A fun, fabulous gala — fueled by Raleigh event-planning folks — raises big money for North Carolina nonprofits.
by Rachel Simon

When Jodi Strenkowski became the owner of the Merrimon-Wynne House in 2013, she wanted to make sure that the historic property, which frequently hosts weddings and special events, was also using its space and profits to give back to Raleigh. She started by offering discounted party packages to nonprofits hosting charity events at her venue, but she soon felt there was more she and her colleagues could do to help.

“We saw how much these organizations were spending to put on these gala-type events, and sometimes they were spending more on the event than they were actually raising,” she says. “They were putting in so much work but often weren’t getting the results.”

After speaking with other event space owners and vendors in the Triangle, Strenkowski came up with a plan: instead of each of them giving a little bit of money to a number of different organizations, they could pool their resources to make a bigger impact. “If we came together and fully donated our services for a huge event, 100 percent of the money that we raised could go directly to one organization,” she says.

In 2017, Merrimon-Wynne hosted the first version of this idea, a casino-themed fundraiser benefiting Project Catch, a local offshoot of the Salvation Army that tackles family homelessness. The event — every aspect of which was donated by vendors, from DJ Joe Bunn doing the music to Parlor Blow Dry setting up activities — raised over $30,000 for the nonprofit.

The evening’s success inspired Strenkowski to dream even bigger. Not long after, she teamed up with the music-focused North Carolina charity Band Together (she was on the board) with the goal of using its resources and charity selection experience to put on an even larger fundraiser that could provide substantial help to a worthwhile grassroots organization. Band Together’s focus on smaller, local nonprofits “really spoke to my team,” Strenkowski notes. “We all felt like, if we’re gonna raise a couple hundred thousand dollars, let’s do it for somebody for whom that’s going to be especially meaningful.”

Thus Evening to Ignite, now one of the Triangle’s buzziest fundraisers, was born. The first incarnation, held in early 2020, was a fairly low-key dinner and auction benefiting Families Together; the following years (after a COVID-caused break) found them benefiting organizations that address the needs of women and children, like No Woman No Girl, which resonated with Strenkowski and her largely-female team. “That has just historically been what we felt called to do,” she explains.

Each year, the event has raised more money. The 2024 gala, the biggest production thus far, raised over $200,000 for Neighbor to Neighbor, a local charity promoting education and mentorship for underserved families. The money was used to construct a soon-to-be-finished Teen Center in downtown Raleigh that will “empower teens with the skills, networks and pathways to thrive in local high-growth industries, breaking cycles of poverty and creating mobility for families we work with,” says Spencer Hathcock, the organization’s program manager. He adds that the funds also enabled Neighbor to Neighbor to increase its after-school program capacity by 40%, with more teen programming that will help give adolescents the tools to “seize emerging opportunities in the Triangle’s thriving economy.”

Putting on the fundraiser is no small feat; not only do dozens of vendors contribute resources, but Strenkowski and her colleagues balance the immense planning with their busy day jobs. They also, along with the Band Together team, spend countless hours poring over detailed applications from nonprofits hoping to be the next year’s beneficiary.

Tickets and sponsors are the biggest drivers of their fundraising. For this year’s event, tickets range from $175 to $350 (depending on if you add extras like a VIP dinner) and sponsorships (in which brands contribute up-front in exchange for in-event branding) are available for up to $8,000. “Every year, as the event becomes bigger and bigger, we’ve been able to get bigger sponsors and increase ticket prices to raise more money and more awareness for the organization,” Strenkowski says proudly.

Part of what has made the evening a success is that it allows Strenkowski and her partners to really go all-out. “The event really is a full-scale production and not something that you see very often,” she says. Past events have included fun themes like Whimsical Wonderland and Galactic Glam, with enough impressive decor to transport attendees fully into those worlds. Dressing for the theme is a must, and repeat guests know to look out for the multipage Style Guide with a Pinterest board-like array of outfit inspiration.

March 14 will mark the fifth Evening to Ignite. This year’s honoree is Ripe for Revival, a nonprofit that addresses food insecurity by building pay-what-you-can mobile food markets throughout North Carolina. Ripe for Revival was chosen due to its “strong impact” in North Carolina communities, Strenkowski says, adding that the charity was “willing to bring their mobile markets to downtown Raleigh, the area right within the community that we feel so passionate about.”

Officially, this year’s fundraising goal is $250,000, but Strenkowski and her team’s internal hope is even greater. The 2025 benefit, called A Night at the Tropicana, will be “bigger and more impressive” than ever, says its founder. With Havana-inspired decor led by Casey Harris, owner of Raleigh’s La Fete Planning & Design, Strenkowski hints that the event will be loud, colorful and “purposely over the top.”

That may be an understatement. During the all-night benefit (including an afterparty), guests will experience everything from fire dancers to a cigar bar, not to mention a VIP dinner led by acclaimed chef Jacob Boehm of Snap Pea Creative Dining — who, it so happens, was the one who suggested they highlight a food insecurity-focused cause this time around. The live auction, too, will see a major upgrade, with a Sotheby’s auctioneer leading the festivities and new prizes such as fishing charters and a “Nashville experience.”

But also at the event, guests will enter the room directly through Ripe for Revival’s newest mobile market, which was built and outfitted from money earned through sponsors and ticket sales ahead of Evening to Ignite. “As people check in, they’ll actually get to come through the space and really see why we’re here, the main purpose of what we’re doing,” says Strenkowski. (The market will be moved elsewhere post-event).

Kara Cox, the executive community director of Ripe for Revival, says that the nonprofit plans to use this year’s funds for “a pretty amazing expansion” in and around Wake County. “It will allow us to have sustainability and to be in those same communities every week, so people know when to shop and what we have on board,” she says. The charity is already at work launching its first mobile commercial kitchen, Cox notes, which won’t just provide food (grown and purchased from local farmers) to those in need but also a “hands-on culinary education” for both kids and adults.

Being chosen as Evening to Ignite’s 2025 beneficiary was a huge honor, Cox adds: “It made me feel like they really understood the mission and what we’re trying to accomplish within communities.” Ripe for Revival is even collaborating with last year’s event beneficiary, Neighbor to Neighbor, to place its newest mobile market on the latter organization’s property. “It’s all full circle on how this event makes such an impact within Wake County,” Cox says. Adds Hathcock: “Evening to Ignite has and will have a transformative impact.”

This article originally appeared in the March 2025 issue of WALTER magazine.