There are many reasons why you might want to arrange a fundraiser. You might want to raise money for a specific charity that means a lot to you, or perhaps you want to give something back to your local community. You might even want to raise money for a business venture. It could be anything at all, but if you want it to do well and make as much money as you can, you need to make sure your fundraiser truly counts. Read on to find out how to do that so you can achieve whatever goals you are reaching for.
Food
If you want people to be happy to part with their money for your cause, you need to offer them something in return, and if you are arranging an event to raise money, food is a good option. If you can provide food (and drink) in the sale of the tickets, people will be much more likely to pay for those tickets and attend the event. At the event, you can have silent auctions, raffles, and other ways to make extra money, meaning that you should be able to cover whatever it was you spent on the food.
You might even be able to get the food itself at a lower price than normal if you spend enough time thinking of a plan. One way to do it is to provide the food yourself, but if you’re not an expert, this could backfire; the people buying tickets may well feel they are not getting value for money. Another idea is to speak to a local catering school who would do the event at a cut price for the students to gain experience. Take your time planning this, and the results will be positive.
Marketing
If you set aside the idea that your fundraising is there to make money for whatever reason you have chosen, you can see that the event is just like any other, and that means you need to ensure there is plenty of marketing surrounding it. If you don’t market the event in the right way, not enough people will hear about the event, and therefore not enough people will attend, and you are likely to lose money.
To market your event, you should initially turn to social media. You can talk about exactly what the fundraiser is for, where it will be, what the people attending can expect when they get there, and much more. Start this marketing well in advance, and build up anticipation of what the event will be like. The more exciting you can make it, the more people will be willing to attend.
Say Thank You
To really make your fundraiser count, you must remember to say thank you. Firstly, you’ll need to do this at the event itself. This might be in the form of a speech or perhaps by showing people the engraved brick you have dedicated to the cause you are fundraising for.
Once the event is over, you’ll need to thank people again, especially when they have given you the money you wanted. It’s not just the people who donated and attended you’ll need to thank either; anyone who helped you, including any volunteers, will need to be thanked too. It’s best to write out a list before the night itself and then add to it as you need to. It would look bad for you if you missed anyone out, especially if you’re thinking of holding another fundraiser and need the good will that the last one provided you.
