West Des Moines Mayor Russ Trimble took a turn as Bluey in 2025. Photo: Courtesy of the Salvation Army
Writer: Anthony Taylor
Everybody loves a good gala. They’re an excuse to dress up, they’re often themed and, most important, they’re a way to support a good cause.
But they can also start to blur together from year to year. A good gala will cover the four Ds — dinner, dancing, decorations, donations — but it’s just one tool in an organization’s fundraising toolbox.
Here in mid-sized Des Moines, where discretionary dollars are finite and competition for those dollars can be fierce, some nonprofits have found fun ways to branch out. When operating budgets are thin and every dollar matters, it literally pays to get creative.
The Salvation Army
Unmasking the Singer, March 28
In 2020, Salvation Army Development Coordinator Tamyra Harrison discovered that a sister organization hosted a “Masked Singer”-style contest, where celebrities sang songs in head-to-toe costumes that concealed their identities.
“My husband saw the Salvation Army in Quincy, Illinois, do a version on a smaller scale online,” she said. “We went the next year in person and had the best time.”
Harrison wanted to bring the idea to Des Moines but figured it might be a tough sell with the local leadership team. “It wasn’t easy,” she said, “but I convinced them to take a chance.” That first year, she recruited heavy hitters like Jackie Schmillen, Starts Right Here founder Will Keeps, then-Fire Chief John TeKippe and then- Police Chief Dana Wingert.
The audience votes for their favorite contestant via a QR code, and each vote costs $1. The first two events raised more than $50,000 for Salvation Army programs, including the summer camp and food pantry.
“I’ve been to my share of banquets,” Harrison said. “You need something new. People are watching how they spend, so giving them a real experience makes a huge difference.”
Harrison plans to continue the event as long as people are willing to put on costumes and sing a tune or two. So fair warning: If you’re out in public, humming along to whatever’s playing in your earbuds, she might just tap you on the shoulder.
“I’m always listening,” she said. “I catch myself asking people from all walks of life, ‘Can you carry a tune?’”
Easterseals Iowa
Sunnyside Regatta, July 9
When it comes to a tradition of not following tradition, Easterseals Iowa is the granddaddy of them all.
Now in its 22nd year, the Sunnyside Regatta has been a popular Easterseals event longer than any of its campers have been alive. Each summer, companies and groups from across the metro send teams to Camp Sunnyside to race across the lake in two-person paddle boats. Hundreds brave the summer heat and humidity for the raucous, quad-burning action.
Emceed by local treasure Lou Sipolt Jr., the event draws competitors from nearly every major employer, with teams circling it on their calendars months in advance. Some even post challenge videos on social media, hyping up their own employees and throwing down the gauntlet for the competition.
But the regatta isn’t just a creative way to raise money. It helps Easterseals show what it’s all about.
“It’s during our summer camp season,” chief development officer Krable Mentzer said. “People get a real feel for our mission because it’s all around them.”
That might be the regatta’s biggest benefit. Raising money is the goal, but that’s easier when people connect with the mission and those it serves.
“The relationships that have occurred organically through the races are really cool,” Mentzer said. “We get to have a whole bunch of people fall in love with Camp Sunnyside every year.”
Young Women’s Resource Center
Celebrity Servers, Oct. 5
For the past 16 years, the Young Women’s Resource Center has enlisted “celebrity servers” to put a unique spin on a fundraising dinner. Co-hosted with Orchestrate Hospitality, the three-course dinners at Centro and Django feature local politicians, media personalities and business leaders who wait tables. They compete to raise the most money via “tips” throughout the night.
“Servers usually work in pairs and invite their networks of friends and co-workers,” YWRC senior advancement director Kimberley Strope-Boggus said. “It’s effective because they’re pitching to people they know. You’re not asking a stranger to contribute — you know their histories and stories.”
Effective is an understatement: Celebrity Servers is the YWRC’s second-biggest fundraiser, after its traditional gala, pulling in more than $80,000.
Strope-Boggus credits partnerships for the event’s success. Veteran servers like Jackie Schmillen, Christine Hensley and Wicker Van Orsdel recruit new faces like social media influencer Liz “Liz from Iowa” Fleming, while Centro and Django craft special menu items, and corporate sponsors help offset overhead.
“Des Moines isn’t lacking for events,” Strope-Boggus said. “At any given time, some nonprofit is looking to raise money. Being creative with our fundraising helps set us apart.”
Contributing writer Anthony Taylor has covered Des Moines for 15 years and often leads trivia nights around town.
