You know if you have got everything right when your fundraiser manages to raise plenty of money for a good cause and everyone attending, manages to leave with a big smile on their face.
The recipe for success when it comes to create a winning event is not as difficult as you might envisage. Working out a budget, knowing where to source everything you need for the event, from the entertainment to the catering equipment supplies from someone like Tiger Chef, are all things that need to align, which they can if you follow a few proven strategies.
Setting your goals
One of the first things that you need to establish when starting to plan your fundraiser, is to decide what the purpose of your event is.
It is worth remembering that a fair number of charity events have more than one specific goal. It may be that your primary objective is to raise money, or perhaps it is more about raising awareness of your cause.
Establishing the purpose of your event and setting some achievable goals, will help you to focus your attention on what shape and theme your fundraiser takes.
Theme and location
Whatever specific theme that you eventually decide on, the overriding thing that you need to keep in mind is that one of the reasons why people want to attend, is to have plenty of fun as well as contributing to a good cause.
Think of ways in which your audience can get involved and have some fun, as this is one of the key components to a successful event.
Another important aspect that needs careful consideration is the location you choose to host the event.
Realtors are always emphasizing the importance of location, location, location, and that old adage can certainly be applied to your plans to host a fundraising event.
There are many reasons why a good location can underpin the success of an event. If you choose an exciting or high-profile venue, this is going to generate excitement and anticipation and boost attendance figures. Choosing a venue that has good travel networks around it for ease of access, is also another reason why location matters.
Get the marketing right
You may be successful in creating an attractive fundraiser that offers great entertainment and food combined with raising money for a worthy cause, but if you don’t get the marketing right, you are not going to get the best return for your efforts.
Related: A Step by Step Guide to Hosting Your First Business Event
Never underestimate the need to market your event as aggressively as possible. You not only need to define and zone in on your target audience but you need to ensure that your marketing message is able to convince them that your event is truly worthy of their time and money.
Network like crazy and don’t undersell the event in way, if you are going to maximize the ultimate success of your event.
Get all of these ingredients right and you greatly improve your odds of hosting a successful fundraising event.
Author: Ellie Woods knows a thing or two about planning an event. She has been working in the catering industry for several years, more recently starting her own catering company, and has seen what it takes to make an event, or break an event!