Always tell the truth. That way, you don't have to remember what you said.

-- Mark Twain

When working with the media, there is one over-riding principle that MUST always be observed. Never lie. Never.

Why?

Aside from just being wrong at a base level, you simply will not get away with it in today's digital, long-memory media environment.

I once had a client who lied to the media about the number of people who attended a fundraiser for breast cancer prevention. It seems like a harmless white lie, right? Inflate the attendance numbers to make the event look a little bit more successful than it really was.

Here are the problems:

What happens next year if your attendance is up but less than what you reported this year? Are you going to lie again to avoid looking like your attendance dropped?

What are you telling your sponsors? Will you base your sponsorship models off of the inflated numbers and defraud the gracious people/companies who are supporting the event?

Are your employees expected to perpetuate the lie and support the false information (particularly development directors who are seeking sponsors)?

If you get caught, the resulting stories will cast a shadow over any good you may have done, and all future organization activities will be suspect.

The big question here is why don't you want to tell the truth?

Thousands of events are produced every year and they can't all be overwhelmingly successful. Sometimes an event concept doesn't draw the crowd expected. Sometimes people get "silent auctioned out," and sometimes it rains.

The various parties involved in producing events all need to be able to claim success. The caterer outdid himself. The party supply company found the most adorable table decorations. The chairman and her committee delivered on their promises and sponsor goals, and so on and so forth. But when the lights dimmed and the MC stepped forward, the house was nearly empty.

Instead of making excuses or blaming suppliers, evaluate what did and did not work about the event. If the community isn't supporting it, maybe it's time to brainstorm some new ideas and create a new fundraising concept.

If you do decide to go back to the drawing board, conduct research on your community and the events/causes that are widely supported. What insights can you draw from other successful events that could boost the success of your production?