October 2007
Church Spotlight
Castro Valley First Baptist: Mr. October Baseball Fantasy Camp
The men of Castro Valley First Baptist Church were trying to think "out of the box" and had an idea this past summer to create a low-cost, unique event that would attract guys young and old to have some fun together. Why not create a mini Fantasy Baseball Camp at Oscar Miller's baseball yard? Oscar is a leading baseball coach in the San Francisco Bay Area and has a baseball facility - in his backyard - that is used for baseball hitting clinics, and the event was able to be held at this venue at no cost.
The concept was to offer a variety of baseball activities to give guys the experience of going to baseball camp:
- Jugs (Speed) Gun to see how hard guys throw the baseball
- Pitching target - how many strikes from the mound out of ten
- Hitting games, with prizes
- Short, mini-clinic skill presentation
- Hitters videotaped and reviewed in the video room
Plus, the event integrated a short testimony by a former major league ball player and baseball food - hot dogs, peanuts, and popcorn.
The promotion included a flyer with clear info about the date, times (from 10am to 2pm), and location, who was invited (all men 18 and older), the cost ($5), and the important point that baseball skills were not required. The planning team wanted guys to know this was a fun event and all were welcome. Announcements happened during the church service and registration happened the three Sundays prior to the event.
A detailed plan was created prior to the event that outlined ticket sales, speakers, the clinic and activities, the food prep, prizes, the day-of-event jobs, and publicity. A detailed schedule of the day's events was prepared for all volunteers and a set-up check-list was provided for the set-up team.
The event brought a great turnout, the men had a great day of fun, and the funds collected exceeded the cost of the event!
Lessons from CV First:
- They did "out of the box" thinking about how to tap men's interests in sports to create a fun event
- They identified a no-cost venue that was available to them through their network of friends/associates which kept the cost of the event low
- They were well-organized
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