11 Tips on Planning a Creative Charity Event

When planning a charity event, it is hard to set yourself apart from others. You want to create something new for your donors to experience and enjoy, but you also do not want to steer them away by going off the typical charity event outline.

When planning, consider all of these steps carefully and then decide how you will turn your event into a fresh new idea. This will come naturally at the end of the process because you will have all the necessary information like budget, goals, etc. From there, then, you can really decide on what it is you want to do (and can do) differently to set yourself apart.

 

Step 1. Define your charity 

Who are you raising money for, and why are you raising money for them? You'll need to consider whether you want to raise funds for a specific project, campaign, charity, or organization. Do you want to raise awareness of a particular issue? Or maybe you'd like to support a local sports team or school? Whatever your objective, make sure it's something that people can relate to. This will help you with making decisions for the rest of your planning process.

Once you've got your objective nailed down, it's time to start thinking about how you're going to go about achieving it. This comes in the following steps.
 

Step 2. Set a Goal 

The first step in creating a successful fundraiser is defining exactly what it is you want to achieve. If you don't know where you're heading, how do you know when you've arrived? Your goal needs to be clearly defined and measurable.

Look back at past events from not only your organization but others and see what the goals and end profits were. This will help give you a realistic vision of what you can raise. You will also want to look at what you need, look back at step 1 and see what you are raising money for. Consider how much you will need to achieve your goal of supporting your charity. Some require more than others, and that's okay. For example, if you are raising money for a local school's sports team, you will probably set your goal lower than if you are raising money to help a family rebuild their house after it was destroyed in a fire.
 

Step 3. Create a Budget 

What do you spend it on? How much does it cost to organize a charity event? If you're running a fundraising campaign, there are many things to consider. You'll want to make sure you've got enough funds set aside to cover everything from venue hire to catering, entertainment, and prizes.

Creating a budget is one of the most important steps toward successful fundraising. Here's how to go about creating one.
1. What are the main areas you'll need to pay for?
2. Do you know exactly how much you need to allocate to each area?
3. Have you considered unexpected expenses?
4. Is there anything else you'd like to add if you have extra funds?
5. Once you've completed your budget, you'll want to keep track of where your money goes. This could be done via spreadsheets or online tools provided by Events.org.

The most important thing about a budget, after making sure you follow it, is always giving yourself room for unexpected expenses. If leaving room for unexpected expenses means that you have to cut back on something else, do it. It will be worth it in the end.
 

Step 4. Target Audience

The next step in planning a successful fundraising campaign is defining your target audience. You'll want to consider the people who might attend your fundraiser and where they fit into your organization. Are they potential donors, current supporters, volunteers, board members, or just interested parties?

You may know some of your target audience already - perhaps you've been working with them for a while. But there may be others whose support you haven't tapped into yet, so make sure you think about them as well when planning. You want to widen your audience as much as you can.

Step 5 Experience 

The millennial generation is often referred to as the ‘experience’ generation. They grew up in a world where technology has become ubiquitous and social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat are used every day. As such, they crave experiences over products and brands.

Millennials are also known for being highly visual people. They prefer to learn about things via images rather than words. So, if you want to engage with them, ensure your events are visually appealing.
Going along with visually appealing things, if you did your job correctly, everyone would want to take photos at your event and potentially post them. You need to be doing the same as well and posting them online to entice others to join your next event. Make sure that the photos you use are high quality. No blurry shots or poor lighting. You could even consider hiring a photographer to capture some photos during your event.

Another thing to keep in mind is that millennials love to connect with others. If you're holding an event for a specific charity, make sure you include information about how attendees can support your cause and get involved with others.
 
To inspire donors and attendees, think about how you can make it fun and unique while still appealing to a broad audience. Consider including an attraction, such as a celebrity guest, musical act, pop-up shop, etc., that will grab everyone's attention and give people something to discuss. Think out of the box, do something you have never seen done before!

Step 6. Venue 

Now that you've set your fundraising goals and have decided on the experience you would like to provide to your donors; it's time to find a suitable venue. There are many factors to take into consideration when selecting a venue, including cost, location, accessibility, capacity, and whether there are any special requirements, such as catering facilities.

When choosing a venue, look back at your 4th step and consider what type of people will attend your event and where they live this will help with the location aspect of your event.
 
Will it be held indoors or outdoors? Is there parking nearby? Are there any special requirements such as food or drinks? Do you want to hold the event during the day or evening?

You should select a venue based on your intended audience, the size of your event, and the number of guests attending. the venue is truly the heart of your event, make sure you put a lot of time and effort into finding the perfect one your guests will love!

Step 7. Sponsors 

Sponsorships provide many benefits to both organizations and individuals. They help raise awareness about a cause, increase attendance, generate revenue, and build relationships. Nonprofits often struggle to secure sponsors because they don't know where to look. Sponsorships are very appealing to organizations, so do not be afraid to ask. When an organization sponsors an event, they typically get to advertise at the event.
For example, in the photo below, you can see different logos on the backdrop of the main stage theses are organizations that were able to advertise at this event because they sponsored it.


Here are some tips to make sure you're getting the most bang for your buck:
1. Start with your inner circle. Your family, friends, colleagues, and even people you've met along the way are likely to be willing to support your organization. You'll want to ask them what kinds of products or services they provide and whether they'd be interested in supporting your event.
2. Focus on businesses with which you are familiar. For example, if you run a nonprofit that helps children with cancer, focus on companies that sell medical equipment or pharmaceuticals. Or maybe you are organizing volunteer days for local schools. Sponsoring a school fair could benefit various businesses, including those selling food, clothing, toys, and books.
3. Check in with your board members. Board members are often well-connected within the community and can recommend potential sponsors.
4. Reach out to others. Don't forget to contact your peers' boards and committees. Many groups are eager to support worthy causes.
5. Look outside your community. There are lots of national and international charities that offer opportunities for corporate sponsorship. Use social media to research nonprofits in your industry. Then, connect with them directly via email or phone to learn more about their programs and needs.

Step 8. Promote 

No matter what type of fundraising event you're planning, there is no shortage of options for getting the word out. But how do you choose the most effective way to promote your event? Here are some tips on choosing the right channels to help you spread the word.

 

Step 9. Donation receiving 

Many people do not carry cash, and if they do not have a substantial amount, they also do not carry checkbooks with them anymore either. The main form of payment is by card. Having your donors be able to donate with their cards will maximize your funds and increase the number of people who donate as well. You need to find an online fundraising platform that fits your needs. On your Events.org customizable events/donation page, you can add an online donation form to it so your guests can easily donate online during the event, or even if they cannot attend the event, they can fill out the online donation form from anywhere and donate.

Make sure you've chosen a provider that supports both recurring donations and one-time gifts. Recurring donations allow donors to automatically contribute every month, while one-time gifts are used for special occasions. This helps with getting additional donations over time as well. Events.org offers this feature helpful feature.
 

Step 10. Volunteers 

A successful charity event runs on the enthusiasm and support of its volunteers. But how do you find the most enthusiastic and dedicated ones? And how do you keep them engaged throughout the entire process? Here are some tips to help you recruit, train, and manage volunteers.

1. Find volunteers among your audience.
The best place to look for volunteer candidates is among your attendees, especially those who register early or attend regularly. People who have attended previous events are likely to be familiar with the organization and understand the event's purpose. They'll already know about the cause and what it takes to raise money.

2. Look beyond your current team.
You might think that the people you work with are the best fit for volunteering. But don't compare them too much to true volunteers, of course, your team would be great volunteers, but you might have to compensate them in the end.

3. Ask for referrals.
Ask friends, family members, colleagues, and acquaintances for recommendations. You can even use social media to reach out to people who might be interested in helping. If someone recommends a friend or colleague, check his or her LinkedIn profile to see whether he or she has experience working with nonprofits.

Step 11. Auctions 

How will you set up your charity auction? Will it be a live auction or a silent auction? How many auction items will you have? Where will these items be sourced from?
A lot goes into an auction. If you choose to do it live, you will need an auctioneer. If you go the silent auction route, you will need to provide a way for donors to view and bid on items, a software like iBid is useful for this. With iBid, donors can view and bid on items directly from their phone, making it easier to view all items as well as allowing people from home to bid!

Once you choose the type of auction you are doing, you will need the items or experiences. Events.org has a catalog of over 200 risk-free travel experiences you can simply choose from and add to your auctions.

 

Once you have gone through all of these steps, you will know what you need to do to create a successful charity event. Now the fun part comes in, make it creative. Have a team meeting and brainstorm fundraising event ideas. Your event could be anything you want it to be. Now that you have all of your requirements outlined and clear, you will instantly know if an idea will work for your organization or not.

Fundraising

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