In-Kind Contributions—Recipe for THM Success
02/09/2010
Stone Soup, a popular children’s folktale, tells how a young man was able to create a delicious soup although he started with only a stone and a pot of water. He accomplished this feat by inviting others to add a favorite ingredient to his pot and then share in the end product.
Hosting a Town Hall Meeting (THM) about underage drinking is similar to creating stone soup. Your $500 planning stipend is a start, but the quality of your THM will be better by far if others in the community contribute additional resources, including “in-kind” support.
In-kind contributions add value, but usually no cost, to your event. For example, volunteers can perform administrative duties, local businesses can donate refreshments, and community leaders can serve as speakers.
In-kind contributions can be in the form of people, goods, and services. People are a vital and essential resource. While you and your community-based organization bring invaluable expertise to the prevention table, you may not have sufficient staffing or time to accomplish all that needs to be done. Volunteers can help fill in the gaps. Youth volunteers, in particular, may want to participate, as they may earn social service credits in return.
Volunteers can, among other tasks:
- Serve on your planning committee.
- Perform administrative duties.
- Recruit other volunteers and services.
- Help set up for the meeting.
- Contribute special talents, such as design or computer skills.
Possible donations of goods as in-kind support are:
- Meeting space.
- Refreshments.
- Use of office equipment, such as computers and copy machines.
- Paper, office supplies.
- Loaned audiovisual equipment, computers.
Possible donations of services that can lower the cost of your event include:
- Printing and/or mailing of promotional materials.
- Serving as a speaker.
- Performing promotional activities, such as taping the THM for showing on public access TV.
Tips on Encouraging In-Kind Contributions
Don’t view a request for in-kind contributions as “asking for help.” Instead, consider that you are offering individuals and organizations an opportunity to be part of an event that will benefit the entire community and may even further their own mission. The following tips can help you encourage contributions:
- Be enthusiastic about requesting in-kind contributions. Individuals and organizations who may be uncomfortable or unable to donate cash may willingly donate time and services.
- Stress the mutual benefits of in-kind contributions. For example, media coverage of your event will extend its outreach. Local television and print media can provide community service and fill news space by covering your event.
- Emphasize to businesses that their in-kind contributions to a THM build goodwill within the community—a valuable asset in attracting and maintaining loyal customers.
- Identify key stakeholders and ways they might help. Schools, for example, benefit from healthy, drug-free students. Schools also have ample meeting space and a direct link to parents. Holding a meeting at schools and using school newsletters and Web sites are effective ways to reach a key audience.
- Consider the strengths of your coalition members. Which members have staffing or services available? Which ones have strong media connections?
In-kind contributions add immeasurably to your pot of resources by reducing the number of items that require an actual expenditure of scarce dollars. They also help you build or strengthen your prevention network by giving others a stake in how well your THM turns out and making them your partners in ensuring its success. And just like stone soup, the more who contribute, the better the end product.