We all love a magical gala event. But what we love even more is a magical gala event that raises a lot of money for the organization we’re passionate about. A high mark of success for any gala is a million dollars raised, or more

How do they do it!?

That’s exactly what we wanted to know. So we looked into five 2010 events that did just that, raised $1 million, and in some cases, much more:

Dedicated Support from a Well-Run Beneficiary

“Fundraising can’t go off on this level without dedicated staff,” says Anne Kaplan, honorary co-chair of the Joffrey gala. One of the first aspects of creating a great event is having a great staff at the benefiting organization that will work with your committee and chairs.

Jim Samalis, managing director, marketing, communications, and events for Robin Hood, notes the importance, when it comes to fundraising, of the organization being able to document where funds go. At Robin Hood, for instance, a unique and stringent set of metrics are used to track how funds are used by grantees; if grantees don’t meet the organization’s requirements, they don’t get their funding. “We do the research so the donor’s don’t have to,” Samalis says. “We want to give donors every reason to say, ‘Yes.’”

Strong Committee and Donor Base

It’s unanimous: A strong, dedicated, and passionate board, committee,and chairperson(s) are essential. “You need people on the committee to produce,” says Anne Robins, director or special events for KMA. “A lot of people want to be on committees, but they don’t always want to contribute much. This is a collaborative effort.”

“You need a strong board and key chairs to move the event forward,” concurs Amy Sinclair, manager of events at Robin Hood.

To start, personal contacts are invaluable, and the willingness to make the calls—“even those really difficult ones,” says Kaplan—makes the difference in dollars. (Especially in this economy, as the Obama campaign showed, it’s the accumulation of lots of smaller donations that often works best.) Samalis notes that not only did his board fill tables and get financial contributions, they helped bring in donors that provided key services at no cost, such as Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google, which provided graphic and technical services gratis. “We received millions of dollars in services pro bono,” Samalis says.

Kaplan also notes that the passion of your committee is directly linked to their ability to inspire checks to get written. And it’s not just right around event time that your committee and chairpeople should be making efforts. “Most importantly, it takes dedicated stewardship of donors throughout the entire year,” states Weddle, “Our cause is such a noble one, but people are busy, so continuing to talk about its importance with our community of supporters throughout the year is crucial.”

Create a Memorable Event

Absolutely, an exceptional affair will result in more funds raised. Kaplan mentions the effective afterglow from the ballet’s gala; the organization received numerous post-event donations because people had had such a wonderful time the evening of.

What makes these events stand out?

Excellent décor, food, and environs are the base. “Add splashes of unexpected fun throughout the event,” Weddle says. “This will make guests remember it and want to keep it on their calendars next year. This year, in sync with our basketball theme, we had the TNT Dunk Squad and Traveling Marching band open the show, and basketball ‘characters’ that showed guests to their seats.”

Along with throwing a stunning event for over three thousand people, the Robin Hood benefit always has surprise entertainment; this year it was Sting. And Power of Love features outstanding wine (guests are welcomed with flutes of Dom Pérignon), world-renown chefs (attendance is limited so that the quality of each dish can remain superb; “We have a waiting list of people who want to attend,” says Anne), and top entertainment—for 2010, Barry Manilow performed.

The primary draw of the Dick Vitale Gala is guest appearances by sports celebrities; it’s their donation (each of them pay for their own expenses for the appearance; the high-profile attraction allows for the high-priced tickets, $1,000 per person, which account for a large portion of the monies raised). The Illumination Gala also utilizes celebrity appeal. “One of the keys to the success is choosing the right celebrity or spokesperson for the event,” says Illumination’s Sherman. “I think this distinguishes our event from others in town. Al Roker, Christina Applegate, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar all add sex appeal, and having them available for meet-and-greets and photos prior to the event at a patron, high-end donor cocktail is fun, and gets everyone jazzed for the evening ahead.”

Sherman also suggests that “an after-party needs to be a highlight of the evening.” Among other features of the Illumination Gala’s post-event festivities, including a DJ, candy, and desserts, “flip flops were passed around to the ladies so they can take their Louboutins and Manolos off. These are the touches that people talk about for days and weeks after.” Keeping things fun and fresh is also paramount to continually bringing in new people every year, notes Robins.

Ways to Raise Funds

There are several different tactics these events employed to create generous giving. The Joffrey benefited from old-fashioned hard work; board members sent out hundreds of letters and made loads and loads of phone call. The personal touch from your chair people and committee members cannot be encouraged enough.

Robins singles out a particularly successful offering featured at the Power of Love: getting specific. Tables at the event feature donation cards, each for a KMA specific program: Give X number of dollars to fund this particular service. “People love to know where exactly their funds are going,” Robins says. During the live auction, the fund-a-need presents similar opportunities. For instance, asking those wanting to donate $1,000 to a certain program to stand. “Almost the whole room stands up,” says Robins. It’s also a way to get people to stand and give more than once.

“We tailor our tactics to the times,” notes Samalis. In the past, the Robin Hood fundraiser featured pricey auction items that only 3 or so percent of the attendees could participate in bidding for. This year, the event also provided devices at the tables that allowed attendees to donate any amount anonymously; to make it fun, the room was divided up into three sections and there was a competition between them to see which could raise the most money. Real-time totals appeared on big screens, and each section featured a celebrity “cheerleader” to encourage his or her group. Seventy percent of attendees donated with the device and the gala raised over $26 million from this effort alone. Every donation helps create a larger total.

At the Vitale gala, commemorative basketballs serve as table centerpieces and double as auction pieces; attendees at each table compete between themselves for the now coveted prize. It’s become such an anticipated tradition over the past five years the gala has taken place, that the bidding gets fierce, says V Foundation Vice President of Special Projects Joyce Aschenbrenner; bids have gone as high as $5,000 to even $10,000. The event also always features impromptu auction prizes (yes, totally unplanned, but they always happen), often game tickets: coaches regularly offer up great seats, and Vitale will, say, throw in a private jet ride to and from and himself as chaperon; this year, a walk-on role in Vitale’s annual Hooters commercial was on the block.

Exceptional service and a personal touch make a difference over at the Power of Love Gala. “We personally handle all of the details for the winners of the auction items,” says Robins. “We provide a unique level of hospitality.”

Build Your Message before and during the Event

Messaging, messaging, messaging!

“It’s all about the messaging,” Robin Hood’s Sinclair succinctly states. People need to have an understanding of what your benefactor does and feel that their money will be well spent, and they need to be excited about your event, so clear messaging about both is key.

One way to draw attention to your event: Create buzz. “Advance buzz is key,” says Sherman. “I would do more social networking in the future, maybe even getting a chairperson to have a blog, which she or he updates as the party moves forward. Use the social media more.” Also build up with “a kickoff party in someone’s chic home,” continues Sherman, “a cover story in a society magazine—advance press that makes it a ‘must attend’ is de rigueur.” The Joffrey gala committee convened months ahead of its event to work on its messaging verbiage.

At the Robin Hood event, building the charity’s message was a primary mission of the evening. “We hit with messaging at cocktails,” notes Samalis, “featuring many grantees in videos, pictures, and stories, showing what the funding has been doing. And we reiterate that throughout the night.” A good key speaker can also help this along; Samalis credits Robin Hood’s speaker, NBC’s Brian Williams, with inspiring donations.

“A combination of messaging and an enjoyable evening,” concludes Samalis, “puts people in the right frame of mind to give.”

Robin Hood

Power of Love Gala

Illumination Gala

Joffrey Ballet Gala

Dick Vitale Gala