Free childcare AND a gift card for dinner? How to partner with local restaurants for a successful respite night

We had our third respite night this past weekend, and we added something new this time. Not only did we provide three hours of childcare for children with special needs and their siblings (10 and younger), but we provided every family with a gift card to a local restaurant or coffee shop... without spending any money.*

*Well, we could have if we started early enough. We did buy some gift cards from a coffee shop to make up for the donations we didn't get because we started so late. But if we had started earlier, we wouldn't have had to spend anything!

You see, restaurants typically have a budget for charitable donations. If your event serves the larger community and not just your church members, then many restaurants will be willing to draw from that philanthropy budget to provide one or two gift cards for families. We haven't perfected this, but I'd love to share what we learned this time!

Lesson 1: Start early. 

We didn't do this. We started two weeks before the event. Several restaurants wanted to help, but they couldn't. What will we do next time? Start a month or month and a half early. 

(Also, know that many chain restaurants have a certain amount of money provided to them each month from their corporate office for donations, and for many, that budget re-starts on the first of the month. So if you make a request that is turned down on March 15th, for example, it might be wise to try again on April 1st.)

Lesson 2: Explain why you're doing what you're doing.

What's the point of respite night? Who does it serve? Why does it matter? Get your best motivational speaker or Hallmark movie thinking cap on, and figure out your spiel. You'll need to be prepared to share it when you make verbal requests, and you'll need to include it in written requests. (And if the other members of your respite leadership team can all articulate this clearly defined purpose for and description of the event, then every member of the team can solicit donations from different restaurants so no single person shoulders all of the work!)

Lesson 3: Put your request in writing, and make it specific.

What do you want? For us, we asked for a gift card or voucher suitable for an appetizer, two meals, non-alcoholic beverages, and a dessert AND a 5:00pm reservation. (Our event runs from 4-7pm.) Some restaurants gave us exactly what we asked for, some don't do reservations but provided the gift card, and some gave a gift card that would cover part - but not all - of what we asked for. In other words, our specific request told the managing partner of the restaurant what we would like, and then each one used his or her discretion to provide what they could in return. We graciously received each donation, thankful for whatever was provided. 

Lesson 4: When you put the request in writing, use church letterhead with the church's tax-ID number listed. 

Most restaurants will require this. I made a few requests before I knew that and then had to resubmit them on Providence's letterhead with our tax-ID number. Save yourself a step by doing this from the beginning. 

Lesson 5: Work with - and not against - other ministries in your church.

Check with your church leadership to find out if other ministries are doing anything like this. Work with them so that your church only has one request at a restaurant at a time. Your church could look disorganized and a little demanding if a restaurant received multiple requests in the same time period, and the managing partner of the restaurant will be more likely to say no to both ministries' requests. Working together is working smart. 

Lesson 6: Let families know in advance.

Some families will already have other plans, and that's okay because some gift cards will be more flexible. For example, two different Chili's restaurants partnered with us, and I knew parents could use those gift cards another time (including picking up a take-home order via Chili's To Go if they can't go out). I emailed parents a week before to ask them if they would be able to use a voucher with a fixed reservation or if they preferred a flexible gift card for any time. (And let me tell you, parents get REALLY responsive when you email with a question like that!) 

The night before respite, I emailed each family with the gift card they would be receiving, so they could plan accordingly. One benefit of this? Every family came to respite - no no-shows! - and everyone arrived on time because they were excited about their plans. 

Lesson 7: Thank the partnering restaurants afterward!

Write a thank you note. Share the names of partnering restaurants with the rest of your congregation so that they will be motivated to thank the restaurant with their business. (I know Lee and I have a whole new list of places we'll go on date nights now, because we'd prefer to spend our money at a place that supported the ministry we're passionate about!) If you eat out there, ask to speak to the manager so you can thank him/her in person and let him/her know that you decided to eat there because of the donation made for respite night. 

And - on that note - Raleigh friends, you might want to visit Brio Tuscan Grille at Crabtree Valley Mall, the Chili's on Glenwood Avenue, the Chili's at Brier Creek, Carino's at Brier Creek, Longhorn Steak House at Brier Creek, Crabtree Tavern, and Brixx Wood Fired Pizza at Brier Creek. And tell them THANK YOU for supporting Providence Baptist Church's respite night in February.

Thanks!