Guide to Planning a Successful Fundraiser

Planning a fundraiser is both challenging and rewarding.  While it takes a lot of time and effort, the payoff comes at the end when you're able to hand over a check to a worthy cause or organization.  Getting off to a good start is important, and how you begin to organize your fundraiser from the beginning will set the tone for the entire process.

If you've never organized a fundraiser event before, consider the following steps to help get the ball rolling in the right direction (and hopefully not uphill):

*Recruit a core group of volunteers.  The number of your core group will depend upon the scale and scope of your fundraiser.  Smaller events should have a core planning team of 3-4 members.  Larger events may need a core team of 5-10.  Eventually you'll need more volunteers, particularly on the day of the event.  For now though, start with a smaller group.  They should be people who have a similar motivation to your own for wanting to raise money for the cause.  You and they should be prepared to spend a few hours per week in the beginning stages of planning your fundraiser.  As the clock winds down and the day of the event gets closer, you'll probably need to spend several hours or more per week to make sure everything is in place.It's your core group that will cast a vision for the event and decide how the fundraiser will unfold.  They will toss around ideas and make decisions on what needs to be done and in what time frame.

*Determine your time table.  Now that you have your core group, come up with a time table together.  Decide what you want to accomplish, and how long you think it will take to get it all done.  Some fundraisers can be planned in a few weeks to a month or two.  Larger events, such as golf tournaments or races may require up to one year of planning.  When everyone agrees on how much time it will take to get ready, set your date.

*Divide and conquer.  It' s time to make a list of everything that needs to get done prior to the event.  You and your core volunteers can brainstorm all of the tasks that must be accomplished.  Then, divide that list up amongst the team so that no one person is doing all the work alone.  Do your best to assign tasks to people who are most suited for them.  For example, if developing a logo for your fundraiser is one of the tasks on the list, assign it to the person who has good design ideas.  As the weeks and months go on, you'll likely find that there will be other things that have to be added to the "To Do" list.  That's okay.  It's impossible to foresee every possible job in the very beginning.  As new tasks come to light, add them and make sure they get assigned to someone on your core team.

*Recruit more volunteers.  Obviously it's going to take more than three or four people to pull off an entire fundraising event.  Have everyone on your core team be on the look out for potential volunteers.  Look for volunteers within similar organizations to yours, from the group which is benefitting from your fundraiser, and from within the community where the event will take place.  You can recruit volunteers by word of mouth or by advertising in the local newspaper or other publication.  If your event or group has a website, make sure there is a way for volunteers to express interest in that manner.

*Garner sponsorships.  Local businesses are usually happy to help out a good cause in exchange for low-cost advertising.  Businesses can support your event by donating prizes.  They can also make cash donations, for which you can offer to have their logos printed on promotional giveaways.  You can also print their advertising in your newspaper announcements, posters, or program.

Once you've attended to these initial details, your fundraiser will be in motion.  When your event is over, be sure to thank your volunteers.  It's nice when you can give each volunteer something to remember the day by: a pen, mug, water bottle, etc. with your event logo and date on it.  Even a little gift will go a long way to making volunteers feel appreciated for the time that they've given to help plan the fundraiser and make it a success.