Gala fundraisers coming back stronger as pandemic recedes

The Mob Museum got a makeover in mid-February.

For one night, the Depression-era building in downtown Las Vegas became the place for a party. A red carpet was rolled down the front steps, and lounge seats and cocktail tables dotted the buildings’ four floors and historic courtroom.

It was the Undercover of the Night gala celebrating the museum’s 10th anniversary, and some of the 250 attendees dressed in their best covert agent looks, gala attire and other glamorous styles from decades past.

“Literally, it might have literally been the first gala ever that had both tuxes and tracksuits,” said Jonathan Ullman, the museum’s president and CEO.

The gala was a first for the nonprofit, and Ullman thought 2022 was the perfect time to go big. While earned revenue such as ticket sales support the museum, any future museum development may require more funding, and a gala was the first step in elevating the organization’s outreach.

“If we’re going to grow as an organization, we need to engage our existing supporters in more substantial ways,” Ullman said. “People are motivated to give differently, and at some point in the future, we may embark on a capital campaign. Something like a gala is a great way to cultivate new donors.”

Fundraising events are often considered critical to a nonprofit, garnering financial support through high-priced tickets, sponsorships and auctions of donated luxury items. Many events were canceled or significantly weakened through 2020 and parts of 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the season made a roaring return last fall.

But with the delta and omicron variants’ arrival in late 2021, organizers of these massive events — which often take nine months to a year to plan — said they had to juggle multiple plans to always have a backup.

For most, the pandemic is no longer stopping the show. Several gala fundraisers are planned or have already occurred since the weather warmed and public health measures were relaxed. Those foundations note that support is strong and supporters are eager to feel some normalcy again, with or without pandemic-related health measures.

Pandemic challenges

2020 was a difficult year for many nonprofits that often raise revenue through fundraisers such as galas, exercise walks and wine tastings. A 2021 survey of Nevada nonprofits from UNLV researchers found 86.3 percent of respondents lost at least some revenue because of event cancellations.

That was the case for the Junior League of Las Vegas. The women’s volunteerism and leadership group had to cancel its 2020 gala — scheduled for April of that year — and felt the pinch of losing the event that normally provides about two-thirds of the next year’s budget, president Kate Newman said.

“We had serious concerns about how we were going to be able to meet the needs of our community, which were of course even higher, with limited funds,” Newman said.

The group pushed through the next year with increased member and donor support, reduced costs from the loss of the 2020 gala, and by doing less. But 2021’s gala planning provided similar obstacles for the spring event. Organizers ultimately chose to go virtual, fearing a cancellation from a potential new COVID wave and the lack of widespread vaccination could hinder donor relations.

The decision was made easier by the willingness of some sponsors and businesses to keep rate quotes steady throughout the pandemic, Newman said.

“They were truly giving without getting the promotion and the recognition that normally is part of the quid pro quo of a lot of these sponsorships,” Newman said. “But we have such a generous community, people just showed up. Businesses showed up. It was really humbling to see how much the community was trying to help those in need.”

Others moved forward with their in-person events with modifications. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Foundation, which supports the public safety agency’s community outreach arm, held its two annual galas because they honor officers and civilian departments.

“We really need to have these events because they serve such an important programmatic function,” said Tom Kovach, executive director of the LVMPD Foundation. “The approach we took was basically to move forward and be flexible, because we had no idea what it would be like on the actual day of the event. Things were changing pretty quickly.”

That flux continued in 2022. Nevada Ballet Theatre initially planned to host its Black & White Ball in January but pushed the date to April out of safety concerns during the omicron surge, communications director Jenn Kratochwill said.

Safe to gather

Future events are expected to look more like pre-pandemic scenes. That’s evident from the increased sales rate for tickets to the Junior League’s March 26 “Paint the Town Red,” said Ashley Fratus, a gala co-chair for the Junior League. Ticket sales saw a 500 percent increase on the first day of sales compared with the first day of sales the previous year, she said. In total, about 325 guests attended.

“When we first started our ticket sales, people were a little bit unsure,” Fratus said. “But I would definitely say the overall feeling about the event is excited.”

Lifted public health measures have been particularly beneficial to the events. Most planned to require attendees to wear masks and follow any other state health guidelines. When Nevada lifted its mask mandate Feb. 10, it added an extra layer of comfort for guests, some organizers said.

Ullman said the Mob Museum was prepared to go forward with the event because the staff was 100 percent vaccinated and the museum followed all other health measures, something Ullman said made it easier to do because the community had the tools to safely gather. The gala was held one week after the mandate’s repeal.

“We have the tools that we need to be able to interact more normally without putting ourselves at risk for serious illness,” Ullman said. “We felt pretty confident we could operate this safely. It wasn’t clear to us whether or not there was still going to be a mask mandate, but it worked out pretty serendipitously.”

McKenna Ross is a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms. Contact her at mross@reviewjournal.com. Follow @mckenna_ross_ on Twitter.