Fundraising for a good cause is a great way to support charities, but making sure you raise a significant amount of funds takes more than good intentions.
Wherever you are on this fundraising path, it’s important to get the attention of your family, friends, colleagues and community. If you can put on a unique event that appeals to your audience, it should help you to stand out amongst all the other asks and raise more than you thought you could, or even shatter that donation target!
Choosing a charity is easy if you have one close to your heart. If not, maybe there’s an area you have a vested interest in, such as the environment, children’s charities, animal sanctuaries, health causes or your local community. Our charity categories may help start you off.
There are thousands of national and regional charities in the UK and they are all registered with the Charity Commission. If you’re looking at supporting a charity you’ve not heard of before you can do a little research on here and of course look at their website and social media pages. Our lists of charity partners may also help you and each donation page tells you about their work.
What can you afford as a budget? Maybe you’re willing to contribute or perhaps you’ll try to get as much as possible for free. It’s amazing what you can get for nothing, armed with charm and your charity’s vision.
Setting a donation target relates closely to the potential number of attendees and the ticket price/average donation. So how much can you realistically raise? Do the maths…
For example, 100 attendees at £10 per ticket = £1,000 raised. That’s not to say you shouldn’t aim for more, but it’ll help with a ballpark figure.
A target helps to keep you on track. You’ll easily know if you need to be driving more ticket sales or sponsors (depending on your event).
Plus, setting something to aim for is the perfect motivation, not only for you, but for your donors. As you progress up to your goal, you can use milestones to encourage more donations to reach it – or even smash it!
Now you have an approximate ticket price or average donation, it’s time to think about who you will be inviting and asking to donate. Your fundraiser has to be engaging for your audience and be something everyone attending will love.
Have a think about whether it should it be family friendly or 18+? Should it be active? Ask yourself what they’ll enjoy!
Use your contacts – do you know anyone with a pub? Access to a field or an event space? Do you know a local band? Do you know a dance teacher?
Here at Charity Car, we came up with a few event ideas to get the ball rolling:
Firstly, decide if you’d like to pre-sell tickets to your event, or if you’ll collect payment in-person when they arrive.
Setting up a JustGiving page is the easiest way to get your donations to your charity. You can use JustGiving to:
If you choose to pre-sell your tickets, Eventbrite is another fantastic, free website for selling tickets. It gives you the chance to offer incentives such as ‘early bird discounts’ and ‘group discounts’. This way, you have a good idea of number of attendees before the event – helpful if you need to buy any supplies.
If you want your event to go off without a glitch, planning is key. Give yourself plenty of time and your guests lots of notice.
To-do task lists before the event and an itinerary for the day are vital. Also have a think about if you need any of the following:
Volunteers?
Prizes?
Food on the day?
Drinks?
A photographer?
Some big charities have dedicated fundraising support sections on their websites with ideas and even downloadable or posted packs with promotional materials.
The key to a successful event is people to support it! So don’t hold back when it comes to spreading the word and start with your own friends, family, colleagues and community.
If you’re supporting a charity close to your heart, tell your personal story. A fun event idea coupled with a heartfelt story about why you need donations is sure to get the right attention. Find a balance between getting everyone excited about the event and the charity cause. People will dig deeper in their pockets with personal stories and inspiration about how their donations will help a worthy cause.
Here’s a few ways to get people on board:
Good luck, we’re sure all your hard work will pay off and you’ll raise lots for your fantastic cause.
And one last thing… Remember to follow up afterwards with a thank you to all your supporters. You might even get some last-minute donations!
