Dinner Host Guidelines & Information
The following information will assist you in planning your dinner event and in completing the required information form:
Public Dinner
A public dinner is advertised and described in detail in the Dinner Series catalog, which is sent to Our House supporters and donors. Our House sells tickets to these public dinners and all payments must be received at Our House in order for us to confirm a reservation. Public dinners are first come first serve. It?s a fun way for strangers to get to know each other. The Event Coordinator will work with you to set your public dinner ticket price. The minimum is $75. We recommend first time dinner hosts set their price at $75. However, a higher price may work if you feel confident your dinner will sell for more or if you plan to help sell some tickets.
Private Dinner
Private dinner hosts are listed in the brochure but with none of the details given for public dinners. You, the host, invite your own guests either by selling tickets or requesting donations. Most hosts prefer to collect checks from their guests on the night of the dinner and then send them to Our House all at once. We recommend a requested donation or ticket price of $100.
Dinner Speakers
We have found that it is important at the dinners for someone to speak briefly about Our House and our work. In some cases, a volunteer or staff person may already be attending your dinner and he or she will speak about Our House. In other cases, a speaker may be available to attend for part of your event (typically cocktails or dessert) to offer the brief speech. We will take a look at who is best to speak at your dinner about two weeks before the event.
Marketing the Dinner Series
Please make every effort to market the Dinner Series and your own dinner to your friends, family and colleagues. If you would like Our House to send a brochure to any of your contacts, please call the Events Line at (503) 736-9276 and we?ll be happy to send that out.
Host Form
Please try to be as detailed as possible when filling out your form. It is not necessary to have an exact menu spelled out at the time of planning your dinner, however, we have found that attendees respond best to descriptions that talk about the food that will be served. The bottom line is that people enjoy meeting new friends over dinner while supporting a worthy cause. The Event Coordinator will work with you to plan the best date for your dinner ? we try to spread the dinners out over the 6-month course of the Series.
Hosts Bear the Cost
Our House dinner hosts bear the cost of throwing a Dinner Series dinner. It?s a wonderful way to enjoy a dinner party while supporting the great work Our House does. This policy maximizes the application of all funds raised directly to resident care. However, your dinner costs may be tax deductible depending on your tax situation. After your dinner, you can submit a form to us (provided later) detailing your dinner expenses, and we will gladly issue you a receipt letter for your use at tax time. Please consult your tax advisor about whether this deduction will be available to you.
Directions
For Public Dinners, we will send Mapquest.com directions to your guests. We have also been asked to include driving instructions. Please use the back of your sign up form for directions to also forward to your guests.
