The “Now, Mr. Lincoln” campaign was organized by representatives from a wide range of community organizations, including the Black Businessman’s Association, Tacoma Area Urban Coalition, Tacoma Urban League, and members of the Tacoma business community. After initial meetings between white and black businessmen in August of 1968, this group of leaders was expanded to include the Tacoma Advertising Club and the academic community (University of Puget Sound, Pacific Lutheran University, and Tacoma Community College) [A&SC 41]. Thus, fundraising efforts were spearheaded by a committee of community leaders including both white and black individuals, so that they could more effectively mobilize the community and learn how best to provide aid to Tacoma's black businessmen.

The bulk of the fundraising efforts were centered around planning community dinners on the night of February 28th, 1969. These dinners took a wide range of forms, but generally involved individuals throwing a dinner party at their own home, inviting their friends, and charging an admission fee suggested by the campaign organizers. All proceeds were directed towards providing “seedbed capital” for black business owners in Tacoma. The “Now, Mr. Lincoln?” committee aimed to make the February 28th dinner parties a widely attended community event and allow everybody the chance to contribute at some level, and therefore enlisted the Tacoma Ad Club to run an extensive advertising campaign [A&SC 42].

The community-oriented nature of the “Now, Mr. Lincoln?” dinners is reflected in the range of advertising platforms. Articles appeared regularly in the Tacoma News Tribune providing information and updates about the dinners, with headlines such as “But What Can I Do? Get Involved, Brother.” One article reports a list of which couples are planning on hosting what types of parties, thereby showcasing the wide range of dinners being planned while leveraging social pressure to encourage others in the community to follow suit. Another encourages prospective dinner-planners to “phone Dale Bailey, public affairs director for UPS [and one of the main campaign organizers]. He has dozens of party ideas and hundreds of recipes.” [A&SC 42]. This offer helps alleviate the pressure individuals may feel in planning a dinner, and makes the entire event seem more personal and accessible. Beyond newspaper articles, notices were sent to the local radio station with a request to recognize some hosts/hostesses on-air and encourage listeners to “join the parade” [A&SC 42]. Promotions were also scheduled with designated speakers addressing local organizations, such as churches, Rotary Clubs, and Kiwanis Clubs, in order to encourage larger dinner parties outside of individual homes [A&SC 42].