FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS & INFORMATION

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS & INFORMATION

WHAT IS DINING WITH FRIENDS? Dining With Friends is a special fundraising event for Palmetto Community Care (formerly Lowcountry AIDS Services) that allows participants to show their support for people living with HIV and AIDS and to have fun with lots of friends at the same time. We expect well over 100 parties hosted by people like yourself. How does Dining With Friends work? It s quite simple: you prepare dinner, we supply invitations, a poster, and checklists of things to consider when hosting a fundraising party. Your friends agree to make a contribution to Palmetto Community Care. You don t have to prepare dessert, because at 8 p.m. on January 19, 2019 all hosts and guests are invited to a Grand Finale Party where desserts are served that have been prepared by some of Charleston s finest chefs. We also have live music, dancing, champagne, cocktails, coffee, and a variety of beverages for everyone to enjoy. This year, the Finale will be at Memminger Auditorium and we are planning a best-ever party this is our way of saying thank you to all hosts and guests. WHEN IS DINING WITH FRIENDS? Dining With Friends is on Saturday, January 19, 2019. The Grand Finale Party starts at 8 p.m. Most dinner parties will be hosted in the hours leading up to the Finale. WHAT ARE THE DETAILS FOR THE GRAND FINALE PARTY? The Grand Finale Party will include desserts, dancing, drinks and celebration for hosts and attendees alike. It will be from 8 p.m. - Midnight on Saturday, January 19, 2019, at Memminger Auditorium (56 Beaufain Street, Charleston, SC 29401). The Finale is free for hosts and guests and is our way to thank you for your participation and generosity, and also a great way for our community and supporters to come together in celebration of our continued fight to help those living with HIV/AIDS and our work to prevent new HIV/AIDS cases here in the Lowcountry. DOES THE GRAND FINALE PARTY HAVE A DRESS CODE? Our goal is to have all of our guests feel comfortable and welcome at the Finale! If your dinner party required a suit and a cocktail dress, you will feel right at home just as much as if you were at a themed dinner night and everyone comes dressed in costume. We will ensure this is a welcoming event where a tuxedo is just as in style as jeans and a

polo shirt. We do recommend an outfit that will allow for some dancing and room for amazing desserts! I CAN T ATTEND A DINNER PARTY, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO ATTEND THE FINALE. HOW CAN I DO THIS? We understand that busy schedules get in the way sometimes and we want to ensure that everyone who wants to participate can do so. To that end, you can make an online donation and simply bring your confirmation page or take a screenshot and show us at check-in for entry. You can also request a donation envelope at check-in and make a donation via cash, check or credit card for event entry. I CAN T HOST OR CONTRIBUTE FINANCIALLY, BUT I WANT TO BE INVOLVED. HOW CAN I HELP? We understand that not everyone can make a financial contribution or host a dinner party, so we encourage you to volunteer at the event and during the day for set-up. Simply click here for our Volunteer Sign-Up. We couldn t put on an event of this scale without help from our amazing volunteers! WHAT DOES PALMETTO COMMUNITY CARE DO? For more than 27 years, Palmetto Community Care (PCC) has been serving men, women and children living with HIV/AIDS in Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester counties. PCC provides case management, access to medical care, housing assistance, financial assistance, nutritional assistance and legal assistance along with an array of other supportive services to hundreds in the Charleston area. PCC also works to prevent this epidemic through education, media campaigns, community outreach and free, daily HIV/STD testing. Learn more about programs, services and initiatives at www.palmettocommunitycare.org. I CAN T HOST THAT MANY PEOPLE. WILL MY EVENT BE TOO SMALL? Some of the best events are intimate gatherings of just a handful of people. We don t expect that all dinner parties will be huge, nor do we need them to be. Each individual who participates and each host who invite friends - they all add up continually through

the evening. We expect hundreds of attendees at the Finale, most of whom will have attended small, intimate dinner parties. It is in the final total that we will see the real power of individuals and groups who come together to raise thousands of dollars collectively for the work of Palmetto Community Care! Whether you raise $100 at your party or $10,000, we want to thank you for your contribution and your generosity! HOW DO DINNER PARTY DONATIONS WORK? We provide individual donation envelopes for each attendee at your dinner party so the individuals may each get a donation thank you and receipt. These are then combined into a larger Host Party envelope provided to hosts to help us report back to their total donations for the event and to help keep donations together. We do not tell the hosts the individual donation amounts, but rather an aggregate so they may compare with their goals and if they would like to thank their attendees personally. If your group comes together with a cash donation combined in one envelope, the host will receive the donation acknowledgement. Hosts will combine all donation envelopes into their Host Party envelope and bring this with them to the Finale. ARE GUESTS ASKED TO GIVE A SPECIFIC AMOUNT? We know asking for money is never fun, even when you are encouraging your guests to contribute to a great cause. To that end, we want to partner with you to make this a low-stress endeavor. The invites we provide gently encourage your guests to either contribute online or they can make a donation at your party using the donor envelopes that we provide. For those who have previously attended Dining With Friends, we are sure they remember that they had a wonderful time coming together to raise money and awareness to help with life-saving programs and services for people living with HIV and AIDS and also for programs that help our community prevent new cases of HIV. One common question we hear is how much should guests donate? One great response is to encourage donations that are equivalent to what the guests would have spent on a nice dinner out with dessert, champagne, dancing and drinks. This lets guests have the flexibility to contribute at a level that is comfortable for them. CAN I HOST AN EVENT WITH MY WORKPLACE, CHURCH, COMMUNITY GROUP OR OTHER ORGANIZATION? Definitely! We encourage you to find the perfect match for your dinner party, even if that

means it isn t actually at dinner! Maybe you bring together your book club? Your running group? Your fraternity or sorority? You decide what your event will be and who you invite! Just make sure to get permission when needed from other organizations. WHERE CAN I FIND MORE EVENT INFORMATION FOR MYSELF AND/OR MY GUESTS? Make sure you check back on our website at www.palmettocommunitycare.org/dwf as well as Palmetto Community Care s Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages (@PalmettoCare). We will keep in regular contact with all of our hosts through email and phone calls after they sign-up! Updated: 11/7/18 We will continually update this document with new, pertinent questions and communicate common questions and answers to participants.