How Strolling Magic Turns a Fundraiser Into a Community
Here is something we have learned from performing at charity events for over 15 years: the most successful fundraisers are the ones where guests feel like they belong to something together. And one of the fastest ways to create that feeling is to put a magician in the crowd.
When a close-up magician walks up to a small group of people and performs something impossible six inches from their hands, something predictable happens. The person watching grabs the arm of the person next to them. Someone pulls out their phone. A stranger two feet away leans in to see what is happening. Within 30 seconds, people who were standing in separate conversations are now in the same one. They are laughing together, looking at each other, sharing a moment of genuine surprise.
At a fundraiser, that matters. Donors who feel connected to the people around them stay longer, engage more, and associate the event with a feeling they want to come back to. Strolling magic creates those micro-moments of connection all night long, turning a crowd of individuals into a group that feels like they are all part of the same experience.
Seeing It in Action at the Orlando Wine Festival & Auction
This past weekend, we got to see this play out again at one of the events we look forward to most every year: the Orlando Wine Festival & Auction, the signature fundraiser for the Orlando Magic Youth Foundation, held at Four Seasons Resort Orlando.
Kostya Kimlat and Daniel Giandoni performed strolling close-up magic throughout the evening, moving through the crowd and performing for small groups of guests. The crowd included ownership families, season ticket holders, Orlando Magic players, and community leaders. Anthony Black received the Rich & Helen DeVos Community Enrichment Award that evening. And through all of it, the same thing kept happening: magic would start in one small group, and within a minute, the group had doubled in size. People were introducing themselves to each other, sharing their reactions, pulling friends over to watch.
That is the effect strolling magic has at an event like this. The lines between "season ticket holder" and "team owner" and "community supporter" fade. Everyone becomes part of the same crowd, sharing the same experience, connected by a moment of wonder.
Why This Event Means So Much to Us
See Magic Live's partnership with the Orlando Magic dates back to 2010. In that time, we have performed at games, private events, OMYF galas, and community functions. We perform at the Wine Festival because the OMYF's mission is one we believe in deeply, and because the event itself is a perfect example of what great fundraising looks like.
The OMYF has distributed over $31 million to Central Florida nonprofits over more than 35 years, funding programs in education, health and wellness, the arts, and homelessness prevention. They reach an estimated 100,000 young people every year. The DeVos family covers all administrative costs so that 100% of every dollar raised goes directly to the kids and families who need it. This year alone, the foundation announced $1.6 million in new grants.
Those numbers come to life when you are standing in the middle of it and you can feel the commitment from everyone around you. That is what keeps us coming back.
The Weekend in Full
The Wine Festival spans three days. Friday evening featured exclusive vintner dinners, where See Magic Live’s Noah Fay performed at one of the themed dinner experiences. Saturday was the main event at the Four Seasons, with the outdoor festival, live auction, and celebratory dinner where Kostya and Daniel performed strolling magic for guests throughout the evening. On Sunday, the community celebration continued at the Orlando Magic game, where highlights from Saturday's event were shown on the arena video board.
Looking Ahead
Every year, this event evolves and grows, and every year the impact gets bigger. We are proud to have been part of the OMYF's mission since the beginning of our partnership with the Orlando Magic, and we look forward to continuing to contribute to an event and a cause that means so much to our community.
If you would like to learn more about the Orlando Magic Youth Foundation and how you can get involved, visit Orlando Magic Youth Foundation.
See Magic Live's partnership with the Orlando Magic dates back to 2010. Founded in Orlando, See Magic Live connects professional magicians with corporate and private event clients across the country.
