How to Plan a St. Patrick's Day Dinner Fund-raiser
A St. Patrick's Day dinner can provide a festive and fun backdrop for the serious work of fund raising. Give yourself at least two months, if possible, to secure a suitable location, select a caterer or chef and allow your invitees time to clear their schedules. Decide whether to hold a supplemental event like a silent auction or a bake-off as part of your dinner fund-raiser. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Choose a fund-raising cause, if you don't already have one. If you know the kind of cause you want to raise money for but have not yet selected a charitable organization, consult a charity resource like charitynavigator.org. Note that charities with high ratings use their funds most efficiently. Consider selecting an Irish charity as one of your dinner's beneficiaries.
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Hire a chef and select a location for your fundraiser. A professionally prepared meal in a private home or a fine restaurant will help draw guests. Request a menu of traditional Irish foods and beverages, and ask the chef or caterer to incorporate as much green as possible into her dishes.
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Print invitations on green paper or on light-colored paper with green print. Request that guests wear green to show their St. Patrick's Day spirit. If your event includes a silent auction or bake-off, inform guests of this on the invitations. Include the name and purpose of the benefiting charity and the price per person or suggested donation. Mail invitations by early February. Ask guests to RSVP by a date in early March.
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Visit local shops and artists to request donations if you plan to hold a silent auction. If possible, request items and services that directly relate to St. Patrick's Day, Ireland or the type of charity your fund-raiser will benefit.
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Contact celebrated bakers in your community to invite them to enter their best Irish soda bread or green cakes in a bake-off to be held at your dinner. Charge bakers an entry fee and charge guests a fee to serve as bake-off judges.
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Buy St. Patrick's Day decorations and party favors to give your fund-raiser an appropriately festive atmosphere.
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Tips & Warnings
Assign someone to tally donations during the fund-raiser so that you can celebrate the amount raised at the end of the dinner. If guests will be drinking at your fund-raiser, hand out business cards for a taxi service or have cards stacked on a table near the door.
