It is always an icky feeling when an event committee ghosts you, no matter who you are.

A few weeks ago one of my favorite event coaching clients was venting about the struggles she was having to get her volunteer event committee to show up for meetings and participate in even the most basic committee tasks.

I knew she was trying her best, but it was obvious there were some serious flaws with her committee.

So, we took some time to review her committee members and their relationships with the organization and each other. And you know what? We came up with no answers as to why this committee wasn't functioning well. Zilch.

This was super frustrating for her because she knew that this was a group who in the past had really shown up and done great work for the organization and their events. So we went back to the drawing board, but this time we focused instead on my client and her committee leadership style.

And you know what? It turns out that the problem wasn't the committee - it was her! More specifically it was her lack of committee leadership experience and training that was the culprit.

To me, this was good news, because I know this was an easy fix!

After 20 years of leading volunteer event committees, I know that anyone can be an excellent committee leader if they are just given to the tools to succeed. This means having event timelines, committee task outlines, and protocols for running meetings. It also means understanding the social structure and group dynamics that happen within committees.

So, I opened up my vault of committee outlines and protocols and agenda templates and gave her the tools she needed to run her committee like a well-oiled machine. I also spent some time coaching her on how to engage her volunteer members in order to build their confidence in her leadership and the event itself.

The result? A complete turnaround! What was once an under-performing group of stragglers had morphed into a superstar event committee. They approached their committee tasks with gusto, even starting some fun little competitions between themselves to see who could sell the most tickets and bring in the most auction items.

My client felt such relief, especially when the organization's Executive Director gave her a shout-out at the staff meeting for her great leadership work. She made a comment during our next coaching call that she wished everyone could get the proper training needed to succeed leading event committees, and that it would really make life so much easier for nonprofit staffers.

And you know what? I totally agree with her!

That's why I decided to host a FREE WEBINAR on June 20th that will walk you through the steps to recruit and manage rock-star event committees. I will show you how to identify potential committee members, choose your "Queen Bee" event chair (or chairs!), how to plan and execute efficient committee meetings, and share with you some super helpful resources I have created.

This webinar is free because I want every nonprofit, no matter their size, to succeed with their event committees. Space is limited, so click below to sign up and reserve a seat.

I hope to see you on June 20th! In the meantime, happy planning!

A.J. Steinberg, CFRE

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