Terminology: More Than Just Semantics

• Naming Matters: The word you use (banquet, gala, Vision Dinner) shapes not just your mindset, but also guest expectations.
  “What you call your event means something to you, but it also means something to your guests.” — Jason (21:09)

2. The ‘Banquet’—Tradition With Limitations

• Classic Features: Often casual, community-driven, church gym-based, cheap to run, volunteers serve food—low cost, low impact.

• Mindset: Focus is backwards-looking, with little real vision casting.

• Common Pitfalls:

  • No clear call to action or financial goal.
  • Attracts mainly older, recurring crowd (“average age of the attendee? About 102 probably.” – Jim, 09:47).
  • Minimal fundraising ($5,000–$50,000 typical, rarely more).
  • Legacy of the “rubber chicken” and “doors being locked in the back” stigma.

• Why Move On:
  “We think that our past successes excite people … and there’s nothing further from the truth than that.” — Jim (07:24)

• Notable Moment:
  Jason’s tongue-in-cheek description of walking into a church gymnasium full of plastic tablecloths and an aging crowd (09:07–09:55).

3. The ‘Gala’—Upscale, Entertaining, But Misfocused

• Features: Black-tie, fancy venues, high production, auctions, raffles, big-name entertainment.

• Mindset: Heavy focus on entertainment and “experience,” often at the expense of a compelling vision for the future.

• Pitfalls:

  • Substantial cost; ROI is usually 1:1 or 2:1 at best (“The expenses are so high, your ROI is very low…” – Jim, 00:17 & 16:11).
  • Guests are there primarily for the social/entertainment aspect.
  • Often missing intentional engagement with the organization’s future impact.

• Hosts’ Take:
  “It would be the equivalent of having a big church with a lot of production, not talking anything about Jesus. … It gives them something entertaining but doesn’t give them something of value.” — Jim (14:33)

• Memorable Quote About Galas:
  “If you want to be the best gala in town and you want people to come and enjoy themselves, it can be hard to let go.” — Jason (14:07)

4. The ‘Vision Dinner’—Future-Focused, Relationship-Driven, and High Impact

• Definition: An elegant, purpose-driven event designed specifically to cast a compelling vision of the future and engage guests as partners in that mission. It is not just a rebranded gala or banquet—the strategy and program are fundamentally different.
• Philosophy:
  • Focus on rallying partners around a shared vision for the future—“an opportunity, not just a need.”
  • Moving from “replication” to “multiplication”—breaking the cycle of seeing the same supporters and same results year after year.
  • Engage guests emotionally and spiritually, inviting them to invest for eternal impact (“They are looking to have a reward in heaven that is going to make an impact in the souls they’re investing in.” – Jason, 25:30)
  • Practical mentorship: a 21-week hands-on process to help organizations design and execute the event step by step.
• Results:
  • Dramatic increases in both guest numbers and funds raised.
  • Typical ROI: 3:1, 4:1—sometimes up to 5:1 or more on investment.
  • “Six-figure course”—results from $100,000 to $900,000+ raised per event.

Testimonial Highlight – Chesterton Academy of St. Benedict

Stephanie & Melissa (Guests at 17:08–20:42)

• Last year (gala): 145 attendees, raised $48,000.

• This year (Vision Dinner): ~300 attendees, raised $170,440

• “It really cast a vision for our city and for all the people there attending to see what the Lord can do through this school. ...Without the guided program, we would have been a hot mess.” — Melissa (19:51)

• Notable Moment: “You might be bringing in $200,000, but I mean, we’ve worked with some pregnancy centers where they’ve been raising $200,000 for the last 10 years.” — Jason (29:50) — underscores the challenge of stagnation and the need for intentional new approaches.

5. Mindset Shift: Needs vs. Opportunities

• Inviting supporters not out of desperation (“I don’t have much of a product but I need your money”), but by offering them an opportunity to invest with high impact (Shark Tank analogy, 23:52–25:21).
• “Great money is looking for great opportunities ... Our partners are too, they’re looking for places to put their money where it’s going to have the greatest return on investment for the kingdom.” — Jim (25:13)

6. The Practical Edge

• Mentorship Structure:
  • 21-week guided program with personal coaching from Jim and Jason: “It is a program that we literally hold your hand and help you find the people, plan the program, and build out everything from scratch.” — Jason (31:23)
  • Weekly calls, workbook, support community, and app.
• Emphasis: It isn’t just about changing the name—changing the approach is what really matters.
  “If you change the name but you don’t do anything different, you’ve got to change the product.” — Jim (33:50)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Banquet Stereotypes:
  “People running their envelopes up to the front and the doors being locked in the back. And, of course, the infamous rubber chicken. … I call these the B word.” — Jim (04:18)

• On Galas:
  “The irony… from the people who do the production. … There’s something encouraging about that. It would be the equivalent… of having a big church with a lot of production, not talking anything about Jesus.” — Jim (14:33)

• On Vision Dinner Mindset:
  “The whole program is geared towards presenting the future and presenting an exciting opportunity of where we are headed and giving your guests specific ways to get engaged, to invest in your organization.” — Jason (22:37)

• On Results:
  “We see 3:1, 4:1, even 5:1 return on investment. Our program is $100,000 to… we had a $900,000 dinner this year, Jason.” — Jim (28:07)

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Key Timestamps

| Segment | Timestamp | |-------------------------------------------|-------------| | Banquet pitfalls and outdated practices | 04:12–10:14 | | The problem with the “banquet” term | 10:14–11:58 | | Defining a Gala: Pros and Cons | 11:58–16:51 | | The Vision Dinner concept explained | 16:51–21:07 | | Testimonial from Chesterton Academy | 17:08–20:42 | | Why naming and mindset matter | 21:07–22:16 | | Shark Tank analogy: investing in vision | 23:35–25:21 | | Mentorship program structure/results | 27:46–31:23 | | Who should consider the Vision Dinner? | 28:46–31:23 | | Final answer: Which one really works? | 32:31–33:52 |

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Conclusion: Which One Really Works?

• Clear Answer: Vision Dinner is the path to not just increased funds, but truly energized partners invested in the future of your mission.

  • “Banquet, gala, or Vision Dinner? Which one really works? Vision Dinner, Jason, without a doubt.” — Jim (32:31)

• Action Step: To get beyond stagnation and maximize both funding and engagement, organizations need more than a new name—they need a new, intentional strategy rooted in vision and partnership.

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Episode Tone:
Practical, wise, and sometimes irreverent, Jason and Jim bring humor and candor (and a few self-deprecating stories) to demystify fundraising event strategies—always focused on what actually delivers results for nonprofits.

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For more success stories and details on the Perfect Vision Dinner mentorship, visit their YouTube channel or contact Jason and Jim directly.

Transcript

[A]

You're listening to the number one podcast for nonprofit leaders getting your nonprofit fully funded. This is the Fundraising Masterminds Podcast. They want to be the best gala in town, and they want people to come and enjoy themselves. Right. And so it can be hard to let go.

[B]

Yeah. The expenses are so high. Your ROI is very low, and at best, maybe 2 to 1. In fact, generally it's 1 to 1.

[A]

Welcome back to another episode here at the Fundraising Masterminds Podcast. We're so excited to have you join us today. My name is Jason Galasinski, and with me, my co host, Jim Dempsey.

[B]

Hi, Jason.

[A]

And we are so excited to have you join us today. Today's episode is called Banquet Gala or Vision dinner. Which one really works? And, you know, there's a little. I know we talk a lot on this program about a vision dinner.

[B]

Right.

[A]

But we get a lot of emails and questions about why don't you use.

[B]

What. What's so bad about me using the word banquet?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Is there a problem with that?

[A]

And Jim always says, don' b word.

[B]

Right.

[A]

You know, it's like, well, why, you know, and. And, you know, is a gala really that bad? I mean, a lot of our organizations actually do galas. They call them a gala.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And so we're going to talk about, you know, what we mean, add some clarification around this topic and. And hopefully, you know, by the end of this, you will know exactly what we mean by the different terms and what potentially your guests mean. Now, a lot of times when we say a term, you know, we know what we mean about something, but sometimes other people don't know or they have their own ideas. So we're going to talk about that, too. Well, just before we get started, if you wouldn't mind subscribing to this podcast. This podcast is for ministry leaders or development professionals. If you're involved in Christian ministry work or raising funds for the ministry or the kingdom or any kind of important cause, then we are here to support you. Through that last couple of weeks, we've been doing a series on Development Basics. It was pretty interesting stuff.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So as we're talking about vision dinners and banquets and galas and stuff like that today, if you're like, wow, these guys seem to think about things a little differently, go back to the last couple episodes and listen to the Development Basics series because we really dive into our methodology. And I think that would be really helpful to know as you're starting to listen to this podcast.

[B]

We're big fans of the Basics. Getting back to the basics, making sure that you've got that firm foundation that you're building your house on. The strong foundation. Yeah.

[A]

Also wanted to make a quick reminder that the perfect Vision Dinner mentorship program enrollment is open. We're actually only five weeks away from the next program starting. So if you've been listening to us for a while and you're like, I really wanted to sign up for the next cohort, now is the time to get signed up.

[B]

And this is if you're thinking about a spring 26 dinner. Right, Jason?

[A]

Yep.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

If you're thinking about the next spring 2026, we always do two cohorts a year. Right. So they generally fall around the last week of October.

[B]

Right.

[A]

And the first week of May.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

We do one session starting May to work towards a fall dinner, and then we do one end of October working towards a spring dinner. So we're five weeks away from our next class starting. And if you haven't signed up and you've been thinking about it, now is the time to get in there because space is limited and we really would love to work with you.

[B]

Well, it's only doing it twice a year, Jason. You can imagine how packed these classes get. So it's important that you get in and get in early because there's a limit to each one.

[A]

Yeah. So this episode, we're going to be talking about three kinds of fundraising dinner events. We're going to be talking about the banquet, we're going to be talking about the gala, and we're going to be talking about the Vision Dinner.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

And what's the difference between all of these?

[B]

And we're not going to talk about the difference between a gala and a gala. That will not be discussed.

[A]

I think I say gala. Do you say gala?

[B]

I said gala. Now, I didn't always say gala, but I do.

[A]

Now, is there a correct way to say it?

[B]

We're not going there, Jason, because we don't want to form too much controversy.

[A]

Right. Well, the first one we're actually going to start with is called a banquet.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Now, this really goes back to Jim's favorite days of early development back in the 1980s.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

You always talk about those high pressure events.

[B]

Yes. With the big thermometers, people running their envelopes up to the front and the doors being locked in the back. And of course, the infamous rubber chicken. All those were distinctives of banquets in the early 1980s. And that is why I call these the B word.

[A]

Now, people do banquets today. Sure they do, but they don't do that still, do they?

[B]

You'd be surprised that. No, there's. There's a good number of dinners that still do those kinds of things. Yeah, you would be surprised. Underwriting, selling tables, selling tickets, all distinctives of the banquet mindset.

[A]

So a couple things that, that we want to point out about a banquet is, you know, banquets tend to be a little bit more casual. They tend to be the ones that you see in like church gymnasiums or.

[B]

Church basements or fire stations, you name it.

[A]

And the idea here is on, you know, we don't want to do a fancy dinner because that would be a waste of ministry funds. They would. We. Why would we. Why would we go all out and, you know, we can just. The church is going to give us.

[B]

Their room for free and we can serve a buffet. We can use plastic forks.

[A]

We're going to have knives, volunteers.

[B]

And paper plates. And have the students of our ministry come in and serve. And think of how little we're going to spend on food to keep our costs as low as possible.

[A]

And they might even be proud about that. They might even say, you know, we were able to pull off this event for $1,000.

[B]

It's a badge of courage for people. And nothing could be further from the truth.

[A]

So the mindset here is kind of a community potluck. It's kind of a get together. They could call it a fundraiser, like an annual fundraiser banquet, but it doesn't have a lot of. A lot of times there's not even an ask or there's no goal. It's just kind of like.

[B]

Or it only focuses in. On fundraising and doesn't focus at all on building relationships with people and making this a special evening.

[A]

Yeah, I was going down the road of like, entertaining, you know, like have a band come in and just entertain, you know, just like come together, right? Have a potluck, here's some entertainment, listen to a speaker and then leave, right? And then people are just like, they think, you know, throw a couple bucks in the back and it's like, hey, it's all supporting the local pregnancy center, you know, and all for a good cause.

[B]

Y. Yeah.

[A]

And then people leave feeling like they did their part and. But they really didn't raise a whole lot. The. The focus being on the community event. Sometimes people use these as like volunteer appreciation kind of things. It's more focused on like the past or maybe on the winds of the year, so. Tends to be a little bit more of an update. Kind of like, let me. Let's Share what God is doing and which isn't bad, but it tends to be more rallying people around the past.

[B]

Well, it's an incomplete picture of what a program should be. We think that our past successes excite people. Our past successes are what people give to, and there's nothing further from the truth than that.

[A]

Now, these kinds of banquets, they typically raise anywhere from $5,000 to upwards of maybe $50,000 on the high end. If you get really clever, maybe get lots of underwriting or something, you might even get closer to a hundred thousand. But we don't see that very often. You know, a lot of times they kind of tap out at around 50,000, so.

[B]

And the sad part, Jason, is that people put a lot of work into these to get $5,000, and then they wonder why they're having problems financially.

[A]

Yeah. So I've actually been to quite a few of these. I'm sure you have.

[B]

Way too many, Jason.

[A]

When my wife invites me to the local blank, I won't name any names. Xyz, you know, annual fundraiser, she's like, it's. You know, it's. I know they're not doing it. My wife usually says, they got such a good heart. She usually invites me, and I'm like, I don't want to go to one of these. And she's. I'm gonna be like, I can't sit in one of these. I'm just gonna be. You know how I am.

[B]

Because we know what. It's. What the right picture should be like. And it drives me crazy.

[A]

And my wife is even like, yeah, well, I know they're not doing. Doing the. The right thing exactly how you guys would say. But they have a good heart. I mean, we. They still a great ministry. We should really support them. And. And, you know, but. So I always get roped into some of these things, and it's like, you know, you go there and you're just like, I have no idea who these people are. They don't.

[B]

And it's like about 20 minutes in, I feel like taking a fork and just jabbing it in the side of my head. Jason. I just. I. I get so frustrated because we've seen the real thing.

[A]

The last one I went to, I knew it was going to be bad because I showed up and I was like. I was kind of expecting it to be in kind of an event center, but it ended up being in a church. And I was like, okay, well, they're at least going to do it in, like, the nicer fellowship hall. Nope. We started walking towards the gymnasium and I was like, oh man. And then we go in there and I saw like plastic tablecloths probably, and I saw a big buffet line with people with gloves on.

[B]

And nothing more dainty and elegant than those plastic gloves that people.

[A]

And you know, after the program got started, I looked around and can you imagine the average age of the attendee?

[B]

About 102 probably. Yeah.

[A]

Pretty much anywhere from the age of 92.

[B]

So there wasn't the energy that oftentimes it's needed.

[A]

It just felt like it just, just didn't feel alive.

[B]

Like, like you were going to something in the 80s and not. Yeah. In 2025.

[A]

So now a lot of you might be listening to this and they might say, well, I do an annual banquet and we raise $200,000 every year. Well, you might be doing something a little different.

[B]

You know, maybe even a blind squirrel finds a nut once a day.

[A]

Yeah, but the reason why we try to stay away from the word banquet is because a lot of times when you say do an annual banquet, because people have been doing these for so long, I mean, really, you, you have.

[B]

Memories from the 80s, 70s and 80s. Yes.

[A]

So I mean, like people just associate certain memories, certain thoughts, certain things to a banquet.

[B]

Like we said, church basement, rubber chicken doors being locked from the inside. Yeah. All the negative connotations.

[A]

So when you as an organization, even though your banquet might be quote unquote, better, you know, it's still a word that we try to stay away from just because of the associations. So I know back in the, in the 90s and early 2000s, you were actually pivoted from annual banquet to fellowship dinner. Yes, that's right. And for the longest time we called them fellowship dinners. And why do we get rid of.

[B]

Well, there was a. There was. Well, first of all, there was a shift from banquet to fellowship because it was a warmer, friendly, more in inviting environment. And we did, we focused a lot on building relationships with people. But we shifted towards the vision Dinner because we wanted people to understand that we were looking towards the future. The fellowship was more the here and now, the present. That was still an extension of the banquet. But the vision is here's where our organization is going in the future. And it's because we've. All of our research says that people give because of vision an organization has and not because of what they've done.

[A]

Right. So that's about the banquet. Now the second thing that is, this is actually very popular these days is to do an annual gala. Now a gala Typically, you know, the definition of a gala is more upscale. It's a black tie event. It's a more elegant venue, you know, fine dining kind of thing.

[B]

Now, right now, Jason, that sounds like our perfect vision Dinner strategy. What makes it different?

[A]

It's focused on entertainment. Focus on the experience over vision so you can see. And now I'm talking about the traditional gala. Right. So there's, there's two kinds of galas. There's our kind of gala, which is more the vision casting gala. And then you've got the traditional gala. Like if you were to go on to Google and type in how do you do a gala or what is a gala, Google is going to tell you something like, you know, it's a high profile, elegant event. There's typically, you know, selling tickets, selling tables, having raffles, doing fund a need, having an auction or an auctioneer having big name speakers, bringing in a band. So it's still.

[B]

So it's more focused really, Jason, I hear you saying more focused in, on, on entertainment, on production, on flash and. Because ours includes substance and quality and upscale. But it's not about the production, it's about the product. Right, right, right.

[A]

So the traditional gala, like in the standard sense, and you know, that's why there's a little bit of confusion when we talk about, you know, a gala versus a vision dinner is the gala is more focused on that entertainment, high production value. So the, the good things about it is that it is upscale and it is nice to go to. So it's getting people to dress up, which is great. But then the bad thing is that it's focused on the wrong things. Right. Focus on entertaining.

[B]

Right.

[A]

It's focused on stuff.

[B]

It's got comedians, it's got, you know, musicians and, and concerts and all kinds of other things.

[A]

The part that's hard is some people, some people we work with, you know, they really like this kind of.

[B]

Sure.

[A]

You know, it's, it's like going to a really good dinner theater and it's like, you know, if they want to be the best gala in town and they want people to come and enjoy themselves. Right. And so it can be hard to let go of something like this. And I get that. It can be a lot of fun. It also is a lot of time and energy to plan a gala. When people join our program and we tell them we're not doing auctions anymore, you can hear a big sigh of relief from the audience.

[B]

That's the irony from the people who do the production. Yeah, that is the irony. In fact, there's something encouraging about that. It would be the equivalent, Jason, of having a big church with a lot of production, not talking anything about Jesus. So it gives them something entertaining, but it doesn't give them something of value. And that's the difference between a gala and what we're doing now.

[A]

Right. So the focus on the gala, the traditional gala is going to be auctions, raffles, expensive tables, getting sponsors, entertainment. The focus is going to be on, like the present. Right. You're focusing on having an experience. You're focused on entertainment. And so it does get more results than a banquet because it's more exciting. You get. You tend to get more younger people there. What you were talking about in the 80s, it was like they were trying to do these high pressure fundraisers.

[B]

Right.

[A]

But then trying to be like super cheap.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You know, so then they were. So then it kind of pivoted to, well, let's make them fancy.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Because rich people are going to go to fancy.

[B]

It sounds like it's the direct opposite, which could be good, but actually it's not.

[A]

Right. But then, like, rich people don't want to focus in on stuff. You know, they typically have everything. So then they kind of made it all about entertaining and getting stuff.

[B]

Right. You know, if I want to pull so and so in, I have to have a comedian or I have to have an auction or an auctioneer or whatever it is. Absolutely.

[A]

There was one episode that we did a little while ago where we read off a funny article and they were talking about, about, like the traditional gala, about, like how you got to booze them up.

[B]

Yeah. You know, then they'll give like crazy because they're drunk, so. Well, one of the things that I think is important, Jason, is looking at the bottom line, you know, with a gala generally, because the expenses, the entertainment, everything else, big name speaker, big name entertainment comedian, whatever is. The expenses are so high. Your ROI is very low. In fact, generally it's one to one at best, maybe two to one. And so when we talk about the perfect Vision Dinner, we'll give you an indicator of what the ROI is. That. But I can tell you it's significantly greater than one to one and two to one.

[A]

Right. Well, let's pivot over to Vision Dinner. And before we talk about Vision Dinner, we actually have someone who went through our program, took our Vision Dinner class, and she had some feedback to give about what a Vision Dinner is and how it works. So let's turn our attention to her.

[C]

I think if you're going to do a gala, you should do the Perfect Vision Dinner program, because either way, it's going to be a lot of work. But at least with the Perfect Vision Dinner Program, you get, like, you're told what to do and you have the support every step of the way.

[D]

I'm Stephanie Thornton and I'm on the board of directors for Chesterton Academy of St. Benedict in Columbus, Ohio. And we've just finished our Perfect Vision Dinner.

[C]

And I'm Melissa Neal, and I'm also on the board of directors.

[D]

So as we worked our way through the program, and we really had bought into the philosophy of it, once we understood the why of all these processes and how it works and the ideas behind it, it really made sense to us. It spoke to us that really the program is about relying on the Lord to provide the means for your organization to flourish. And so it's just this program provides all the steps to get there, how to build the relationships, how to appeal to a greater audience. And so it really did give us everything we needed along the way, you know, being able to dream bigger and trust the Lord for more. And then as far as the actual evening, it was such a beautiful showcase of what God is doing through our organization. It really showed people that it's all his, that it belongs to him. And we're just being faithful disciples.

[C]

I would say it's really been a delight to work with Jason and Jim and get to know them, and they really complement each other. I think it's helpful to have, like, all their knowledge and expertise telling you why things work the way that they do.

[D]

We did have a gala last year, and we had about 145 attendees, and we raised about $48,000. Coming on board with fundraising masterminds, we had over. We had about 300 guests at this gala, and we raised $170,440. It's all the Lord. It's all his work. And truly, I mean, this program just having everything spelled out for us that we could walk through step by step, it kind of really held our hands as long as we were being faithful to the process and working each of the steps, it all just came together so beautifully. And the evening just, it was perfect. It really cast a vision for our city and for all the people there attending to see what the Lord can do through this school. And so the program works so beautifully for us, and it really helped bring us together as a team with just a very structured program to follow.

[C]

Without the guided program, we would have been a hot mess. So it Was it made it very doable for us, without the fundraising knowledge, to just know, like, what we had to do each week and get it done.

[D]

Trying to organize a gala and plan all these elements without a very specific big picture plan makes it so hard. You're kind of shooting in the dark with pulling, you know, details from this thing and that thing that other dinners you've attended. But to have a really comprehensive plan that all makes sense, that's all very intentional, is such a beautiful thing.

[C]

I mean, I would say there are so many details that, like, I never would have thought of that were in the plan, but it was very thorough and definitely was just enough each week to, like, just focus on what you needed to do. So it wasn't too overwhelming.

[A]

Definitely exceeded your 100,000. So you're gonna have one of these coming your way. Vision Dinner award. Yay. Congratulations. You guys did it. Really proud of you guys. Something to definitely celebrate. Well, Jim, we talked about the banquet, we talked about the gala, and now we're gonna talk about the Vision Dinner. Right now, in our perfect Vision Dinner program, we might have students that are listening to us, and they're thinking, well, I'm in their program, and I'm still doing a gala.

[B]

Jim said it was okay to do a gala.

[A]

Yeah. And so, like, what's. You know, what's. What's the difference here? Well, the general principle is what you call your event is it means something to you, but it also means something to your guests.

[B]

So it's more of a mindset or how you're promoting it, Jason. Right. That makes it different.

[A]

It's one of the reasons why we pivoted to calling what we do a Vision Dinner, because what we did back in the 80s was the same thing. We used to call it an annual banquet, and then we called it a. You know, the reason why we changed the names is because the name kind of got hijacked by other people. And then we were like, well, we can't call it that, you know, because that everyone else thinks that that means this.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And so it's the same thing.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

The reason why we don't call it a Vision Gala or a gala is because it doesn't really describe what everyone else calls a gala. So we decided to pivot to calling it a Vision Dinner because nobody knows what a Vision Dinner is. So it gives you a blank slate. You know, when you say, come to our annual Vision Dinner, people go, what's the Vision Dinner? I've never heard of that before.

[B]

And it gives you a Chance and draws people ask the question, what is it?

[A]

Gives you a chance to create a new definition. So.

[B]

Well, what I've appreciated, too, Jason, is what I've heard you coach some people on is that if you've got one kind of event that you've always called it this, like a gala, to change it to a Vision Dinner isn't downgrading. It's letting them know, hey, this is not different than what we've ever done in the past. And I think that's good to distinguish what we've done in the past from what we're doing now in the future.

[A]

Yeah, exactly. So the way that we look at this Vision Dinner is it is an upscale, elegant event like a gala. It's this very similar feel in terms of, you know, where we do them. It's intentional, but it's designed to clearly communicate the vision of where we're going. So the whole program is geared towards, you know, presenting the future and presenting an exciting opportunity of where we are headed and giving your guests specific ways to get engaged, to invest in your organization. So we always like to say we like to get the right people in the right place with the right time, with the right vision presentation, the right appeal, and then we allow the Holy Spirit to do his thing, and he prompts the hearts of our guests. He's the one that ultimately brings the increase to our mission.

[B]

Right.

[A]

So the Vision Dinner is about depending on God rather than, you know, operating in your own strength and doing things out of your own abilities.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

So there are some things that we do know that work to be able to set up this environment. But the mindset here is that we want to rally partners around a compelling vision for the future. Right. So we want to. Do you remember, Jim, the TV show, the Shark Tank?

[B]

Sure. Still on. I still watch a lot of.

[A]

It's really entertaining to watch.

[B]

Right, right.

[A]

The idea is that you got these four or five people who are successful business owners.

[B]

Highly successful.

[A]

They have the funds, they have the know how, they have the resources, and they're actively looking to spend their money.

[B]

Right.

[A]

They're, like, very open about it.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

We have millions of dollars, and we want to spend it.

[B]

And there's a great opportunity. We'll buy into it. Yep.

[A]

And so they're looking for an opportunity.

[B]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

In the Christian community, there are also a lot of people out there who actually have the funds.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

They have the ability to give, and.

[B]

They'Re looking for great.

[A]

They're looking for great opportunities, too.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And so A lot of times, you know, we just aren't giving them a great opportunity, you know, and inviting them to come to your potluck or your auction or your whatever is not going to stimulate them to write a meaningful.

[B]

No, it doesn't. Well, Jason, I love your word opportunity because you and I know that there's a big difference between needs and opportunities. And using your Shark Tank analogy, how many of those sharks would buy into the program if someone walked in and said, I don't have much of a product, but I need your money? No, those guys are looking for opportunities. They wanna. They're. They're wanting to double, triple, quadruple or more their money. That's where they're put. They're putting money into a great investment. And great money. That's where our partners are too. They're looking for places to put their money where it's going to have the greatest return on investment for the kingdom.

[A]

Yeah, key word there. I was going to say, in business, people are looking for a return on the money that they put in.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Through stock or whatever.

[B]

Right.

[A]

In the kingdom, people are looking to invest in eternity for an eternal reward. Yeah. And they are looking to have a reward. Reward in heaven.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

That is going to make an impact in the souls that they're investing in. So it's a little bit of the same mindset, but a little bit different as well. Now, in business, people are motivated to invest because of a return on stock, you know, financial return. In the Christian world, people are motivated to give because of the impact they're going to have on the community. So when we give people the opportunity to invest in your organization, we're giving them the opportunity to make an impact.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

And that can be very meaningful when you get to be older and you've maybe bought everything you need to buy.

[B]

Right.

[A]

I don't need another microwave from, you know, the silent auction.

[B]

Right.

[A]

I don't.

[B]

Painting on the wall, another weekend resort in Malibu or whatever it is.

[A]

Enough golf courses. I don't need to golf anymore.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

It's like I just want to make a difference.

[B]

Right.

[A]

You know, you start to think this way as you get older.

[B]

Right.

[A]

You start to think, wow, what have I done for the Lord? How can I make a difference? You know, nobody really respects me anymore. You know, everyone just ignores me now. And I really want to make a difference. I've got 20 years left. How can I do that?

[B]

Right.

[A]

But when you give them an opportunity at the Vision Dinner, you're giving them an opportunity to make a difference in the world. And so they're overjoyed. A lot of them are, are very grateful to be able to have that opportunity.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So what we do and we, Jim, you and I have like the best, we really have the best ministry in town, I think because we get to take people through a 21 week period where we get to help you plan and execute a vision dinner the way we've done it for 3,000 times back in the same way you were doing it in the 80s. Things have changed a little, but not too much because it's the same principle. Principles. But we are presenting a 2 hour and 15 minute program. We're helping you determine your vision, your cause concepts. All those things are things that we talk about in the program. So I like to say the perfect Vision Dinner mentorship program allows you to plan and execute a real perfect vision dinner for your own organization in a 21 week time period.

[B]

Right.

[A]

And it's like you start at the very beginning, we walk you through to the end. We, Jim and I, walk you through the process week in and week out. We give you homework, we give you things to do, we help you along. There's a lot of programs out there that do similar things, right. Where they'll, they get the ideas of these kinds of events, but they're not super practical.

[B]

Well, they'll give you a book of materials and say be warm, be filled, enjoy. But we guide you through. We walk you, take you by the hand and walk you through through this journey from start to finish. And I talked about the results in a gala, remember I talked about one to one or two to one at best. We see three to one, four to one, even five to one return on investment. With us, our program is 100,000 to. We had a $900,000 dinner this year, Jason. In fact, we call it a six figure course. We're probably going to have to be calling it a seven figure course here soon as we start to get more and more million dollar gals and dinners.

[A]

But you know, there's, there's two kinds of people that tend to join our program. There's people who, you know, they've maybe dabbled in fundraising before they're done a.

[B]

Banquet or so in the past.

[A]

And they've, you've maybe raised 10, 15, 20, maybe 30, 40,000 at the most. And so 100,000 is like, whoa, that's, that's great. You know, so they're a great candidate for the program. There's others that come in and they've been doing, you know, they maybe still call it a banquet or a gala, and they're. You're. You're kind of doing similar things.

[B]

You know, some of the things right.

[A]

You're doing some of the things right.

[B]

You're seeing 150, 200,000.

[A]

And so, like, pregnancy centers tend to be falling into this category because your.

[B]

Cause is so emotional. Right. And you people just want to give, but it's almost like reluctant giving. It's not hilarious giving like we see. Right.

[A]

And. And a lot of times in, you know, especially in the pregnancy center world, we see just a lot of the same people coming year after year after year.

[B]

So, yeah, I call it replication and not multiplication.

[A]

Right. You might be bringing in 200,000, but I mean, we've worked with some pregnancy centers where they've been raising 200,000 for the last 10 years.

[B]

And. And they've. They bring 350, 400 people year in and year out. There's not a lot of growth, both monetarily or in attendance. Right.

[A]

So because of that, our focus at the Perfect Vision in our mentorship program is, number one, we want to raise at least six figures. If you're already raising six figures, we want to get you to the next level, which is usually at least another hundred thousand is what we would consider the next level. So we want to get some more funds in the door, but we're also really focused on new people. So going back to that win keep lift the Perfect Vision there, what we found is a great way to win new people. So we're always trying to get 50 to 60% new people in the room every single time. So it's a great way. I like to say, Jim, it's like a Billy Graham crusade for your organization. You know, Billy Graham won Souls for Christ, and we're using the Vision Dinner to win hearts to your cause for the first time. So that's. It's really an onboarding event. So if you're looking to raise more funds, kind of go to the next level. Maybe you're doing similar things to what we're doing, but you're like, I need a fresh infusement of ideas. Check out the Perfect Vision in our mentorship program. Like I said at the beginning of this broadcast, we're five weeks away from the next class starting, so now is the time to enroll. I'm going to put a link in the description and something on the screen. Screen that you can scan. But feel free to scan that code or click the link and fill out the application. Get Yourself enrolled in the program as soon as you can. Because we have very limited space. And this is a program that Jim and I are personally involved in coaching you and guiding you through the process. So it's not a video course that you just do at your own pace. It is a program that we literally hold your hand and help you find the people, plan the program, and build out everything from scratch.

[B]

It includes three components. We've got. We do have written materials and those work in conjunction with videos. But then we have a weekly phone call where we discuss the broader issues. And then, of course, the highlight is our community. And we've got an app that allows people to and really interact and having iron. Sharpening iron.

[A]

Yep. So if you're wanting to take your vision to the next level, you're really wanting to get your ministry to the next level, definitely check out the Perfect Vision Dinner. So, Jim, going back to our first question. Yes, Banquet, gala or vision dinner? Which one really works?

[B]

Vision Dinner, Jason, Without a doubt.

[A]

And if you are interested in seeing the results, you can actually book a call with me or one of our team members and we will be happy to walk you through a presentation to show you all the different results that we are having. We've got countless testimonies on our YouTube channel, so you can go to our fundraising masterminds YouTube channel. Check out the testimonies. I think they're called success stories, but check them out because those are real people Actually went through our Vision Dinner program and, you know, I had a conversation with them. I always have a debriefing session, like the day after their vision. So they do a vision Dinner on like Friday.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

I'm calling, I'm talking to them on Monday and I'm like, how did it go? Tell me all about it. And they're just like, dump on me all their excitement.

[B]

So excited.

[A]

And that's what ends up on YouTube with them just telling me how it went straight up, you know, so they're always really exciting and fun to watch. But if you really want to take your organization to the next level, definitely check out the Perfect Vision Dinner. It's a very exciting program to be a part of. So hope that answers your question. What's the difference? Hopefully you now understand why we have changed the term to Vision Dinner. And if you're considering going to the next level, consider changing the name. But also if you change the name.

[B]

But you don't do anything different, gotta change the product.

[A]

Yeah, you've got to change the name and you've got to change what you do. So sign up for the Perfect Vision Dinner and we will show you how to do that. If you enjoyed this video, let us know in the comments below. And as always, subscribe for more great content. Well, that's it for this episode of the Fundraising Masterminds podcast. We'll see you in the next one.

[B]

Take care.

[D]

It.