Fund raising events
Paul Hurst
Smashwords Edition
22.03.11
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How to raise funds for your charity, club, society, church or school - and have a great social evening at the same time!
“Thank you very much for the excellent band. Many people said how good you were, which really makes the evening a great success, we raised 1,733.00 pounds. If we run another event I will certainly use your band again.”
Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter
1 – Before the event
Chapter
2 – What type of event?
Chapter
3 – Choosing a style
Chapter
4 – Choosing a day
Chapter
5 – Ticket sales in advance
Chapter
6 – Sponsorship
Chapter
7 – Publicity
Chapter
8 – Planning
Chapter
9 – During the event
Chapter
10 – Games to run during the event
Chapter
11 – Database
Chapter
12 – Afterwards
How
can we help?
Introduction
A well run fund raising event can be a win-win for all. Not only can you generate income for your chosen cause or group, it is a chance to have a great social event as well, an opportunity for members and their families to get together. As a musician since the 1970’s, a band leader from the 80’s and an agent in the 90’s, I’ve been involved in quite a few of these functions over the years. Hopefully there may be an idea or two in this ebook that could be of use to you.
Although it covers mainly the ‘Period and Traditional’ styles that my own company, ‘Barn Dance to Banquet’ specialises in, much of it will be relevant whatever you decide to do.
As with so many things in life, spending a bit of time in advance can pay dividends later on. Having a clear plan of what you would like, and knowing what is available should help reduce the stress and hassle to a minimum. As they say in the army, P.P.P.P.P.P. or:-
Prior Planning Prevents Piss-Poor Performance’
My thanks to Marc Lemezma, ‘The Wedding Magician’ for his ideas and suggestions.
Chapter 1: Before the event
Running a successful charity event involves a lot more effort than picking a free date and making a few 'phone calls, and a lot of the hard work comes right at the beginning. It is essential to take the time to think everything through in advance.
Be aware of the likely numbers of guests, and where they will be coming from. If you have a grand vision of booking a local high profile venue and filling it to bursting, do a bit of research first and ask about - and look for actual deposits for tickets, rather than airy promises of attendance. As soon as possible, build up a database of friends, contacts and possible sponsors. Put together a mailing list so you can let everyone know details before an event, and then follow up afterwards to let them know how it all went. One local charity sends out updates by email, showing exactly how the money raised ends up being spent. Much better than just harvesting cash and ignoring the contributors, it puts their donations and work into a real world context.
Chapter 2: What type of event?
Below are a few examples of fund raising events, hopefully there will be some ideas for you to use directly, adapt or use as a prompt for an idea of your own. Please do let me know if you can think of any others.
Afternoon tea party – music and magic
Auctions, and auctions of promises
Barn dance / ceilidh / country dance
Burns’/ St. George's / St. Patrick's nights
Christmas fair
Jazz picnic
Medieval banquet
Murder / mystery evening
Music hall
Opera evening
Paella evening
Pantomime
Quiz night
Supper with entertainment – music and/or plays
Village festival
Wild West
It is usually best to start small, possible with a village hall or school and work up from there, building up numbers and a reputation as you go. You could start with at private houses, get a feel for running events and sound out other options, then find a local pub or hotel that has a suitable room available so you can start building up in size. Keep the overheads low and build up a working fund whilst at the same time building up both contacts and experience.
Chapter 3: Choosing a style
As well as a theme, what audience are you ‘pitching’ to? Who would your ideal attendees be? The best event is one which not only raises money for your cause, but is so much fun that your guests want to come again for your next function, and will tell others how much they enjoyed themselves at the first.
Know your audience. Whilst a formal ‘black tie’ event can put off some, especially those who are just looking to let off steam after a long week, others welcome the chance to dress up a bit and have a bit of a posh do. And these events will tend to attract wealthier folks with deeper pockets. But if you are going up market then remember that you will be dealing with a very discerning audience. Everything must be up to standard – venue, decorations, refreshments and entertainment.
In general, the fun and light hearted social gatherings where everyone can unwind at the end of the week tend to work really well, especially if guests don't feel like a walking wallet that's going to be mugged all the way through! Whatever style you go for, make your focus all about giving the attendees such a great time that they'll want to come back again for more next time.
Having a theme sometimes helps to bring in the punters, especially if they have enough notice to sort out something to wear. A bit of friendly rivalry helps here, so a prize for the best costume can work well - especially with a few gentle comments in advance to ginger things along and build up interest. There is no need for guests to spend a fortune. At a medieval event last week, one guest was wearing a homemade cardboard castle whilst another, wearing a siege tower (also made out of cardboard) was pelting him with missiles!
If you want a supplier of fancy dress costumes and decorations, have a look at http://www.peeks.co.uk , they've supplied quite a few customers of our over the years.
Please don't be tempted to scrimp on the essentials. It is a false economy to book suppliers or performers who are able to work for less because they don’t have insurance, use poor quality, probably illegal electrical equipment, or who were unable to get any other work. In particular, bands know what they are worth and charge accordingly. Don't have an evening that will be remembered for all the wrong reasons. I heard of audience members goose-stepping behind one rather domineering barn dance caller as she went down the hall in the interval! If you want to know more about organising events, there are some relevant bits in two more free ebook –
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/47854 (See sections on barn dances, and questions to ask performers before you book them)
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/48021 (Medieval banquets)
One quick word of warning regarding themed events - don't just rely on decorations, or put someone in a costume unless they have the character and ability to play the part. Following a very successful medieval banquet we organised for one charity, another local group thought 'we can do that'. Dressing up an organiser as Henry VIII and getting him to sitting in a chair for half the night without saying anything before wandering off is not quite the same as having four 'Equity' actors who are also magicians, singers and musicians.
Chapter 4: Choosing a day
Saturdays are the usual choice for charity events, but of course also for weddings, anniversaries, parties and other shows. Move away from the weekend (apart from the obvious exceptions like Burns’ night, and St. Patrick’s night), and there will be far more chance of finding a decent band and venue that are free.
Not only that, but market forces will come into play; ‘Supply and Demand’ will now be on your side. We have many calls from organisers expecting a discount for charity events, but to be frank, musicians rely on weekends to earn their wages. The life of a ‘jobbing’ muso is not usually one of enormous riches – we have quite a few good jokes on the subject (Question: “What do you call a musician without a girlfriend?” Answer: “Homeless”).
If you can avoid Saturday nights, then huge savings can be made. The best performers have no problem getting well paid work then, but may well be at a loose end from Monday to Thursday. I know that my arm can’t be twisted on a Saturday in summer, but for a Tuesday night in February?......let’s talk....! If you are in East Kent or West Sussex, do please give me a call to discuss our discounted rates - up to 50% off! All normal guarantees apply, naturally.
Don't just pick any free date though, it will be much easier to sell if you can pick one that has some significance, look for an anniversary that will give some kind of relevance, make it more of an occasion or even just give you an excuse for a fancy dress party. And do remember to check what other events are happening on that day! It is usually best not to try and go head to head with a footie cup final, unless you are planning to have a huge TV and well stocked bar as part of the show...
In order of preference, bookings tend to be for Saturday evening, Friday evening, other days in the week and then Sunday lunchtime. This is possibly missing a trick, as we have been to some excellent and well attended events on Sunday lunchtimes - including a barn dance with cake and tea, and a couple of garden parties.
Chapter 5: Ticket sales in advance
Offer commission for ticket sales – put out tickets in books of ten for the price of eight – so anyone who sells eight can have two tickets free. Aim should be to get the most number of sales as early as possible. Not only will this generate extra money on the night from raffles, games, bar sales or even ‘fines’ (see later), but more importantly for future years, it will help build up the numbers to the critical mass needed to make the event take off. No matter how good the band, food or decorations, if you are low on numbers it is not going to be a fun night.
If you have a ‘Friends of (insert your cause here)’, why not offer them special tickets (for the same price, but only available in advance) with ‘extras’ that won’t actually cost you much – a listing of their names in the programme, a free glass of punch on arrival, fancier looking tickets etc.
Never offer to refund sales, but do make the tickets fully transferable, so they can be passed on to friends and family. If you have a strong ‘pitch’ available for your cause then you may want to have this printed on the tickets if there is room (and remember to include it on everything else – leaflets, a programme or newsletter). It may just bring in more members. You may also want to include the wording 'right of admission reserved', or something along similar lines.
Importantly, you need to generate enough ‘critical mass’ to make an event work well. If just twenty hard-line ‘regulars’ turn up to an event planned for a hundred and twenty then it’s going to be a pretty miserable affair for all concerned.
Without sufficient sales beforehand, someone on the committee - cautious about this happening - will probably suggest ‘pulling the plug’ in advance. This is not good for anyone; organisers, guests or performers. Sell enough tickets in advance however, and you will achieve a self-fulfilling prophecy, potential attendees will not be frightened of being the only ones there, and the event will build its own momentum – others will want to be included, and to join in the fun. It is usually better to run an evening at a slight loss rather than calling it off - and we play for many evenings where it is more important to have a fun social evening rather than to raise money, perhaps to thank volunteers for their hard work.
Always set the maximum number of tickets available in advance, sell as many as possible as soon as possible to the regulars, then emphasise how quickly they are going, and how few remain. The American psychologist, Dr. Robert Cialdini, devotes a chapter to the power of ‘scarcity’ in his book ‘Influence, Science and Practice’ (quite a fun read anyway!).
Can you tie in the event with something else that will attract an audience, such as a prize giving? You could hold an evening to follow on from a fair, or fete held during the day. And if someone has already paid for a marquee and gathered a lot of people together already during the day, a dance in the evening could be the perfect way to round off the day for minimal cost.
For one medieval banquet, we suggested selling titles in advance. By paying a higher ticket price, guests would become a Lord or Lady for the evening, get a 'Get out of the stocks free' card and be formally announced then played into the banquet with medieval pipes and drum after the other guests had been seated. The cost was minimal - printing a few certificates - but the organisers made so much extra money from this one idea that they were able to book the 'Singing Waiters' as well, not exactly a cheap act! It helped that the guests were a pretty well-heeled bunch who jumped at the chance of a bit showing off and instant social climbing.
Chapter6: Sponsorship
In an ideal world you would be able to troll up to a local magnate who had some involvement with your group or charity, wade into the clouds of billowing cigar smoke and come out clutching a nice fat cheque covering all the costs of your event, thus leaving all your takings as clear profit. Ho hum, back to Planet Earth.
Just as musicians receive many ‘But it’s for charity’ calls, so local businesses – who are already acting as unpaid tax collectors - also receive many invitations to place ads in diaries, stump up prizes and part with their very hard earned dosh for a multitude of good, and perhaps not so good causes. Help them to help you.
Instead of just asking for a straight contribution, think of something they can provide easily. Can they produce leaflets, a programme, or a newsletter to go with your event? A local business may well be happy to produce this for you, free of charge, in exchange for a credit and an advert inside (but take care to control the content yourself!). As well as the chance to sell advertising space, you can also include a bit about you group and your aims to attract new members. Include an address slip for those who would like to know about other events, or how you are getting on in achieving your aims. If nothing else, can they display some posters for you? Don't forget an obvious thank you to them for the help.
Alternatively, or better yet as well, you could ask for smaller sums to cover specific parts of the event, by splitting it down into smaller parts – the hire of the hall, or cost of the band –even a single dance in an evening. We have played for barn dances where the caller has announced each dance and the company, individual or family who have sponsored it. Start with the person who is likely to be the most generous to set a high ‘normal’ donation, establish a pattern with other likely benefactors and see if you can ‘tweak’ any rivalries.
Lots of smaller sums can be easier to get than one big sum, and can add up to a bigger total. Again, make sure they get as much ‘value for money’ by advertising their donations, and give them free tickets if possible as a ‘thank you’. If nothing else, do remember to send a Thank You letter afterwards, advising them how much you have raised - and make sure the letter is suitable for them to display in their premises, putting their contribution in the best possible light!
Chapter 7: Publicity
Poster campaigns
Including running a competition in local schools to design the poster, with the prize being presented on the night so that proud parents can come along (and buy tickets, and raffle prizes, etc. etc.). As above, ask local businesses and residents to display these as prominently as possible. Make your event as high profile as you can. Give out 'Two for One' ticket vouchers in exchange, to those who display the posters, both as a thank you and to help build your numbers up to a critical mass. If will have leaflets as well, these can be printed with a lucky number - possibly with the prize being a lottery ticket or scratch card. That means you can alter your wording to show the maximum possible prize!
Networking
Make the most of social and work contacts – are there notice boards, newsletters or other ways to spread the word? Can you ask other networks and organisations to spread the word in exchange for you returning the favour for them? Is there a local choir, dance or dramatic group who would provide entertainment to publicise themselves? Even if you give them some free tickets, they'll probably bring their families, use the bar and/or buy raffle tickets.
Swapsies'
Time to call in all those favours, especially from friends, family and work/social contacts who regularly come to you for donations and help with their events. Not just ticket sales, but venues, design and other skills, equipment etc. Remember to thank them profusely, and make the experience as pleasant as possible for them (‘credits’ in publicity material, the odd bottle of wine or bouquet of flowers). You’ll probably want to go back to them in the future....
Press and media coverage
Don’t forget to write press releases for your local newspapers and magazines, and to send details to radio stations for inclusion in their free events diaries. Do their work for them, look at the style they use for other events and follow it for your release. Are they looking for copy or information about any other local events? Back-scratching time again...
Local celebrities
Is there anyone locally connected with your cause willing and able to draw prizes, open the event or be involved in any other way? Don’t be afraid to ask – if they agree with your cause you may be surprised who will help. As above though, do look after them.
Chapter 8: Planning
Have a clear plan and structure right from the start - who is in charge? Who is the MC? Does everyone involved understand (and agree with!) their role for the event? Have all the logistics been covered - including insurance, health and safety risk assessments, parking, setting up and clearing up?
Make sure there is a clear running order/seating plan, and that everyone involved knows about it. Talk to the caterers in advance for example, to make sure that sufficient time and access has been allowed for them to do their job properly. Has someone checked power, access and space for performers (remember, P.P.P.P.P.P.!).
It
is common courtesy to get onto good terms with any ‘jobs
worth’ caretaker you’ll be
dealing with. It can also make your life considerably easier to have
the ‘holder of the sacred keys’ working with you, rather than
adopting the usual attitude of surly passive resistance. They can
bend the rules for you, probably have local contacts and usually know
where things like the spare fuses are.
Chapter 9: During the event
Raffles and other paying competitions are best spread out - making them dig deep too often, especially right from the start, can make them stop giving. And you may well find them to be more relaxed and generous later on in the evening, after a few drinks...
Having no ‘Political Correctness’ mandate to observe here, I can suggest that you consider who would be best to sell interact with your audience to sell tickets, run games etc. As a generalisation, a younger person with a pleasant manner and charming smile will usually be the most effective person to deal with audience members of the other gender. Is this exploitation, and if so, of who? I would suggest that if you are raising money for a good cause, your audience probably realise that they will be gently ‘fleeced’ during the evening, and it is your duty to make the experience as pleasant and gentle as possible for them!
We have found from experience that a good working evening timetable is starting from 8.00pm and finishing at 11.30pm. This seems to suit most of the guests, gives a long enough time for entertainment, socialising and refreshments, as well as time to clear up at the end. But guests will probably not all arrive sharp at 8.00, so it is good to have some live or recorded background music to set the scene as they arrive, relax and chat. Start the main entertainment, whatever it is, too early, and the late comers will feel awkward. Building in a time for the majority of guests to turn up, chill out and settle down is usually a sound idea.
Raffle
The usual, but not the only way to raise money for a charity. Donations from local firms for prizes – can be either an item, or the offer of a skill or service. A good way for local companies to advertise their products – for example garden maintenance, osteopath, web design company, etc. Don’t forget to mention them in any publicity and on the night – and some free tickets wouldn’t hurt either. If they do come, it won’t hurt to ask for a round of applause – look at the ‘lifetime’ value of a sponsor, not just the one-off value.
If you are just giving out cash prizes, do remember to check the ratio of ticket cost to prize values so that you neither fall foul of current legislation by giving out too little, nor ‘catch a cold’ by giving out too much! It can be a good idea to include a lottery ticket and/or scratch card or two to bump up the potential prize value!
Get the admission and raffle tickets sorted out and distributed to your sellers well in advance so they have ammunition ready when approached by friends, family and colleagues touting for their own pet cause - it takes a hard person not to reciprocate if you've just supported them! And the raffle tickets are a handy fall-back if you cannot sell someone a more expensive ticket for the main event - they can probably be tempted to buy a few tickets at the very least.
Auction
Again, can be for donated gifts and/or specialist skills. A great way to raise money, especially when there is a friendly rivalry between different members of the audience. If you are having a barn dance / ceilidh, a good ‘caller’ should be able to act as your auctioneer if you don’t have anyone ‘in house’ able to carry out this role. If you are stuck for a local volunteer, check out any local drama group for possible candidates. Or a local teacher, 'copper' or military type will probably have the voice and confidence to handle this role for you.
Chapter 10: Games to run during the event
Playing cards
Start with two standard packs of playing cards, and then sell one of the packs, card by card. Shuffle the second pack of cards, and then draw and discard the cards one by one - the last card wins a prize for the owner of the matching card. Participants can start by all standing, sitting down one at a time as their cards are drawn. You could also elect to have more prizes – either spread out, or all at the end - and if you have a magician booked do have a word in case they can incorporate this into one of their illusions (although this may lead to suspicions, no-one wants to play cards with a magician!).
The birthday game
Put slips of paper with the 366 possible dates of the year (including 29th February) into a box or raffle drum. Throughout the evening guests can draw as many slips as they want, as many times as they want, at a fixed price. They give a date before they draw the slip(s). This can be their birthday, or that of a partner or child - anything they want. If they draw the date, they win. The odds are very much in your favour, and there may very well not even be a winner. I'd suggest offering a cash price and a lottery scratch card as well, so once again you can advertise the potential maximum prize.
Heads and tails
Anyone who wants to participate pays (usually about a pound, but could be a ‘fiver’ with a big prize), then stands up and put their hands over either their heads or bottoms – a coin is tossed, and the losers sit down until only one person is left – the winner. Can be repeated for different prizes, possibly with different ‘participation’ fees. As a variation, you could run this game as a quiz, and the audience choose ‘Head’ or ‘Tail’ to show their choice of answer – could be either heads for yes, tails for no, or heads for answer A, tails for answer B and so on.
Sliding coins
A prize, often a bottle of spirits or similar, is place at the end of the hall, and one pound coins are slid along the floor towards it. The nearest coin wins, the audience can have as many goes as they want. It is best to collect the furthest away coins as you go, so have a plentiful supply of coins to swap for notes, and to make it easier to keep track of the most likely coins.
Try experimenting first in your hall to get a feel for distances, in sports hall there are often lines already painted on the floor that can be used, otherwise a ‘feet’ behind’ line can quickly be marked on the floor with plastic electrical tape. Bottles in cases or tubes are best in case of chance contact by over-eagerly hurled coins!
Fines
If you are running a themed event, such as a Wild West Hoe Down, or a Medieval Banquet, then you can also have a small jail, or a set of stocks in the corner. Those found guilty of committing crimes (parking in the wrong place, a mobile 'phone going off, not in proper costume etc) can then be ordered by the Master of Ceremonies (Sheriff, or Lord Chamberlain accordingly) to pay a fine or face the consequences.
Running a bar
Don't miss this as a possible source of income, either arrange the licence and bar yourself, arrange to take a percentage commission from a local landlord, or ask for a donation - cash, prizes, a discount rate on the food. It is of course, against the law to buy the drinks yourself and sell them yourselves, without a licence. Does it ever happen? No comment.
If it looks like being too much hassle to set up a bar, then just advise guests to bring their own drinks (and even food, we've been to some great picnic events on farms).
Chapter11: Database
Do take the opportunity to capture names and addresses on the day / evening. There is a saying in direct marketing that ‘the money is in the list’. Hopefully all will go well, and you’ll have a room full of ‘happy bunnies’ who wouldn’t mind repeating the experience in the future. If you have a plump list of happy attendees to ring up, or post letters to, that will speed things up considerably for your next function.
Chapter 12: Afterwards
Don’t forget to write and thank any sponsors, or those who have given any form of donation. Explain how much you were able to raise with their help, and what their contribution will mean in real terms – it is only polite, and will help build up a relationship for when you go back to them for future events. Just like your guests at the event, they will appreciate being thought of as more than just a walking wallet.
Plan out your year in advance, so that you can ‘bags’ the dates you want in advance before others. Wait for too long, and you’ll not only have to fit round rival events, but will also have more people saying ‘sorry, but we’ve already accepted an invitation for then’. You won’t stop people changing their minds for more important events, such as family parties and weddings, but it should still help overall to get in early.
Use your database (see above) to contact past attendees and offer them special deal in advance. Again, restrict the numbers of tickets available. Also ask for feedback and comments, so you have some comments to help sell future events, as well as ideas for other ways to raise money. One local group ‘floats’ different options first, then goes with the most popular one.
Can we help?
I do hope that at least a few of these ideas are of interest, but am sure that there are many other good tips and bits of advice. Do please pass on any you know, and I’ll include them in later editions. If you want to talk about your event (no obligation) please send an email.
For more free ebooks and downloads, please visit
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/PaulHurst
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