July 9, 2009 -
PRLog -- New York, New York– The NY Metro Chapter of the International Special Events Society (ISES) hosted its 8th Annual Big Apple Awards on June 30th, 2009 at The Lighthouse, Chelsea Piers. The sold out gala honored event industry luminaries Fern Mallis, Josh McCall, Dick Cattani, and Candida Romanelli and recognized excellence in event production in upwards of twenty award categories. Among the Big Apple Award winners was Sophist Productions, the top mobile fundraiser in the United States, who accepted the award for Best Demonstration of ROI for an Event. The victory stemmed from Text-to-Pledge™
production for the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) and their 2008 Dare2Dream Gala at the Marriott Marquis. The segment raised $244,000 via text messaging in approximately 40 minutes.
Sophist Productions uses a fusion of sponsor activation, digital signage, and interactive on-screen text messaging capabilities in order to create Text-to-Pledge™
(www.texttopledge.com)
, the execution of which generates eco-friendly, public, competitive, and viral giving environments at fundraisers targeting major donors, most often sit-down galas, dinners, and luncheons hosting 300 guests or more. As pledges are sent from attendee mobile phones, the copy is broadcasted on screen in real time for all attendees to see. Following the event, SMS is used to communicate with donors and streamline collection efforts.
Sophist guarantees a return on investment for non-profit clientele who choose to deploy Text-to-Pledge™
at their major fundraising events, and the company offers numerous risk free pricing options in order to facilitate a charity’s ability to experiment with the new fundraising methodology. Text-to-
Pledge™ has been deployed in 9 major US cities and raised upwards of $2.5 Million since its 2007 inception. Sophist CEO Reed Baker says, “In this day and age there is certainly no more important client concern than ROI. Sophist has always focused on producing a measureable return for its event clientele, and we are excited and honored that ISES recognized one of our most profitable Text-to-Pledge™
programs at this year’s Big Apple Awards.”
On August 4th 2009, Sophist plans to host an invite-only webinar entitled Text-to-Pledge™:
Making Mobile Mandatory. The interactive online program will provide fundraising professionals with the information they need in order to move towards implementing Text-to-Pledge™
at future events. Making Mobile Mandatory will include technology demonstrations, mobile fundraising discussions, Text-to-Pledge™
client testimonials, and a keynote address by Sophist CEO Reed Baker.
Sophist Productions LLC is a music and event production company based in New York City providing Branded Entertainment services to celebrity, corporate, and non profit clientele.
For further information on Text-to-Pledge™
, visit www.texttopledge.com. To schedule an interview contact Michael McConnell at 347 528 6144 or mike@sophistproductions.com
