5k races can be excellent fundraising opportunities
Fundraisers are a great way to raise money for charities or other organizations, and are becoming more common as charitable giving declines and budgets are cut. Fundraisers do not have to be large to bring in much needed money. All a successful fundraiser needs is someone dedicated to raising money and a few organizational skills.
Instructions
1. Decide on a charity or a cause and contact them. They may have constraints on fundraising -- for example, some charities are prohibited from raising funds during United Way drives -- and charities without 501(c)3 status will have to pay taxes on your contribution.
2. Decide on the type of fundraiser you want to hold. Golf outings, 5k runs and silent auctions are all popular ways to raise money for charities. To get maximum participants, tailor the type of fundraiser to your community's interests. For example, a 5k run may not draw as many participants from a rural community as would a bake sale.
3. Locate a venue. If you choose to have a golf fundraiser, contact local golf courses to determine whether they will accommodate you. Organizing a 5k run will require you to develop a race route and check with city officials for permission.
4. Set a date. Depending on how difficult your venue is to secure, your date is likely flexible. Saturday events are preferable because many people do not go to work or church on Saturday. Give yourself several weeks, if possible, to plan your fundraiser. This will give you adequate time to organize volunteers and advertise your event. The more time you have to prepare for your fundraiser, the more people you can get involved.
5. Gather volunteers. The charity organization is a good place to start looking for volunteers. Recruit family and friends, and have them recruit others. Assign tasks once you have volunteers. Communicate with volunteers regularly to assure they are on-task and remain committed to your event.
6. Order things you will need to have for your event. Many fundraising events will give away prizes, T-shirts, mugs, hats or other memorabilia commemorating the event. Remember to keep your costs low. The less money you spend on giveaways, the more money will end up with your charity. Be aware of hidden costs, such as permits, portable potties, parking fees or costs of shipping prizes and try to minimize them. Leave yourself plenty of time for order processing and shipping. Ask local businesses to contribute to the event by providing food, bottled water or a giveaway. Many will oblige but may ask for their name on the event shirt or some other type of recognition.
7. Set a registration fee. Keep in mind people should be willing to pay a little more for a charity fundraiser, but do not set prices too high. Once you figure approximately how much it will cost for the event per person you can calculate entry fees.
8. Advertise. Place an ad in the newspaper, hang fliers around town and contact your local television and radio stations and ask about free community event advertising. Focus on places potential participants are found, such as golf courses for a golfing event. On your ad, specify the date, time, entry fees and charity as well as whether you will be giving prizes. Also designate a date after which you can accept no more registration forms.
9. Keep organized. As the event planner, it is your job to keep track of what needs to be done, when it needs to be done and who is doing it. On the day of the event, you will be the troubleshooter and the point of contact between the volunteers, participants and charity. Organization is critical to making a successful event that people will want to be a part of year after year.
Tags: your event, entry fees, golf courses, money charities, needs done