Fundraising

Ron Strand

Staging a special event is a reliable method for fundraising and a good way to publicize your organization and your cause. This article contains some practical advice for event planning, promotion and management.

1. Decide on the Right Type of Special Event

There are several types of special events. Each has its own purpose and can be very effective if used for that purpose. Confusing the type of event can result in disaster. There are fundraising events, in other words, events that are run to make a profit for the organization. People pay to attend, buy something at the event, or gather pledges and then participate in the event. Similar to these types of events are what is often called third party events. These events are staged by someone or some organization other than the charity for the benefit of a charity. Another form of event is used for cultivation of prospects, recognition of donors or volunteers and to make announcements, such as the launch of a campaign. The purpose of this type of event is not to raise money at the event but to publicize the charity and inform potential donors about something new, with the intention that they will follow-up with a donation.

2. Make Appropriate Decisions Based on Type of Event

If you are running a fundraising event, you need to decide how you will make money with the event. This may seem obvious, but it is sometimes overlooked. Ask yourself if the funds will come from admission tickets, sponsors, sales of items in additional to the admission cost, a silent or live auction, door prizes, and so on. For third party events take these things into consideration. If you are working on the charity side, make sure that you have an understanding of what your role will be. It is easy to get asked to do more than your organization may have the resources to do. If you are the third party, understand how exactly how your event will benefit the charity. If the main purpose of your event is to make announcements and cultivate prospects, you will make more if you offer something for free and make the request for a donation later. Pay attention to how the media are managed at the event

3. Planning the Event

Cover the basics first – secure the venue, have enough food and drinks, book entertainment or speakers, look after details like parking, coat check, security, and washrooms. Prepare a budget based on these basics then adjust as more things are added or sponsors are secured. Prepare a detailed checklist of everything you will need – invitations, RSVP, who orders what and do it well in advance. Make a timeline working back from the day of the event and mark the deadlines for getting invitations out, placing ads in media, payments of deposits, to suppliers and entertainers, and when the RSVP must be received. Walk through the venue and imagine how people will move as they come to the event. Anticipate people’s needs and if at all possible, don’t have people waiting in lines at any time, get them a drink ASAP, and get them seated or involved. Double check everything.

4. Promoting Your Event

Brand your event. Even if it is a relatively small event, a unique name, slogan and logo can help to sell the event. Consider building a special website for the event, with a link from your organization’s website. A unique URL can help to brand the event and this can also make tracking registrations easier. If you are sending invitations to your mailing list, usually about six weeks to a month is an appropriate time to mail invitations. Use email lists and email invitations and have people register for the event on your website. If the event is open to the public, advertise in the media, using the media that will target your audience. As an example, if your event is upscale, advertise in business media or if your event is family oriented, advertise in community newsletters. Issue press releases when the date of the event is set, about a week before the event and just after the event.

5. The Day of the Event

Rehearse the program – time speakers and make sure they know where to stand and what to say. Test the audio visual equipment and have backup systems in place. If you are doing something that requires some technical skill, like a video presentation or sound feeds for media, hire a technician to be on standby. Always have a contingency plan for bad weather, late speakers, and emergencies.

6. If You Are in Charge of the Event

Never forget that you are working. It can be easy to relax with a few drinks and get into the mood of the event, especially if things are going well. Never forget that you are working. Be prepared to deal with the unexpected. Keep review your check list. Remember that key people - celebrity guests, speakers, entertainers - want to be taken care of and told what to do. Never leave them alone or ask them to decide something. Meet people where they arrive, assign someone to be with them at all times and respond to whatever they request. The most common breakdowns at an event are poor venue (too small, inadequate parking, not enough washrooms), poor food service, a/v breakdowns, and key people who don’t show up or show up late. Try to anticipate these problems and solve them if they occur.

7. Wrap – up

Do a final accounting for the event as soon as possible. If a fundraising event, take all costs and revenue into account but also all take other benefits into account, such as an assessment of the value of the publicity you gained, new people you met and so on. If the event is for an announcement or donor cultivation, make sure you have follow-up planned – follow-up calls and letters to participants and to media. Get thank-you letters out to sponsors, suppliers and volunteers as soon as possible.

Sebastian Fox

First and foremost you need full size authentic casino tables, which you can hire from fun casino companies. The two most popular fun prize casino games worldwide are blackjack and roulette, as the rules are fairly simple. In fact we believe that our ” Wheel Of Fortune” fun casino game is so easy to play, it’s an office favourite. The wheel of fortune is a game so fast, that it’s becoming a great American Export to Britain. Your fun prize fundraising casino will be best received if it includes at least one of each of the games mentioned.

At your fun casino fundraising event, guest’s are sold fun casino vouchers which are personalised to your charitable cause and should be sold at an exchange rate (perhaps £5.00 cash for 20 playing chips converts into 0.25p per playing chip ]. Also at your fundraising event make sure you cover the basic cost of your fun casino from the sale of tickets, as you would with a band or a disco. This then ensures that all proceeds from the sale of fun casino vouchers goes directly to your charity or association. Another way of paying for casino table hire is to seek and secure corporate or local business sponsorship.

The fun casino tables are opened for play and the fun casino vouchers are exchanged at the casino tables for playing chips and the fun and winning commences!! All of the fun casino tables are staffed with our professional croupiers so your whole event will be organised and run for you.

Your tables should be open for between two and three hours and either start your fun casino after your meal or break for everyone to eat! Even “FUN GAMBLING” is very addictive and you do not want anyone to miss out on dinner. The action will really hot up towards closing time as people try to get among the prize-winners, so allow fifteen minutes or so to count up and compile the list of prize-winners.

Prizes can and do vary from a bottle of bubbly to a trip around the world and can be presented to the “best” or “worst” gamblers. For successful fund raising, a selection of prizes that are well publicised ahead of your event, will always improve the take! Often businesses may be interested in donating items.

Sebastian Fox

We have supplied numerous Charitable fund raising events with our fun casino entertainment and it has always been an extremely successful event. For the fun casino to be used as a fund raising activity, the basic principle is to cover the costs reasonably incurred in organizing the event. For example the fun casino cost can be paid either by securing corporate or local business sponsorship or from the sale of tickets, as you would with a band or a disco. This then ensures that all proceeds from the sale of fun casino vouchers to entitle guests to participate in the fun gambling, go direct to your charity.

The fun casino can operate alongside a buffet or as after dinner entertainment but be ware that under the gambling act of 2005, that sums raised by other persons will not form part of the proceeds of the event and so may be appropriated for private gain.

Your tables should be open for between two and a half to three hours maximum depending upon numbers. The two most popular fun prize casino games worldwide are blackjack and roulette, as the rules are fairly simple and the games are fast and great fun. Your fun prize casino will be best received if it includes at least one of each of them.

Non-commercial gaming may be an ancillary activity or the only or principal purpose of the event. To qualify as prize gaming, the prizes (whether in cash or in kind) should be put up in advance, and must not be dependent on the number of players taking part or the amount of money staked. The players participating in non-commercial gaming must also be told what “good cause” is to benefit from the profits from the gaming. There are no statutory limits on stakes, prizes, participation fees or other charges for this type of non-commercial gaming. No license, permit or other form of permission is required to operate this kind of gaming provided that the statutory conditions are complied with. Prizes can and do vary from a bottle of bubbly to a trip around the world and can be presented to the “best” gamblers. If you are fund raising, a selection of prizes, well publicised, will always improve the take! (Often businesses may be interested in donating items).

HOW IT WORKS

For fund-raising events the fun Casino Vouchers , which we supply to your event free of charge, can help to raise funds via secured local business or corporate sponsorship. The fun casino vouchers will be sold to players throughout the event by your own members. You can decide how much the fun casino vouchers are to be sold for but fund raising the fun casino vouchers should be sold at an exchange rate. From our experience we recommend that £5.00 - £10.00 cash for each fun casino voucher being 20 fun Casino Chips which players are given at the fun casino tables in return for their fun casino voucher.

The croupiers explain the games in simple detail. Guests can then play on the gaming tables of their choice for up to three hours. It must be stated that they are playing for prizes and that all monies raised go to the fund. You can cover the cost of the Casino table hire by securing local business or corporate sponsorship.

You can pay for additional entertainment by selling tickets for the event and to include an initial amount of gaming chips, perhaps 5. Guests can then purchase more fun casino vouchers from your volunteers at an exchange rate of £5.00 - £10.00 as they need to. Our MC / Casino Manger along with our professional croupiers will run the games and find the top players for you for the end of your event.

GOVERNMENT GUIDELINES FOR FUND-RAISERS

You do not need a gaming license to have a fun casino. However under the gambling act of 2005, casino gaming includes games like roulette and blackjack where players compete against the “house” or a banker, rather than against one another on equal terms.

Non-commercial casino gaming

Organizations that wish to provide casino games for charitable or other non-commercial purposes (e.g. to raise funds for a club or society) may do so under the prize gaming provisions in Part 14 of the Gambling Act 2005. Non-commercial gaming of this kind may only take place at events where none of the proceeds from the event itself are used for private gain. For these purposes, the proceeds of an event constitute the sums raised by its organizers (including sums raised by way of participation fees, sponsorship, commission from traders, or otherwise) minus the costs reasonably incurred in organizing the event. That the whole proceeds of the entertainment, after deducting the expenses of the entertainment, shall be devoted to purposes other than private gain.