Easy Fundraising Ideas?
Whoever said fundraising was easy was either lying or has never held a very successful fundraiser. However it doesn’t need to be all hard work and you want to make sure your guests attending have fun. Just because your fundraiser may be on the cheaper end of the scale does not make it any less important. Charity race nights are a great way of getting all your guests involved in the fundraiser but ensuring they all have a good time. There are no right or wrong ways to run an event but careful planning, pre-selling your tickets and an eye for detail go a long way to making sure your event will be a success.
Planning
No successful fundraising every happened without planning. If you don’t have a detailed checklist of things that need to be completed. Make a run sheet of what tasks need to happen and in what timeframe otherwise the chances are you are planning to fail instead whilst you fail to plan. If your tickets need to be printed 6 weeks before then ensure that happens. Selling tickets 2 weeks before the event or even just on the night can be very stressful as you have no idea how many guests you will be expecting on the night.
On the night
Don’t sweat the small stuff. If the main components are in place and working try not to fuss to much about the small details. Nobody wants to see an event co-ordinator running around looking stressed or upset. Again it’s a FUN-draiser so keep the emphasis on the fun. Smile and then smile again. Even if on the inside you are not quite the happy bunny, fake it until you make it.
Thank Everyone
It’s really important to acknowledge the success of the night and thank all the people who made it a great event. Both your volunteers and paid contractors need a little love and some small recognition that they helped your fundraising efforts. Also don’t forget to thank all your guests who ultimately paid the money for tickets, raffles and any auctions you may have run. Without them none of this would be possible.
What Next
Start to plan for next year. Debrief with your team. What did we do well? What can we improve on for next year’s fundraising? What didn’t work and therefore we can eliminate next year or put some plans in place to ensure it doesn’t happen again.