Anyone who has spent time planning and organising charity events will tell you what a time consuming, yet rewarding an necessary process it can be. A proven method for successfully collecting funds is by organising some sort of charity dinner event. There are several ways by which you can raise money from such an event as proceeds from entry tickets, event activities and donations can all be channeled to one or several worthwhile causes you are seeking to champion. If you organise your charity dinner successfully, not only will it raise plenty of money for a well deserving cause but it will also raise much needed awareness which in itself can instigate further fund raising events. If you are thinking of planning a charity event then here are a few useful suggestions to help you on the way.

The most obvious first task is for you to focus on the cause in hand. The reason for this is that if the goal is defined too generally then it may have less of an impact on those attending your event. To take an example, if your event was geared towards ‘poverty’ then you may want to define a specific cause to whom the even will dedicate it’s proceeds. People stricken by poverty in a particular region or country will be a more tangible cause than poverty as a general concept.

The next step is for you to choose a suitable venue. Your choice of location will depend greatly on the budget that you have available. Depending on the type of event and the number of attendees you will need to decide whether you wish to hire a venue such as a plush hotel ballroom which may attract the city’s big spenders. If your budget is restricting you to smaller venues then there will still be plenty of ways by which you can successfully raise money.

Decide upon a running order for your evening that will keep people engaged. Usually this will consist of either entertaining and informative speakers, musical acts where appropriate and of course activities geared rewards raising additional funds towards your chosen charity.

The next aspect of your event to decide on is the catering. If you are likely to have a large number of people in attendance then a buffet could be the most realistic and cost effective option. If you are holding your event at a conference centre then they may well be able to supply facilities and staff for serving up food.

Send out invitations to as many people as possible who you feel would be interested in helping your cause. Again, if the event is likely to be large then you should take care of any marketing and invitations several weeks in advance. It can also be worth your while printing out fliers and posters in order to provide further coverage for your event. If your budget allows it, you may also wish to place a large colourful advertisment in a local paper.

When the event takes place, don’t forget to mix and mingle with those who are in attendance in order to promote the cause further. When it finishes, thank as many people as you can both verbally and in writing, especially to those who have donated the largest sums of money.

Author Bio: Dave Matthews is writing on behalf of Owl Event Management, a leading UK event management company.

Category: Advice
Keywords: events, promotion, event , management, charity, planning, fundraising, sponsor