Top fundraising tips

Claire McGowan shares her tips and ideas to help you pull off the perfect fundraising event.

''What type of event do you want to hold? Pogo contest? Slug racing? 24-hour library sit-in?'' ''I organised a music night, roped in unsuspecting bands to perform in return for free drinks, and sold tickets.''

Your fundraising event could begin with a stroke of inspiration that comes to you in the pub / lying in bed / in the middle of ER. Once you have the idea it can be a bit harder to turn it into a reality, but with determination you can make it happen – and there’s no better feeling than when you finally pull it off!

My first experience of organising an event was slightly unusual because it took place in China. Whatever difficulties you encounter when organising your event you probably won’t have to contend with media censorship, language barriers, or any disgruntled policemen like I did. I exaggerate, but it didn’t help matters much. I persevered, though, and using my experiences here are some tips to help you.

First you need to know exactly what you want to raise money for, and why. It’s important to be able to tell people what difference their support will make. Sometimes a specific funding drive can be very successful, such as raising money to buy equipment for a school or family centre. There’s a concrete end result. Even if you want to raise money for something different, your donors will respond better if you can explain clearly where the money will go. For my Chinese event, the money raised was donated to rural schools to buy books and equipment.

So, you have your cause. What type of event do you want to hold? Pogo contest? Slug racing? 24-hour library sit-in? There are the tried and trusted fundraising stalwarts like pub quizzes, sponsored walks, bingo nights, slave auctions…the list is endless, and there are virtually no limits to what you can do. I organised a music night, roped in unsuspecting bands to perform in return for free drinks, and sold tickets.

The main thing you need to find is a venue. This is definitely the crucial point that will transform your idea from an idle pipe dream to a star-studded event the likes of which the Students’ Union has never seen. If you’re a student, it should be easy to find a room. However, you might want to consider approaching local pubs or restaurants. They will usually be glad of the business, especially if you hold the event on a quieter night. The venue will often be able to help you with the organisation, too, such as sorting out drinks promotions, equipment, if you need a license, and so on.

Next you need to arrange some publicity. Can it go in the local or student papers? Can you get local businesses involved? A raffle is an excellent way of boosting the event’s money-raising power, and I found that when I asked people they were more than happy to donate a prize. Printing posters can be very expensive. Could you design some flyers yourself and find a place willing to photocopy them for free?

Finally, remember the little details that can make or break your event. Run over exactly what’s going to happen on the day. For instance, unlike me, you would probably want to check that the venue actually HAS amps, thus avoiding last-minute panic and scouring the city for musical instruments.

In the end the main thing is to relax and make sure you enjoy it too. No one will blame you if things don’t go perfectly, and if they go well (as they surely will), you can bask in the glory of the your organisational skills, as well as having done a good deed for charity.