NEW YORK—Events have proven effective for retail brands looking to foster relationships with customers, liquor lines striving to make it onto cocktail lovers’ home bars, and fashion houses establishing a presence in the metaverse. And while each event strives toward an ROI—which is, more often than not, a conversion in the form of making a purchase—few actually seek to raise funds at the event. This is where fundraising galas differ.
And it’s not as easy as it may seem—take it from the team behind the CARE Charity Moonlight Gala, which held its inaugural event on June 23 at Casa Cipriani. For the moonlight-themed evening, it was all about raising money to benefit CARE (Community, Advocacy, Resources, Encouragement), a nonprofit organization with a mission to support children with autism, seizures, cerebral palsy, down syndrome, development delay, and undiagnosed disorders as well as their families. In order to do so, lead chair Richie Akiva said that the event strategy “needed to go big [to] make the event impressive.”
CARE—a nonprofit organization supporting children with special needs and their families—hosted its inaugural fundraising gala at Casa Cipriani on June 23. Dubbed the Moonlight Gala, planner Norma Cohen of Norma Cohen Productions was tapped to outfit the 25,000-square-foot venue’s Great Hall ballroom (pictured).Photo: Getty Images
The event was black tie, and 500 well-dressed guests enjoyed a multicourse dinner courtesy of Cipriani set on a table dressed in blue linens.Photo: Getty Images
A good place to start? The guest list. “We wanted to make sure it was a mix of all arenas of New York,” Akiva explained, adding that “guests represented class, style, [and] personality for the perfect mix. And while it’s important that attendees will likely donate to the cause a fundraiser is supporting, Akiva points out that planners should also be considering the fact that ”you want a room with energy, so guest curation is very important.”
Notable guests for CARE’s first-ever gala included Leonardo DiCaprio, models Gigi Hadid and Gabby Westbrook, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Grammy-winning recording artist Miguel (who was the headlining performer of the night), watch designer Jacob Arabo, retired police detective Bo Dietl, and many more.
Akiva said to achieve this, he “tapped into the art world, real estate, the music industry, the entertainment community, and of course, top philanthropists and entrepreneurs.” He added: “Since it was also NFT.NYC week, we tapped into that world to secure top crypto and NFT partners and entrepreneurs to attend and support.” (Read more about events during NFT.NYC here.)
Look at guest experience next. “Guests are spending big dollars, and the evening needs to feel high-level, that what they are attending was worth the spend, in addition to the cause at hand,” Akiva advised. To make the night one to remember—not to mention worth the big bucks (individual tickets ranged from $5,000-$25,000 and tables from $50,000-$250,000)—planner Norma Cohen of Norma Cohen Productions was tapped to outfit the 25,000-square-foot venue’s Great Hall ballroom. 
The luxe entry and cocktail reception on the atrium set the tone for the rest of the evening, which featured tear-jerking speeches from CARE's co-founders, plus auctions that led guests to donate $7 million by the end of the night.Photo: Getty Images
The event's lead chair, Richie Akiva, stressed the importance of putting on an impressive event when hosting a fundraiser. He suggested starting at the guest list, because ”you want a room with energy, so guest curation is very important.”Photo: Getty Images
With only 18 days to complete the task, Cohen looked to Casa Cipriani not only because it is, as she called it, “the best place,” but also because it’s owned by Michael Cayre, the co-founder and host of the Moonlight Gala. “This also allowed us to expedite the process more smoothly and efficiently,” she said, adding that “the entire Casa family [was] on board to help out” with the tight deadline.
And although an execution time that was short of three weeks didn’t stop the events team from executing what Akiva called a “magical experience,” Alexandra Lasky, whose company The Influence handled all PR for the gala, suggested that planners just starting out with hosting fundraisers “give themselves as much lead time as possible.”
A helpful tip? “Make a checklist to ensure all areas are being worked on simultaneously as there are so many moving parts.”
But despite the quick turnaround, event decor was not compromised because, as Akiva pointed out, fundraisers are all about the guest experience, and event teams must act accordingly. “Every detail must be looked at—from the music to the seating to the menu. All of it must be of the utmost importance for the guest experience,” he said.
A violinist serenaded guests as they entered Casa Cirpriani. She stood in front of a tea light candle-clad backdrop, which evoked the sights of a starry night sky and nodded to the gala's moonlight theme.Photo: Getty Images
The CARE Moonlight Gala led by example and welcomed 500 black tie-dressed guests with a candlelit wall that nodded to the starry night theme, plus blue lighting, cobalt spheres hanging from the ceiling, and navy table linens evoked a night sky. A violinist serenaded those in attendance, and a step-and-repeat red carpet followed. Upon reaching the end of the photo-worthy entrance, attendees were handed either a Bellini (Cipriani’s signature beverage), glass of champagne, wine, or cocktail by tuxedo-clad waiters donning white gloves.
The luxe entry and cocktail reception on the atrium set the tone for the rest of the evening, which consisted of a multicourse dinner, tear-jerking speeches, and auctions of NFTs that led guests to donate a grand total of $7 million.
To raise such funds, Lasky advised other planners to “pull in people that reach different audiences and networks, so the invites do not overlap." She added that this is the key “to secure great auction items.” Sotheby’s led the CARE Gala’s live auction, and it featured original art pieces by by Jordy Kerwick, Fransesco Clemente, and Alec Monopoly (just to name a few). Arabo even auctioned off luxury watches from his brand, Casa Cipriani offered a two-night staycation in its Presidential Suite, and one lucky bidder won a private box suite for 18 to see Harry Styles at Madison Square Garden.
On the NFT front, MegaMoon Museum auctioned off a Roy Nachum oil paining, digital video, and NFT combination package valued at $550,000, followed by a BAYC NFT Bored Ape courtesy of FTX. The non-fungible token had a rarity score of over 340 and was sold for $460,000.
Grammy award-winning recording artist Miguel was seen on the step-and-repeat-backed red carpet before taking the stage for a headline performance.Photo: Getty Images
However, don’t get lost in the grandeur of the night, Akiva warned. “You want to properly represent the charity and the cause at hand, and make sure the programming reflects this,” he said. For CARE on this summer night in June, this translated into an address from the organizations founders, Cayre and Roy Nachum. “There wasn’t a dry eye in the house,” Cohen said of the moment after “an educational video told guests [about how CARE] takes care of these special, amazing children.”
Good news—the CARE Gala plans on making a return in 2023, and Akiva advised planners to learn from this year’s mistakes. “We may push it up to spring so more people are in town,” he said, “and obviously start a few months out, rather than a few weeks.” Guests in 2023 can also expect “additional performances, even more talent present to support, [as well as] some talent presenters.”
Lakeside Studio handled menu design, and Artscroll Printing Corp printed the elevated dinner menu, which focused on the restaurant's branzino dish.Photo: Getty Images
Multiple bars served up specialty cocktails, and guests were handed a glass of champagne upon arrival by tuxedo-clad waiters donning white gloves.Photo: Getty Images
VENDORS
Carpet: Flemington Department Store
Cocktail Napkins: Hot Stamping Specialities
Chairs: Luxe Event Rentals
Decor, Furniture, and Florals: Floral Art
DJ: Leo Tebele, Juske, Rachel Winters
Entertainment: On the Move Events
Glasses: Westside Party Rentals
Guest Check In: Gold Coast Care LLC
Lighting & Sound: Star Group
Menu Design: Lakeside Studio
Menu Printing: Artscroll Printing Corp
Mixologist: Momentum Mixology
Photography (Event): BFA (indoors) and Getty (red carpet)
Photography (House): Clane Gessel
Public Relations: The Influence
Staffing: Kensington Event Staffing, 021NYCrew
Tablecloths: Party Rental LTD
Venue: Casa Cipriani
Video: ITV Studio
