Planning Timeline
(Compiled by Regi Carpenter, with thanks to NSN for the examples generated by Tellabration)

Here is a sample timeline for producing a highly visible public event. This looks like a lot of work, but it is a very detailed list which will help you think of the most important steps toward a successful event. It is possible for one energetic person to take on all of the roles.

Week One

• Solicit storytellers and other performers
  • include youth tellers?
  • involve local musicians?
• Select a location and book a date
• location, location, location: Will your audience know how to get there? Does it have a recognizable street address and high foot traffic? Is there parking nearby?
• Explain the project's goals of raising $1,000 in each event and arrange to use a space for free if possible.
• find a place with good acoustics or a sound system, or arrange to bring one
• Select your volunteer staff:
  • Artistic Coordinator -- that would be you!
  • Publicity Coordinator
  • Finance Manager
  • House Manager
  • Stage Manager and/or sound operator
• Register your event information to StoryTsunami.org for listing

Week Two

• Artistic Coordinator:
  • Send letters of confirmation to the artists with directions, contact numbers and addresses, and full information about the event. If using a sound system ask them to arrive 60 minutes early for a sound check.
  • Get publicity material from storytellers, including photographs and CD's to be played on local radio programs.
• Publicity Coordinator:
  • Write a press release, calendar listing, and public service announcement. Here are Press Release Template of all three documents to get you started. And here is an example of how the template was used by Jane Sims for the Asheville, NC concert.
• House Manager does a site check:
  • Keys: will you have to get keys in advance? Or, who will be assigned to open the building for you?
  • Signs: does the building have adeguate and clear signs or will you need to make some temporary ones? (Don't forget signs to the bathrooms)
  • Chairs: will they have to be set up or will they be in place?
  • Green room: is there a place for performers to relax backstage?
  • Does the building have a sound system?
  • Where will the donation tables be placed?
  • Clean up: what is expected for cleaning up at the end of the show?
  • Helpers: how many people will be needed to help with these tasks?

Week Three

• Publicity:
  • Design and proofread a poster using the downloaded poster template in .pdf format or by designing your own poster, using the logos on the Help for Producers page.
  • Compile a list of newspaper editors (include features, city desk, and arts for this project). Consider all newspapers in a 30 minute driving range. Your local reference librarian can help you find a list, possibly.
  • Compile a comprehensive list of radio and television stations that will help you publicize through interviews and public service announcements.
  • Identify any volunteer organizations that may want to help with staffing and publicity including churches, synagogues, and youth groups.
  • Contact local radio and public access stations regarding special media attention, and telling them about the CDs available from the storytellers.
  • Call the lifestyle and/or arts editors of your local newspapers and discuss doing a color Sunday-section cover article; or talk to the city editor for a tie between world events and local fundraising.
• House manager:
  • Find volunteers for the event.
• Finance Manager & the storytelling organization's officers
  • Review the Managing Donations page for sending collected donations to the agencies and for reporting on the total amount raised.
  • Decide on which of these agencies will be supported by this event (could be any number of these four): Oxfam, Save the Children, Mercy Corps, American Red Cross (see the Relief Agencies page).
  • Decide how you will collect donations: Some organizations will be setting up donation boxes for each of the agencies, asking the audience members themselves to decide where to put their donations/admission fees.
  • If you are simply selling tickets and writing new checks to the agencies, decide on a 501(c)3 agency to receive checks written by audience members.
  • If collecting for the American Red Cross, you could call the local chapter to make arrangements to sign out one of their collection buckets.
  • Gather information about each of the agencies being supported and assemble into a flyer, poster, program, or other form of information for the audience.

Week Four

• Artistic Coordinator:
  • Confirm story selection with tellers, find out about sound system needs
  • Meet with person doing the sound system
• Publicity Coordinator:
  • Get flyers/posters printed
  • Send press releases - sending by email is sometimes preferred!
  • Do mailing (if you plan to do one) and/or send an email announcement
  • Send calendar-of-events listings to newspapers, cable and local television stations, and radio stations
  • send public service announcement
  • Talk to editors about assigning a writer/photographer for newspaper coverage of the event

Week Five

• Publicity Coordinator:
  • Do local radio and TV talk shows 
  • Distribute posters
  • Make personal contact by phone with media, reminding them of the program and asking if they have any questions, suggesting story ideas.

Week of Event

• Artistic Coordinator:
  • Decide on order of tellers
  • give call to tellers to let them know the order, remind them of the sound check time, and thank them for volunteering
  • If there is to be an emcee, gather notes on the storytellers and the project, and draft short speaking points that highlight the storytellers and support the fundraising goal.
• Publicity Coordinator:
  • Follow through on news interviews or photo arrangements
• House manageer
  • generate signs to help visitors find the front door and the bathroom (if needed)
  • call volunteers to remind them of the event

The Day Before the Event

• Finance Manager
  • Get appropriate change at the bank (lots of tens, if admission will be ten dollars)
  • Construct donation boxes (if you are letting people put their donation into a box for the relief agency of their choice).
  • final preparations of information about the relief agencies

During the event:

• House manager
  • Open doors before the sound check starts
  • Set up chairs if necessary
  • Set up tables for donations
  • Put up signs
  • Position ushers & donation collectors
• Artist coordinator
  • have a sheet listing the order of performances, with copies for sound person and all of the performers
  • direct artists to green room, if available
  • insure last minute needs of the performers are met
  • water on the stage?
  • seats for the artists up close to stage
• Publicity coordinator
  • greet any press people who come to the event
  • take pictures and listen for interesting moments to report on
• Finance manager
  • Bring donation boxes and relief agency information to the tables
  • Bring change
  • Answer questions about how to make out checks
  • Supervise any volunteers handling money or change
• Stage manager/sound operator
  • Hold a sound check, 60 minutes before program begins
  • Run the sound system during the event
  • Manage stage and house lights

     

The Day After the Event

• Finance Manager:
  • Count the receipts
  • Submit donations to organizations using the Agency Report Forms.
  • Send acknowledgements/receipts to check writers if the checks were written out to the storytelling organization. (If checks were written out to the agencies, those agencies will handle the acknowledgements.)
  • Send Final Event Report to StoryTsunami.org
• Storytelling Magazine will be writing a story about this project, so send please 300 dpi photos or prints to the National Storytelling Network
• Please send 72 dpi scanned photographs to

.