In this week’s installment of Tales from the Chair, Vivanista had the honor of sitting down with one of the best and most powerful fundraisers in Dallas – the inimitable D’Andra Simmons. Collectively, Ms. Simmons has raised tens of millions for various charities and nonprofits in her hometown and beyond. In 2011, she will have the fortunate task of Chairing the Junior League Ball and this Spring, she is Chairing the Young Designers Showcase.

She is one of the most charismatic, passionate, and competitive philanthropists we’ve ever met and here she lends her expertise with all of you.

Vivanista: What makes a successful event?

DS: Bottom line – how many dollars are raised for the charity. I always want to make sure everyone has a great time so they’ll return next year. You have to remember: people come because they like the event not necessarily because they like the charity. I would like to compel them to care about the charity so I want to do something special that gives them reason to care.

V: From a fundraising standpoint, who is your role model?

DS: Patricia Duff who was married to Ron Perelman and got all of her friends to donate money to whatever cause she was fundraising. No one says no to her. That means something. I want to be that woman that no one will say no to.

V: How do you motivate a volunteer committee?

DS: I believe a lot of people that go into fund development go into it because they want to make a mark – not only in the charity but in society – maybe they do it for prestige or ego. I have found that the best fundraisers are the people are not necessarily from the blueblood families they wish they were from or that they feel they need to be from to garner the respect needed. Their way to get acceptance into this society is to raise the money and show everyone they are capable. I motivate people with my stories. I handwrite every letter, I sign every letter, I handwrite a personal note with every letter. I also handwrite my personal story on my stationery. It is a lot of extra work but it’s extra work that gets the results I want. I ask my committees to share stories. Thank you letters are always handwritten as well.

V: If you could have done something differently in your last event, what would that have been?

DS: This past year I took on too many things and I didn’t have the time to dedicate to each event. I was raising money for five separate organizations and I over committed. I will now only select 1 or 2 and say no to everything else. I feel I was successful but I would have been more successful had I not agreed to more than I could handle. My lesson was to not over-dilute myself.

V: What are the qualities that make an event Chair successful?

DS: Connections in the community, connections with the right people who ultimately write the checks. To be respected in your community, you have to know the right people or people who can connect you to the right people – you must know how to get to the decision-makers. You have to be a dynamic personality, charismatic, a good public speaker, and personable. The person must have a genuine concern for the charity. You have to do your research and know everything you can about the charity – you have to be on the ball. If you don’t know absolutely everything there is to know about the charity for which you’re fundraising, then you’ll only look unprofessional. I have seen too many women make this mistake. They can’t field questions about the charity and then they wonder why they can’t get the checks.

V: When you set out to Chair an event, what goals do you set for yourself?

DS: The most important goal I set for myself is to raise more money than any previous chair before me.

V: What is the most difficult part of chairing an event?

DS: I would say it’s integrating all the moving parts from the fundraising to putting the event together. If you’re chairing an event, you have to know how to throw a great party. So many people chair events that have never entertained or hosted parties and that shows in the event so if you can’t pull the elements together, hire a coordinator who can.

V: What three words would you use to describe yourself?

DS: Dynamic, Driven, and Passionate with a purpose.

V: If your house were on fire, what would you grab?

DS: My dogs.

To purchase skincare products from D’Andra’s fabulous line Hard Night Good Morning, go to dandrasimmons.com.