Charity events provide a great opportunity to raise funds for a chosen cause. Not only do they help raise awareness for a specific charity, they also present a unique opportunity to employ creative skills and use them as a force for good.
Here is Making Miss Mogul’s guide to organizing a charity event of your own….
Select the charity – It is likely that a particular charity immediately popped into your head. Perhaps it’s a charity you hold close to your heart or maybe it’s a charity which works oversees. Whichever you choose, be sure to contact the relevant Fundraising department of the Charity. They will most likely be very grateful and may even offer to help with elements of the event. For instance, some charities routinely provide leaflets and donation buckets for events.
Set the date – Once the charity has been notified, find a date in the calendar for the event. The weekend is usually the preferred choice because most people have finished a long week at work and are looking for social events and concerts to attend. Be aware of bank holidays and other national holidays or national awareness days. Or is there a national awareness day for your charitable cause?
Find a venue – Now you have the charity and date set, scout for venues. Budget dependent, village halls, local theatres and clubs all provide great settings for charity events. In fact, some theatres allocate a small number of dates each year for charity/community events.
Choose the acts – There’s no show without acts right? You could put out an open call on social media or maybe you already know some great bands who are willing to perform. Also, decide whether you are going to have less acts playing longer sets, or more acts playing shorter sets. Note that performers tend to sell tickets to their friends and family and the more acts secured, the greater chance of ticket sales.
Tickets – If you are using a venue that has it’s own Box Office ask them about selling tickets on your behalf. Tickets provide access to your event and should include the date and time including seat allocation unless it is a standing event (you should specify this) or whether it is unallocated seating. Alternatively you could print your own tickets or find an online ticketing service such as Eventbrite or Bizzabo – there are many available so read reviews before choosing one.
Equipment – It is so important to ensure that all of the equipment is in place before a live event. The last thing you want is to be stressing over a faulty cable on the day of the show. Whether you are hiring equipment or using in-house gear, make sure that everything is working. It may be an added expense, but consider hiring a sound and lighting professional to alleviate problems in this area.
Promotion – In order to raise as much money as possible, you need to promote the event. You could curate social media posts detailing the time, venue, charity etc and share across platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. Also, don’t underestimate the power of traditional marketing. Print out some flyers and distribute them at local supermarkets, village halls or even bus stops.
Show night – The audience are in their seats, the bands are playing and people are generously placing donations into the charity buckets. All there’s left to do is tally up the amount of money raised at the end of the night. Please don’t worry too much about the final amount as any contribution to any given charity will be extremely well-received.
Have fun!