Choosing an Event Type
Define the cause of your fundraising event. Choose a cause or issue that is important to you if you want to raise money for a charitable cause. Write down the reasons you want to raise money if it’s a personal cause, such as raising money for your sports team. For example, you could choose to raise money for the fight against cancer, the humanitarian crisis in Sudan, or the battle against wildfires in Australia. Pick just one important issue at a time to fundraise for to avoid getting overwhelmed. If you aren’t sure what you want to raise money for, but you know you want to get involved with fundraising, try talking to organizations in your community. Homeless shelters, veterans organizations, schools, and libraries often need funding, and you'll make a real impact right there in your own community.
Set your fundraising goal. Determine the amount of money you want to net, which is the amount of money you are left with after you subtract expenses, by calculating how much you need or want to raise for the cause. Having this number to work towards will help you plan the rest of the event. For example, if you are raising money to combat wildfires in Australia, you could set a net goal of $10,000 to donate to charities that help that cause. This means that you want to raise $10,000 for the cause plus enough to cover the expenses of the fundraising event. If you are raising money for something like a sports team, you can calculate how much money you need for things like new equipment or travel expenses to help you set your goal. If you need $1,000 for new jerseys and $4,000 to travel to a tournament, you would set a net goal of $5,000. It’s best to be completely transparent with your donors and supporters about where the money you are raising will go.
Choose a target audience based on who you think cares about your cause. Think about the purpose of your fundraising event and decide if it will be geared towards a general audience or if it will target a more specific audience, such as friends and family of your sports team members, business people, or parents. This will help you choose the type of event and determine who and how many people to invite. For example, a big charitable cause, like raising money for children in Sudan, can have a large, more general target audience because it is a world issue rather than a local one. If you are raising money for a more personal cause, like a pet’s veterinarian bills, it would make more sense to limit the audience to family, friends, and close members of the immediate community who the cause is more relevant to.
Create a budget. Make a list of all the things you know you will need to spend money on for the event. Include things like staff, event space, food and drinks, invitations, guest speakers or entertainers, and any other items or services that will cost money. If you don’t know the exact price of everything you will need to pay for just yet, that’s OK. You can make a spreadsheet with all the expenses listed, then fill it in with the estimated costs of each item as you continue planning. You may be able to get services, items, and even event space donated by local businesses or organizations. Explain to them that you are hosting a fundraising event for your charity and that they can help a worthy cause and get exposure for their business by donating to your event.
Select what type of event to hold based on your audience and budget. Choose to hold something traditional like a car wash, a silent auction, or a dinner if you aren’t feeling too creative. Try something different like a race, a water fight, or a dodgeball tournament if you want to do something more unique and fun. Tip: Remember to consider the purpose of the fundraiser, your budget, and the target audience when choosing what type of event to host. For instance, you wouldn’t want to throw a water fight if your target audience is seniors. For example, if you're running a fundraiser to benefit your school's band, you could set up a school bake sale or carnival. Make sure the event is an experience that is fun to participate in. You could have guest speakers, a band, activities after dinner, or anything else you can come up with that will keep guests entertained and engaged. Get creative! When you’re brainstorming ideas for the event, you can choose between service-based events, like car washes, and competition-based events, like sports tournaments.
Find a place to hold the event. Look for large indoor event spaces like schools, wineries, restaurants, or conference centers if your event will be held inside. Search for outdoor spaces like parks or sporting fields if you are hosting an outdoor event. You could try to find out where other similar events have been held and ask about the availability of those places.
Scheduling the Fundraiser
Schedule a date and time. Make sure the space you want to throw the fundraiser in is available on the day and time you want and reserve it. Leave enough time between now and the date of the event for invitees to respond, if applicable. Don’t schedule your event on the same days as major holidays or other big events to avoid conflicts and maximize the number of attendees.
Tour the chosen location’s facilities to plan for the event setup. Make sure there is adequate space and find out what supplies are available to use, if any. Make a map of the space and draw in where different things will go on the day of the event. For example, if you are hosting a fundraiser at an event space like a conference center, they probably have things like microphones, sound systems, and other electronics available to borrow or rent. If you’re hosting an outdoor fundraiser, make sure you plan out where things like parking and concession booths will be.
Notify the proper authorities and complete any required paperwork. Research online or talk to other people who have hosted fundraisers in your area to find out what permits are necessary. Fill out any required paperwork and pay any fees to ensure your event is legal and avoid any fines or other problems. For example, if you are holding a raffle, you may need to speak with the gaming authority. If you're selling food, you may need to check with the health department.
Organizing the Event
Purchase all the necessary supplies. Refer to your list of items that you made for your budget. Purchase as many supplies as you can ahead of time and make sure you know where to get anything else you need to purchase right before the event. Tip: You can rent larger items that you will only use once, like tables and chairs, from an event supply rental company. For example, for a silent auction, you will need things like tables, clipboards, paper, pens, and donated goods and services to auction off. If you are having a meal at your event, you’ll need things like food, drinks, glasses, plates, and cutlery.
Book any services you need for the event. Hire any staff you need, such as security or wait staff. Schedule food service, entertainment, and anything else you need for the fundraiser. For example, if you want to have live entertainment at the event, book a band in advance. If you want to tightly control entry, hire a security guard to attend the front door. If you are serving food, reserve a team of caterers to supply the food and serve guests.
Assemble a team of volunteers to work the event. Talk to friends, family, people you know who support your cause and ask them if they are willing to help out with your fundraiser. Gather enough volunteers to help you with pre-event activities as well as help run the event itself. The number of volunteers you need depends on how big the event is. You can make a list of all the different roles and responsibilities you want help with to decide how many volunteers you need.
Delegate leadership tasks and other responsibilities to your event team. Once you have a team assembled, assign tasks to your team members and make sure everyone understands their particular job or task. Encourage team members to ask questions if they're unclear about their assignment or responsibilities. For example, if you’re holding a silent auction, you might need 1-2 people to help you out with marketing and ticket sales before the event. Then, you might need 1 person to receive donations and handle money on the day of the event, 1 person to direct guests in the parking lot, and 1 person to usher guests to their seats.
Marketing the Fundraiser
Promote the fundraising event online. Use social media, email, and possibly a website to market the event. Create pages for the event on Facebook and Instagram to advertise it.Tip: Ask friends, family, and supporters of your cause to promote the event through their social media channels. You could also try asking local businesses if they would be willing to promote your event through their social media. If you’re just doing a one-off fundraiser, it might not make sense to go to the effort of creating a website for the event. However, if you see yourself throwing more, it’s worth it to spend the time and effort on creating at least a basic website that you can use as a landing page with information about the event.
Do email blasts to all your contacts. Create several emails including an initial announcement and 2-3 follow-up emails advertising the event that include links to all the event’s social media channels and information about how to buy tickets, donate, and attend. Send these emails to all your personal contacts. You can also ask your friends, family, and supporters to forward or send each email to their contact lists as well to spread the word to more people.
Use traditional media to advertise the fundraiser. Take out advertising space in a local newspaper if you can afford it or contact the editorial department to try and get news coverage of the event. Reach out to local radio and TV stations to see if they will give your event news coverage. You could consider other forms of traditional media, such as posters and flyers, but keep in mind that these methods are not very environmentally friendly. Only use them if you deem it absolutely necessary to get the word out.
Pre-sell tickets to the event. Use a free website, such as EventBrite, to sell tickets online. Ask local businesses if they are willing to be points of sale for physical tickets and advertise where the tickets are available as you market the event. You can offer an “early bird” discount to encourage people to buy early. You can also offer a group discount to encourage people to tell their friends and book in larger groups. Consider a VIP Early Access event. For example, if you are hosting a silent auction, you can charge extra for VIP tickets that let holders get in to the auction early and scope out the goods. Or, if you're hosting a benefit concert, you could have a pre-concert meet and greet for VIPs.
Preparing Finances
Open a bank account if it is required in your area. In many US states, for example, you must establish a bank account for your charity if you want to receive donations from the public. Do some research online to find out if this is necessary where you live. Put a name on the account to be sure it is clear for tax purposes. For example, if you are raising funds for a child named Susan Baker, who is getting treatments for cancer, name the account something like the “Susan Baker Donation Fund.”
Get a lockbox and change if you plan to receive cash and check donations. Store the cash and checks you receive in the lockbox. Keep change in the lockbox as well or have the person in charge of donations keep change in a fanny pack or cash bag. If you will receive donations by check, print or write a large, clear sign letting donors know to whom the checks are payable that you can place somewhere visible during the event.
Acquire the right equipment if you want to receive credit card payments. Get a credit card machine or a mobile payment device, such as Square, that works with mobile phones if you want to receive payments by card. Be aware that Square has fees attached and credit card companies take a percentage of each sale as payment. You can also set up a PayPal account to help you take donations.
Setting up and Running the Event
Start setting up the day before or very early on the day of the event. There are always last-minute glitches that cause delays, so make sure you start preparing well in advance of your event's start time. Ask if you can set up the day or night before the event if you are hosting it at an indoor space, or get there first thing in the morning to start setting up on the day of the event to make sure everything goes smoothly. Try to get a team of volunteers to help set up by asking friends, families, and big supporters of your cause if they are willing to come help you set up.
Do a practice run of the event with any event staff after setting up. Make sure everyone knows where they are supposed to be during the event and what their responsibilities are. This will ensure the event runs smoothly and there is no confusion among the helpers. For example, if there is parking at the event, have one of your helpers practice directing imaginary traffic. If someone will be seating guests, have them rehearse how they will do this.
Provide clear instructions for guests. Make sure that attendees know exactly where to go and what the function of each space is. Create signs or handouts with details about the event, such as a timeline and a map. Tip: If you need to provide verbal instructions during the event, make sure to set up a sound system and a microphone and test it out before guests arrive. For example, if you are running a silent auction, make large signs specifying where bids can be taken, where people go to pay, and any other necessary information.
Put someone in charge of receiving and handling donations. Set up a donations table and assign a volunteer to man the table at all times to collect donations and handle the money. Provide them with a lockbox for cash and checks as well as the equipment needed to take any other forms of payment, such as a credit card machine or Square system. Make sure that you have someone watching the money and donations table at all times. If the main person in charge needs to get up and go to the bathroom or something, ensure that someone replaces them temporarily.
Engage with guests during the event. Be positive and energetic. Ask guests if they are having a good time and if they have any feedback. Let them know how thankful you are for their attendance and generosity. Think about ways to get guests engaged online, too. For example, you could create a hashtag for the event and ask guests to share their experiences via social media with the hashtag. You could also create an event filter on Instagram and have guests upload pictures using the filter while in attendance.
Send thank-yous to supporters and guests after the event is over. Publish general messages of gratitude to supporters, donors, volunteers, and guests on social media as soon as the event is over. Send personalized thank-yous via email to anyone you have the contact info for 1-2 days after the event. Make sure to include info about how much money you were able to raise and remind everyone what the money will go towards. Provide any relevant information about how people can continue to support the cause. For example, links to charities that receive ongoing donations for something like world hunger.
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