“FUND-RAISING: THE GALA IS STILL A MAJOR EVENT” ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE DE LOS ANGELES Federation of Alliances Françaises Annual Convention – San Francisco 2015

OVERVIEW Alliance Française de Los Angeles

Our history 30 years serving the greater Los Angeles Community Located in West Los Angeles, same building as the French Consulate Cultural partnerships: French Office of Science & Technology Cultural Services of the French Consulate Consulate Generals of Belgium and Switzerland, Delegation Generale of Quebec COLCOA French Film Festival UCLA / USC Department of French and Francophone Studies 650 Alliance Française Members (current) Governed by a 7 Members Board of Directors 1,250 students per year

Our programs LANGUAGE CENTER Largest French Language School in Los Angeles Language programs for all levels and all ages throughout the year. Classes are taught in group or private settings, daytime or evening and all day Saturday. 23 Instructors Adult enrollment : 800 students annually Children & Teens: 450 students annually After School Program: 1 st year launched – cultural immersion Summer Program: 8 weeks intensive French – 85 high school students Private instruction to individuals and institutions, schools & companies, in our office or at their locations

Our programs 50 Cultural events / year Monthly Cine Club Monthly Book Club Conferences & Book Signings COLCOA French Film Festival Cooking classes Art Talks Café des Sciences Visits of museums Wine Tastings Exhibitions Let’s watch a Video of presentation of the AFdeLA Video

GALA CREATION / DEVELOPMENT

Program Development First Year (2012): A dinner in a private Residence with a Chef (25 people) Second Year (2013): A dinner a the Residence de France hosted by the Consul General de France (50 people) Third Year (2014): A Gala in a Private Club (107 people) Fourth Year (2015): A Gala in the same Private Club (140 people)

Critical Steps Create a Gala Committee with clear roles and responsibilities, project plan and timeline Setup regular meetings Grow our Mailing List Define the right price for the ticket Find a great theme Create Attractive “Save the date /Invitations” with strong branding/marketing Determine if you need a Guest of Honor Determine if you need a Master of Ceremony

Create sponsorship agreement and donation forms Find Sponsors as early as possible Tickets Sales RSVP Card: Donations / Invite a teacher Organizing a Silent Auction: - How to find the items - Which Items - How many Items - Set up of the tables for presenting the items Choose a Live Auction, a Fund Appeal or both Live Auction/Fund Appeal: Hire a Professional or choose friends Raising Money

Program Expansion Building strong foundations for the Alliance: Creation of a Gala Committee “Spirit” Involve the Honorary Committee Creation of a Prize “Prix Alliance Francaise de Los Angeles” “un ami de la culture et de la langue francaises”. (Video)Video Launching an annual new cultural event: a “signature event”

Website: Include Online Gala registration Attracting: - Officials - Our current partners / potential new partners - Current Members / Future members - Potential Board Directors Program Expansion

Benefits Raise money Increase AF visibility at the community level Increase in new members, incentivizes new memberships Identify potential new Board Directors Rewarded teacher's work Greater attendance at events New key relationship with the Francophone Consuls Photo Gallery / Gala VideoGala Video

MOVING FORWARD

Plans for 2016 or 2017 Find another theme for the year Region Wine Architecture Literature History Gala Committee and AF Staff deeply involved in planning and organization Continue and expand The Gala notoriety Raise more money

Our Recommendation Accept to start with a small event Build a strong Gala community Start planning as early as possible Find an attractive theme every year and a great location Invite key people such as Consul, known people Encourage influential people to buy tickets / a table Clearly define what are the objectives of the Gala (raising fund, awareness, visibility…) Make the right balance/decision between Price Tickets, Silent Auction, Live Auction, Appeals

MERCI