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Step 1
Know that it will take a minimum of 6 months to pull off your event! Accept this timeline and plan for about 8 months! Nine women cannot have one baby in one month…. It will always take 9 months to do it. People helping will add to your effectiveness, but not much impact or success will be possible with less than 6-9 months to make it happen.
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Step 2
Define a goal for your fundraising efforts. This is a dollar amount you want to raise for whatever you're trying to raise funds for.
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Step 3
Define the people who your particular cause or message will appeal to. Are you looking to get a group of parents to attend a school fundraiser, or are your looking for people with money to establish a fund or financial support for some ongoing interest?
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Step 4
Create a format or theme – know what you want to do ahead of time. A lot of discussion can waste a lot of time, and gathering ideas and sorting through them can kill your time. Have a couple of ideas ahead of time – like a Casino Night, or a Car Show, or a Bazaar, or a Cake Sale – whatever your theme is, it's important in this day and age to have some sort of visual theme that will appeal to your targeted market.
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Step 5
Set up a project financial spreadsheet to figure out what it is really going to cost to make that money. You'll need to cover some basic costs that all efforts run into:
Paper & Materials for handouts & advertising – this is basically your copy center bill, or more if your fundraiser is a large event.
Transportation – you need to make sure you have money for gas to get your materials and advertising distributed, and to get to any pre-event happenings to publicize your event.
Advertising & Materials Design and Production – It always comes down to some cost for paper, ink, copies, poster, tickets… Don't expect your volunteers to chip in – plan for these expenses in your budget!
Advertising – you can go small or big. Local flyers or radio/television? If you want to be sure you have some money planned to spend for advertising.
Entertainment – this depends on they type of fundraiser you are planning, but whether a bowl of nuts or a gala dinner – you'll have food or refreshment costs, entertainers. You may also have to rent chairs or tables for your event, and perhaps floral arrangements or decorations will be in order.
Administrative Costs – insurance, deposits for your venue, and possibly some money for security or traffic control should be figured into your costs. -
Step 6
If you can get other people to rally around your efforts and actually participate in getting your fundraising event accomplished successfully, you'll have a good idea of whether your efforts will be successful out in the larger community of your potential funding sources and donors. It’s a good time to hone your message with your friends and associates.
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Step 7
Find a venue and plan the event around the location. Create a "picture" of 3 possible event scenarios; good, better, and best. You begin by creating the smallest or "good" event, and as your fundraising progresses, you can add additional elements if they will produce at least 10 times their cost in direct money to your cause. Otherwise, they'll only end up costing money, and any hoped for returns – trust this – will not be realized in the end! Stick to your guns on this and don't fall into the position of suddenly throwing a party just for the sake of having it "pretty" or "grand." Remember, your purpose is to make money, not just throw a party. This is especially important when you start purchasing food. Be careful where you choose to spend the money you have, and make sure that at least 50% of the money collected actually makes it into the fundraiser cause. More than that is even better!
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Step 8
Decide from your cost sheet which services and materials you may be able to acquire through donations. Decide which ones will cost you money. Turn the work over to the steering committee and assign or agree to roles of responsibility to acquire each of the things you need – whether in money or in-kind donations.
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Step 9
If you need larger sponsors to help support your efforts, you will need to call and make face-to-face meetings with funding sources to make a presentation about your cause, and ask for what you need. You must be specific with a sponsor, and don't be afraid to ask – but ask only for what you can offer back to the sponsor through either publicity, exposure, or some other return on their money/donation. This may be as simple as a tax write-off, or it may be exposing a sponsor to a large event audience. Often your advertising sources can help you to analyze what demographics you can serve for your sponsors. Tell the sponsors when you approach them what you are offering them. Then tell them what they can specifically do to help you.
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Step 10
You have to meet your "costs" before the money goes to your cause. So, donations during the event must be asked for in quantities large enough to guarantee or at least insure that you'll still have the money for the cause, once the bills are paid. The trick is making sure the audience will be able to afford your fundraiser! It is better to have several small events than one large one that no one attends and that doesn't get people to contribute their money during the event.
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Step 11
Once you get to the point of actually approaching funding sources, your message will need to be precise, effective, and brief. Create a list of places and companies you want to ask to help, and then find out what the process is to get them to help you. Don't waste a lot of time and energy explaining everything right off the bat. Tell the first person on the "process chain", in 4 -6 sentences, what you are looking for, and then ask who the correct party is or what process is required to give them more information. Then, follow through on that process. You should have materials prepared ahead of time that will be easy to distribute via email, fax, or computer forms, so you can do immediate follow-up with potential donors and sponsors. You may also run into grants and foundation money sources that require you to submit requests to a "charitable giving" clearinghouse, or to corporate offices. Have your materials prepared, and know that it will take time to go through the process before any monies will be exchanged. There may be reporting requirements to gain these funds, so be sure you have someone to report and account for the money if your sponsor requires it.
Comments
dustinn said
on 5/21/2009 If you are looking for a way to promote your event on facebook check out Viral Events. It allows you to sell tickets to your events and provides some nice tools to promote your event.http://www.viralevents.net
thesearcher said
on 4/30/2009 whew, kind of overwhelming, i really want to help the homeless and other less fortunate people to be able to take their pet to get help if needed. I will read it again, and again, and perhaps it will seem easier.
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