Thanks for being a champion for local students!
Be the Bridge is Lake Washington Schools Foundation’s biggest fundraiser of the year, and Table Captains are vital to its success. This annual event gathers sponsorships and donations that fuel an array of impactful programs and services for more than 30,000 students and their families in the Lake Washington School District.
This year, Be the Bridge is once again an in-person luncheon after three years of being virtual. Welcome back!
WHAT:
LWSF’s Be the Bridge Spring Benefit
WHERE:
Seattle Marriott Redmond
7401 164th Ave NE, Redmond, WA 98052
WHEN:
Thursday, March 23, 2023
11:30 AM-12:00 PM Check-in & Networking
12:00 PM-1:00 PM Luncheon & Program
Be the Bridge is a benefit event. To raise enough money to fund the programming that students need, our goal is for each table to reach $2,500. If every attendee gives at least $250, we’ll meet our goal.
What is a Table Captain?
A Table Captain is a supporter who wants to help LWSF connect with community members who believe in our mission by personally inviting them to sit at a table with you at the event. This can take various forms:
- You could host an entire table on your own (you plus 9 guests)
- You can partner with a friend to co-host a table (you, your co-host and 8 guests)
- You can host half a table (you plus 4 guests)
Decided? Email Jamie and let us know which path you’ll take!
Ready? Let’s get started!
1. Register
First things first: make sure you have a seat. Register yourself for Be the Bridge >>. When registering, use your own name as your Table Captain.
2. Invite your network
Social media is awesome, but the best way to fill your table is by making specific and personal invitations to individuals who you think will care about our mission.
Schedules fill up quickly, so start inviting guests ASAP!
- Brainstorm a list of 25-30 people you want to invite. Think about past guests, friends, neighbors, and business contacts. Consider community members who share the values of LWSF and believe in investing in students.
- Tables seat 10, but if you have more than 9 guests for your table, we will try to seat you at adjacent tables. If you have half of a table, or fewer than 9 guests, we will seat you with another group.
- If you were a Table Captain at our in-person event in 2019 and can’t remember who you sat with, email Jamie and ask.
- Sponsors: Please consider inviting management and organizational leaders, as well as clients and partners with whom you want to share your dedication to youth in our community.
- Reach out with personal invitations to your potential guests. This can be a phone call, text, email, or card. Let them know why LWSF’s work matters to you.
- If ambivalent responses come in, do your best to encourage your friends to get involved. Share with them why you first got involved with LWSF, or send them information about an area of our work that you really believe in (see a great overview of our work here.)
- If a friend can’t attend, encourage them to donate in lieu of attendance at http://lwsf.org/bethebridge. We do plan to make portions of the program available to watch on-demand after the event.
- When a contact agrees to attend, encourage them to bring a friend—just make sure everyone registers online so everyone gets a seat and a meal.
- If you want to mail physical invitations, email Jamie and she can arrange to meet you at our office in Redmond to hand off as many as you need.
Dear [INSERT NAME]
Can you meet me on March 23 for lunch? I’m filling a table at the Lake Washington Schools Foundation’s annual Be the Bridge spring benefit and I want you to sit with me!
WHAT:
LWSF’s Be the Bridge Spring Benefit
WHERE:
Seattle Marriott Redmond
7401 164th Ave NE, Redmond, WA 98052
WHEN:
Thursday, March 23, 2023
11:30 AM-12:00 PM Check-in & Networking
12:00 PM-1:00 PM Luncheon & Program
I’m not sure if you’re familiar with LWSF’s work or not, but I’m a big fan of what they do. They work closely with Lake Washington School District leadership to fund programming and services that exceed the district’s budget, and they also work with other community organizations (like PTSAs, Assistance League of the Eastside, and Nourishing Networks, among others) to make sure that students’ needs are being met in an equitable way.
If you can make it, please register at http://lwsf.org/bethebridge and enter my name as your Table Captain. If you need to cancel, let me know ASAP—every seat matters, so I would need to find someone who could fill your spot.
Feel free to invite a friend! Just make sure they register, too.
Tickets are free, but Bridge the Gap is a benefit event, so please bring a giving spirit. I’ve committed to raising more than $2,500 from our table, which translates to an average donation of $250 per person.
If you can’t come, could you donate in lieu of attendance at http://lwsf.org/bethebridge? It will add to my table’s total and help LWSF meet its goal and fulfill its mission.
I hope to see you on March 23! Let me know if you can come, and remember to register at http://lwsf.org/bethebridge.
3. Connect on social media
- “Like” or “Follow” LWSF’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and/or YouTube.
- Mark yourself as “Going” on the Facebook event page and share it with your network
- Using the templates below, make your own social media posts to ask your network to register for Be the Bridge or donate in lieu of attendance.
When making social media posts, please use #bethebridge and tag LWSF. Here are our handles:
- Facebook: @LakeWashingtonSchoolsFoundation
- Twitter: @LWSFoundation
- Instagram: @lakewaschoolsfoundation
- LinkedIn: @lake-washington-schools-foundation
Be the Bridge is back in person on March 23! Join me in support of LWSF’s mission to enhance academic access and nurture the well-being of the 30,000+ students in our school district. I believe in their work, and I think you will, too. Register and/or donate here, and list me as your table captain so we can sit together at the luncheon: www.lwsf.org/bethebridge
Are we doing enough to support public education in our district? Find out with me at the Lake Washington Schools Foundation Be the Bridge spring benefit luncheon on March 23. Register and/or donate here, and list me as your table captain so we can sit together: www.lwsf.org/bethebridge
30,000+ kids attend public schools in our district, and I want to make sure EVERY CHILD has what they need to succeed! Come with me to Lake Washington Schools Foundation’s Be the Bridge luncheon on March 23 and learn what we can do to make the future brighter—and more inclusive—for all. Register and/or donate here, and list me as your table captain so we can sit together: www.lwsf.org/bethebridge
Mark your calendars! LWSF’s Be the Bridge spring benefit luncheon is back in person on March 23. After 3 years of virtual events, I’m excited to see LWSF’s work in action and hear stories of growth and opportunity directly from the people making it happen. Come along with me and let’s make a difference together. Register and/or donate here, and list me as your table captain so we can sit together: www.lwsf.org/bethebridge
To download, click on an image below.
LWSF brochure (jpg)
Email or social media graphic (jpg)
Impact flyer (pdf)
Visit our Media Kit to download our logos.
4. Lead a generous table
We will present a show that motivates your guests to donate. But make sure they know in advance that they will be asked to donate—we don’t want anyone to be surprised by this!
Remember, we need every attendee to give an average of $250 in order to meet our budgetary goal. If that figure seems high, please let your guests know that they can elect to make a smaller monthly donation that still adds up to $250 or more.
In practical terms, this will be the first year that we’re focusing on digital donations. At a certain point in the program, we’ll ask guests to scan a QR code that will lead them to a donation page where they can donate via credit card.
We will also accept checks. Some donors prefer to donate via donor-advised fund or payroll giving programs, but since those aren’t on-the-spot donations, we’ll ask them to let us know how we can expect their donation to arrive so that we can tally your table’s total correctly.
5. Stay updated
In the weeks leading up to March 23, keep an eye on your email. We will check-in on your progress, make sure your guests are registered, and deliver suggestions on how to communicate with your guest list. If someone needs to cancel, let us know ASAP so we can fill that spot.
If someone cancels on the day of the event, tell us ASAP so we know that there is an extra seat at your table. We might be able to fill it with a last-minute registrant.
We will email reminders to your guests about attending the event, but you should also periodically reach out personally to those seated at your table and make sure they remember to attend.
Also watch out for new posts on social media. It’s incredibly helpful for you to like, comment on, and share any post you see, whether it’s related Be the Bridge or not. You have the power to increase our reach, which supercharges our ability to raise funds and help more students!
Questions? Email Jamie at any time.
