Louisville Magazine is Louisville's city magazine, covering Louisville people, lifestyles, politics, sports, restaurants, entertainment and homes. Includes a monthly calendar of events.
Issue link: https://loumag.epubxp.com/i/421959
LOUISVILLE MAGAZINE 12.14 49 GAGA FOR GALAS GAGA FOR GALAS Online Giving Maybe you gave to the ALS Association this summer because you didn't want to pour a bucket of ice over your head. Or maybe somebody has asked you to donate to a fundraising campaign on crowd- funding sites like Kickstarter, Indiegogo or GoFundMe. It's all part of a growing trend toward fast and social online charitable giving. Enter your credit card information, select the amount you want to give, then share your commitment to the cause with friends on Facebook or followers on Twitter. Blackbaud, a company that helps nonprof- its track donations and analyze fundraising performance, reports that the amount of money organizations raised via the Internet grew by more than 13 percent in 2013. The Community Foundation of Louisville is one local example of a nonproft taking advantage of the trend. On its website in May, the Community Foundation hosted a 24-hour fundraising blitz called Give Local Louisville. "It was almost like an Amazon shopping cart," says Cara Baribeau, the foundation's vice president of marketing and communications. "(Donors) could select multiple charities and put in the amounts that they wanted to contribute." That day, 1,810 donors contributed a total of $1.89 million to 182 nonprofts (62 per- cent of those nonprofts received gifts from new donors). WaterStep, which teaches people in developing countries how to purify water and repair malfunctioning hand pumps to wells, was a winner on Give Local Louis- ville day, coming away with $20,858. "The response we got that day just totally blew us away," says Lauren Hack, WaterStep's development programmer. Hack says word about the campaign spread quickly via email and social media. Baribeau is optimistic about the 2015 Give Local Louisville day. In hopes of raising even more money, the event is planned for October instead of May — far away from our collective Derby hangover. Tim Valentino Voice-Tribune photographer Does anybody ever say, "No, you're not going to photograph me"? "Yeah. Some of it is people who are uncomfortable getting their photo taken; some of it's because they're not supposed to be there or they're with somebody they're not supposed to be with. And some people don't want to be in certain publications." Is there a secret to making people look good in gala photos? "One of the things I try to do is get them with their backs to the party instead of to the wall. A lot of people want to line up on the wall, and I'm like, 'No, it looks like you're somewhere by yourselves or it looks like a mug shot.'" How do you dress for these things? "The very frst one I did was at the Pendennis Club's Old Fashioned Ball; it was the 100th anniversary of the invention of the Old Fashioned. I walked in wearing khakis, a golf shirt, a black leather jacket and sneakers, and there were all these people in tuxedos and ball gowns. I thought, 'They're not going to want to talk to me.' "For the frst year or two, I tried to dress according to the dress code of the event, but, fortunately or unfortunately, I might be photographing four diferent events and they'll all be diferent ends of the dress-code spectrum. The thing I've realized is, I'm not really one of the guests, so I dress how I'm comfortable. I'm going to end up getting dirty anyway, by being on the ground or climbing on top of something or trying to scoot behind something." Guy Tedesco sculptor/gala attendee I've seen you in several Voice- Tribune photo galleries. How many of these things have you been to? "Bunches. Not because I'm a person with any money — I'm an artist — but mainly because I have given so much artwork to the events (for live auctions)." Michael Adams Kentucky Opera's director of external communications (he's in charge of making sure the opera's signature black- tie fundraiser, Carnevale, runs smoothly) Live and silent auctions are a big part of these events. What's one item that sparks competitive bidding? "Booze. People will always go for nicer wines and any kind of alcohol package. And we don't just stick a bottle of vodka out there. We'll get several really good scotches. Not everybody likes scotch, but those who do really do. Or we'll do a really special bottle of bourbon that's signed by the master distiller — those kinds of things that people can't just go out and buy." One of my not-so-well-kept secrets: I love to look through galleries of photos from local black-tie fundraisers. I fip through The Voice-Tribune and Nfocus like some people read US Weekly or People. I fgured this philanthropy issue was a great excuse to talk to three guys who are familiar with the Louisville gala scene. — Amy Talbott