Every day there are countless groups and organizations planning activities and hosting events to raise funds for a worthy cause. These efforts could be a bake sale at a local church, a school selling branded apparel, or a local group putting on a benefit concert for a family in need. Fundraising efforts take a variety of forms.
If you’re hosting an event, then there are a few things you’ll need to do to be successful. Follow these tips to make sure you have everything in order.
Proper Planning
As with any meaningful endeavor, you’re going to need proper planning to ensure the event is successful, especially considering the fact that you’re trying to raise money for a worthy cause. Whether you have a small core group of people to collaborate with or you’re working with an official organization, it’s important to get totally clear on your objectives and create a detailed plan to achieve the desired outcome.
Too many times we see well-intentioned people trying to raise money for a noteworthy cause but fail miserably due to poor planning.
Clear Direction
In addition to proper planning, another key factor to ensuring a successful event is having clear direction from knowledgeable leadership. If you’re working within an official organization then leadership should be already established. However, if the charity event is organized by a loosely affiliated group of people or is a collaborative effort between multiple organizations, then it’s important to establish a central figurehead to provide clear direction for everyone involved. This will keep all team members moving in the same direction.
Strong Teamwork
Big or small, your charity event is trying to raise money for a worthy cause. In order to do that, your team is going to have to work together to achieve a common goal. Unless you are an employee of a nonprofit organization, chances are that the people working alongside you are all volunteers. This means that they are helping out of the goodness of their heart, to do something nice to benefit others.
It also means that they may or may not be knowledgeable professionals in the role they are serving for the charity event. As an event leader, you’ll want to make sure that your team is well informed, comfortable with the tasks ahead, and they have the resources they need to achieve a successful outcome. You’ll also want to make sure that everyone is willing and able to come together as a cohesive unit to produce a successful event that raises money for the intended cause.
If your team consists of people that all know each other, then you’re ahead of the game. If not, then devote some time to a few simple team building activities so that they feel comfortable working together. The activities don’t have to be elaborate. The intention here is to build a strong team together, and that starts with giving members an opportunity to get to know each other on a more personal level.
Ideal Location
Choosing the right location can make a huge difference in terms of the event’s success. The right location can help attract people and will keep them there for the duration of the fundraiser. However, the wrong location could totally repel them and might even prevent them from ever stepping foot inside.
Sufficient Promotion
The only way to get people through the door is to ensure that they are properly informed and have the right information about the fundraiser. This comes down to having sufficient promotion and marketing for your event. This can take many forms. You can print flyers, rent billboards, get advertising or promotion through local media channels, or promote on social media, just to name a few choice activities.
Having the right promotion can help people discover your activities and efforts too. If someone does a quick search for “local entertainment near me” then they’ll be more likely to find your event online.
Whichever medium you choose, the intention should be to build awareness and generate interest with those people who are most likely to attend and support your fundraising efforts.
