Dinner parties for the cause are all the rage these days. Got the itch to entertain this week?

Throw an impromptu dinner party! Host a few friends for a great cause, like BK Farmyards 1-acre Youth Farm Project. In their own words:

THROW US A DINNER PARTY to help us meet our Kickstarter campaign goal. How it works: Throw a dinner party at your place, and ask your guests to pledge money to our campaign (6 people at $25 = $150). We will supply cocktails for the dinner (click here for cocktail options). If your dinner party pledges $150, we will bring you one of our handmade grocery bags full of produce from some of our favorite farmers. You will also receive a postcard from one of our chicks, and big thank you’s all around. (Sorry, grocery reward only for people living in NYC as we are opposed to shipping produce.) See BK Farmyards website for more information.

I adore this idea for a number of reasons.

Firstly, it gets people into your home to eat together, share and enjoy your space. The happy home is all about momentum: get people over, pronto.

Secondly, grassroots fundraising is here to stay. Um, anyone notice our Prez’s fundraising MO? Like any of us really have $100 to drop on our favourite non-profits any more? I do have some groceries though…

Thirdly, it will give you the opportunity to crack open your copy of Forking Fantastic, written by ladies who remember that fun is the primary goal of dinner party (not place settings or matching crap.)

[Note: You can do this type of thing any time for ANY org or cause. Just ask guests to bring a few beers or a bottle of wine with their contribution $$ if you’re not organizing for an existing cause with a great liquor sponsor! Or, be really crafty and get your own liquor sponsor. Liquor companies, especially locally-owned distillers and brewers, are always excited to give their product away for good causes—a fine marketing tactic, btw.]