# The Community Table

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/books/the-community-table/
- Published: 2019-01-31T20:15:00+00:00
- Author: Howard Lake

**Lessons from one fundraising event in the US are shared with other fundraisers.**

In resource-challenged Athens County, Ohio, staff and volunteers at the nonprofit
Athens County Foundation came up with a daring idea: to host a locally sourced, 
gourmet dinner for four hundred people.

The meal would be held on the brick-paved main street of the city of Athens, to 
raise funds for the food bank, and increase awareness of the persistent local struggle
with food insecurity, as well as raise the visibility of the foundation. The logistical
challenges were daunting, but the plan would unite the community around the common
theme of providing for its own.

Since then, Bounty on the Bricks has become a touchstone event that raises close
to one hundred thousand dollars for the food bank. In _The Community Table,_ Athens
County Foundation executive director Susan Urano translates her years of nonprofit
experience with large-scale annual fundraisers into a step-by-step guide for development
professionals, community leaders, and volunteers.

Urano guides readers to consider when to mount a fundraiser, who the stakeholders
are, what social and financial value the event will bring to the community, and 
how partnerships might augment the payoff. Using real-life examples, she explains
how organisers can learn from mistakes and illustrates methods of team building,
conflict resolution, and problem solving. Sample ideas, timelines, budgets, publicity
plans, and committee structures round out _The Community Table._