Asking Chefs To Donate To Your Event Or Fundraiser

Lifestyle

Shirley Higgins

June 10, 2022

There are times when chefs have to deal with issues such as rude customers, bad reviews, and food donation appeals for events and fundraisers. Providing food to an event requires ingredients, resources, and, most importantly, precious time. Event planners assume that just adding your name to the list of the event sponsors is a worthwhile proposition, however, in reality, no one wants to put in the time and effort just for a little exposure. So, if you’re a chef or someone who’s looking for food donations for an event, keep reading because here you’ll get to learn the art of asking chefs to donate to your event.

Rene Asmussen/Pexels | Time is money and no one wants to waste that.

Getting Started

According to chef Diana Widjojo, she receives a lot of requests and emails for free stuff daily. These requests range from asking for gift cards for the attendees to providing food portions for 250-750 people. If the cause is indeed something that Widjojo believes in, she's all for helping out as long as she gets a tax deduction, a stipend, or the money for the food reimbursed.

In The Name Of Exposure

It’s not like chefs don’t want to help out or donate to your cause, they do! But it's understandable if don’t want to spend their hard-earned money with zero return(s). If they’re donating to an event that doesn’t help their brand, then there’s no point at all, is there? However, small business owners are under the impression that the slightest exposure can help them out but in reality, it only wastes their resources, efforts, and time!

Rene Asmussen/Pexels | It’s time to be a little considerate when it comes to getting chefs to donate

What Should You Do As An Event Planner?

1. Clear Communication

Your organization should focus on clearly communicating everything, including how the chef will benefit from donating to you, and what they’re you aiming for–could this lead to a future partnership?

2. Don’t waste their time

They probably have a lot of emails from other event planners as well. So be mindful of their time.

3. Present what you have to offer

Whether it’s a stipend or any other kind of support, you must first mention the perks you are offering to the chef in return first to help them get a better understanding of their work and the support they’ll provide to your event.