Purpose:La Plata County Humane Society (LPCHS) is seeking requests for proposals to provide event planning, coordination and leadership for the organization’s annual silent auction fundraiser, The Bark and Wine.

Background:2012 marks the fifth anniversary of the Bark & Wine Silent Auction Fundraiser. The event takes place in early October and is held at the La Plata County Fairgrounds. For the last two years, the event has included a guest speaker, silent auction, heavy appetizers and deserts donated from local restaurants.  In 2010 and 2011 the event realized significant net income. Our goal in 2012 is to continue to build the event while increasing our community outreach and participation.

Current Year Factors:Our goal in 2012 is to increase attendance, public awareness and net income. The event is scheduled for Saturday, October 20, 2012.

Information Requests:At a minimum, the proposal should address the following items, as applicable:

·        Background and experience with fundraising events of this size

·        References, including contact information of at least two similar events

·        If coordinating other events in the Four-Corners region, please address any conflict of interest related to the other events and how you plan to address this

·        Overview of how you will handle the challenge of increasing attendance, public awareness and net income

·        Fees that you will charge LPCHS

La Plata County Humane Society Involvement:Our intent is to utilize your services in order to plan, coordinate and carry out the entire event, including taking responsibility over all aspects of a successful event. While we understand that there can be no guarantee on attendance or financial results, we are looking for as much of a turnkey event as possible. 

In order to assist in outlining some of our responsibilities, we will provide the following in relation to the event:

1.      Upon contracting, we will spend time acclimating you to the program, lists of volunteers, past budgets and sources that we have used in the past for sponsorship, volunteers, etc.

2.      We will contact individuals who have served on past Bark & Wine events to request their assistance again this year to help shape your team. You are also welcome to invite others to help.

3.      We will provide event summaries from the last two Bark and Wine events, including contact information.

4.      We will provide access to the LPCHS Board of Directors on a very limited basis during the planning stages of the event

5.      We will provide access to the LPCHS staff during the planning and execution stages of the event

6.      We will provide use of the facility and office equipment for meetings, photocopying and any other clerical activities

7.      We will reimburse all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses for the event on a bi-weekly basis

8.      LPCHS will cover all approved event expenses

Deadline:Proposals should be received in our offices no later than February 29, 2012. The Board of Directors will make a decision at it’s February Board meeting and notifications will be made no later than March 5, 2012.

Submission and Contact Information: Please forward electronic copy of your proposal to: chris@lpchumanesociety.org. Questions can be directed to: Chris Nelson 970-259-2847.