Charity Fundraiser Events - Running Them Profitably

Charity fundraiser events offer the most amazing possibilities for raising funds.

But obviously you need to to run the fundraising event properly if you want to raise funds with it!

So follow these guidelines, be creative, and make your fundraising events really rewarding!

Quick links down the page...

• Choose the right events.
• Recruit helpers and volunteers.
• Plan and organise.
• Decide on a date and place (and book if needed).
• Add other Fundraiser ideas to the event.
• Make a to-do checklist.
• Find sponsors and advertisers.
• Have a guest speaker.
• Advertise and Market properly
• Aim for the event to be as Exciting and Fun as possible.
• Thank everyone involved.

Choose The Right Events:

The first and most important thing will be choosing the right charity fundraiser events.

If you run an event that doesn't suit your cause or is uninteresting to your supporters, you won't get support and you won’t raise funds! Simple!

Choose your charity fundraiser events carefully...

What do your supporters enjoy? What will interest them and encourage them to support? What will be exciting and fun for them? And (obviously) what events will be the most rewarding and profitable?

Some suggestions would be a Golf Day, a Dueling Pianos Fundraiser, a Gala Dinner, or a Trivia Night.

If you choose the right events, you've taken one huge step towards a good fundraiser!

Recruit Helpers And Volunteers:

You will need volunteers and helpers from an early stage in the planning of your event.

How many will totally depend on what type of fundraising event you are holding and how big the event will be.

Those volunteers could be from your members, students, or supporters, etc. Read the Charity Volunteers page for ideas on recruiting volunteers!

Plan And Organise:

Benjamin Franklin once said, "If you fail to prepare... then prepare to fail."

Very wise and true words! If you're not going to plan your fundraiser properly, then don't have the fundraiser at all... you'll be wasting your own time and effort!

Set up fundraising goals and make a to-do checklists. Know what you will need for your event (food, drinks, chairs etc.) and have them planned and ready well before the event's date!

Having a planned and organised Fundraiser will make everyone's jobs so much easier. It will also make the whole event a lot more enjoyable for your supporters, making them more likely to support your cause again!

Decide on a Date & Place
(And Book if Needed):

Look carefully through the calendar when choosing a date for your event.

Make sure that your charity fundraiser events won't clash with anything else, like a soccer cup final... and enquire from possible attendees what their availability will be.

(Essentially just make sure that people will be around to attend the event and that they won't be all away on holiday etc.)

Obviously if your event is on a specific day, like Easter or Halloween, you won't need to worry about this. What you will need to worry about is booking a place to hold your event...

Make sure you do this as early as possible. Venues fill up pretty quickly!

Add Other Fundraisers to The Event:

Like a raffle or an auction... or what about selling your fundraiser bracelets, or Fundraising Apparel from your SSA Custom Apparel Store.

Then of course you could have a popcorn stand, or a competition of some sort!

You should plan as many ways of raising funds at your event as possible... without over doing it! The right amount of fundraisers will totally depend on you and how big your event is going to be.

Look through all the ideas on this site and find the ones most appropriate and rewarding for your fundraising event.

You can grab a Free Fundraising Product Guide to see what other options you have.

If you aren't from America or Canada then I would suggest you do local Google search below to find an appropriate fundraising company to use...

(A Tip: Type the name of your local area or country with a plus sign before it, and then add your search query with a plus sign before it as well. Ex. +England +printing company)

Make a To-Do Checklist:

You must make a thorough to-do checklist with all the jobs and planning that needs to be carried out. On the list, allocate the jobs out evenly between yourself and your team.

A to-do checklist will make sure that you plan properly and get everything done that's needed. It will keep you on the right track...

Keep everyone accountable and obviously tick the off jobs as they are completed.

Find Sponsors And Advertisers:

Obviously every avenue of income means funds raised, so don't limit yourself in any way.

Find local businesses or individuals to sponsor your event and/or the smaller events that you hold within your event. Also look for sponsorships for individual stands etc. (if applicable).

Offering advertising space is also an option and if you have an event programme booklet you should definitely sell advertising space in it.

You will need to organise all this as far in advance as possible, as you don't want to, for example, be rushing around trying to find advertisers for your event program the day you need to be printing the program!

A great idea for getting your charity fundraiser events sponsored is through Crowdfunding.

You can either set up a Supporter/sponsor wall for your event on your website, where people can sponsor blocks on the wall and then gain some exposure from that block.

Create your Supporter/Sponsor wall here. You will need Free PayPal account to set this wall up.

Or you could use an online donations fundraiser through any Crowdfunding website like this one that I recommend!

Have A Guest Speaker:

Having a guest speaker at your charity fundraiser events is optional and will totally depend on your event. For some events it will have a really positive effect, while at others it won't really matter.

Consider what effect a speaker will have on your event before getting one.

If you do decide to have a guest speaker make sure that he/she is very interesting, fits with the theme of the event, will make it even more enjoyable, and will help market your event and be an encouraging factor for people to attend!

Advertise & Market Properly:

Obviously, if you want to raise funds at your charity fundraiser events you will need people to attend them. So you HAVE to market your events properly!!!

Always start by advertising on your website and through your regular email and postal newsletters... And of course make sure that all your regular supporters know about your event and encourage them to advertise it further by word of mouth!

Then, depending on the size of your event and how many people can attend, you will start your more aggressive advertising campaigns...

Use some or all of the following ideas...

• Press release
• Letter campaign
• Email campaign
• Social Media
  
• Flyers
• Posters
• And any other creative way of marketing you can come up with!

Some ways of advertising will cost more than others so think your marketing through carefully...

If a certain way of advertising isn't necessary, don't use it. But do make sure that you full your event with as many attendees as it can take!

For more great ideas on Promoting a Fundraiser read here!

Aim For The Event to be as
Exciting & Fun as Possible:

If people have fun and really enjoy your charity fundraiser events, they will be happier to help out and attend again next time! Simple...

In fact, they might even be asking you when your next fundraising event will be so that they can attend it... Exactly what you want to hear!!!

Thank Everyone Involved:

This is one of the most important parts of your fundraiser!

You must make sure that everyone who has helped, volunteered, sponsored, or supported your event, gets thanked properly! Make them know that they are really appreciated!

That way they will be more than willing to help out again at your future charity fundraiser events.

I would personally draw up a thank you list that is placed on tables or on a board for everyone to see.

Do your rounds to as many people as possible during the event, thanking them. At speech time make sure the thank you's are also read out.

After the event, thank you letters and emails should be sent out to all involved. Thank them once again.

You must realise how far appreciation and a simple thank you goes... It's so important!!! And can make all the difference!

Ending Off:

So that's your running charity fundraiser events done... I really hope that the ideas, tips and advice given here are of much benefit to you!

And I wish you all the best of luck with your charity fundraiser events!

Recommended Fundraising Ideas:

Online Auction Fundraiser Event

Golf Fundraising Ideas

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