How to hold a fundraiser

Fundraisers are a great way to support causes you’re passionate about and give back to your community. In the past I’ve helped students organise all types of events such as movie nights, sausage sizzles and raffles. 

No matter the type of fundraiser you want to run, there are a few key rules to follow.


Goals
Choose your organisation or cause carefully and set an achievable amount of money you want to raise.

Authority
If you’re raising money on behalf of an organisation you’ll need to gain written authority to act on their behalf. 

Type of fundraiser
Decide on the type of fundraising you want to do. Whether it’s an event, raffle or online campaign you need to have a clear outline of how you are going to best access your potential donors. Make sure you know who your target market is and what type of event they will best respond to. 

Planning
Ensure your timeline is realistic. Detailed action plans will ensure tasks are completed when required.

Budget
Your budget should be priority number one. Re-visit it daily and keep track of projected versus actual expenditure.

Insurance and safety
Don’t to forget to look into insurance and ensure your event is covered. Ensure that safety standards are addressed and don’t forget you may need local council approval for outdoor events.

Back up plans
Make sure you play devils advocate. Think of everything that could go wrong and put a risk management plan in place.

Marketing
Don’t forget to promote your event. So often people miss out simply because they didn’t know about it. Get creative with social media - it’s cost effective and you can directly target your audience.

Have you ever had a bad fundraising experience?