Cathedral School for Boys’ Cathedral Celebration at Bimbo’s 365
Celebration, community, and a whole lot of fun. That was the spirit behind this year’s Cathedral Celebration for Cathedral School for Boys, and after five years of producing the event, we continue to love seeing how this community comes together year after year.
The annual event is both a fundraiser and a chance for parents, staff, and the school community to let loose, get to know each other, and celebrate together. The crowd comes ready to dress up, dance, and have a good time, while still keeping the school’s fundraising goals at the heart of the evening.
All You Need Is Love
This year’s theme, “All You Need Is Love,” gave the event a playful and romantic direction. Laurie Burns Design brought the theme to life with mod-inspired details, colorful arched vases, silver orbs, romantic candlelight, pink linens, and pale orange napkins.
The design created a fun, colorful atmosphere that felt both sophisticated and playful. Moira at Wednesday Seven developed the event’s groovy logo and color palette, inspired by the school’s colors, while Studio J brought the branding to life with a custom logo installation at the DJ booth.
Watching the space transform each year is one of our favorite parts of this event. Laurie brings such a strong creative vision, and we love helping make all those ideas a reality.
Five Years of Partnership
This was our fifth year producing Cathedral Celebration, and one of the most valuable parts of our work with Cathedral School for Boys has been creating consistency from year to year.
Schools naturally experience a lot of change. Staff members move into new roles, teams evolve, and parent volunteers come and go. Our role is to help maintain that continuity so the event can keep moving forward without having to reinvent the wheel every year.
That includes maintaining vendor relationships, supporting the parent committee, managing logistics, and making sure everyone involved knows what needs to happen and when.
Fundraising Is About Relationships
At the heart of any successful fundraising event are relationships. It is about stewardship, gratitude, communication, and making sure everyone involved feels supported.
Our team manages the vendor process from planning and sourcing through negotiating, timelines, load-in, event execution, and strike. On event day, we are there alongside the vendors to make sure they have what they need, understand the timeline, and are working within the venue's requirements.
This support allows the Cathedral development team and parent committee to focus on what they do best: building relationships, securing sponsorships and auction items, engaging families, and supporting the school's larger fundraising goals.
A New Fundraising System
This year also brought a new fundraising platform. Cathedral moved to OneCause, which helped bring RSVP management, sponsorship tracking, and the silent auction into one centralized system.
Having everything in one database made it easier for the team to track progress and quickly see where things stood from week to week. It also gave the development team a more streamlined system for managing the many moving pieces that go into a successful fundraising event.
A San Francisco Favorite
Bimbo’s 365 was the perfect setting for this year’s celebration. One of our favorite San Francisco venues, Bimbo’s has been a family-run business in the city for decades and has hosted countless memorable parties and performances.
This was also our ninth year working with the Bimbo’s team, making it another great opportunity to build on a longstanding vendor relationship and familiarity with the venue.
McCall’s Catering once again brought beautiful and delicious food to the event, while Sounds Elevated kept the party going with DJ and saxophone performances.
A Program Full of Personality
One of the most special parts of Cathedral Celebration is the live program. The show is a mix of parents and staff performing skits, songs, and dances, and it is always one of our favorite parts of the evening.
Michelle Hackett and Nils Eriksson helped bring the live production together, while Cate Smit guided the fundraising as auctioneer. The program also included remarks from the event chairs and the priest, creating a feel-good moment that brought the community back to the reason everyone was there.
It is hard not to smile while watching this group take the stage. The amount of time and energy everyone puts into their performances is a true reflection of the community.
Looking Ahead
Five years into our partnership with Cathedral School for Boys, we are grateful for the trust they continue to place in our team. Every year brings a new theme, new ideas, and new opportunities to make the event better, while the heart of the celebration remains the same.
It is a community that knows how to work hard, raise money, and have a really good time doing it. We are already looking forward to seeing what they come up with next year! Want to plan your next event with us? Get started today!
Vendor Team
Venue: Bimbo’s 365
Catering: McCall’s Catering
A/V: Erickson Sound Productions
Photographer: Hewitt Visuals
Auctioneer: Cate Smit
DJ & Entertainment: Sounds Elevated
Live Program Management: MH Productions LLC
Fundraising & Auction Platform: OneCause
Production: Preziosi Event Productions
