Whether you’re planning a humble garage sale or an exclusive Chinese auction, here’s a step-by-step guide to creating a successful fundraiser
A lot harder than she expected, it turns out. After deciding on an elaborate Motzaei Shabbos carnival as the event, the friends she had begged to help her flaked out, so she was still setting up as the first attendees walked in. Her poor family went without dinner for an entire week before the event. And worse still, the event’s turnout was only half of what she anticipated, and the proceeds barely covered the sushi budget alone!
Many women today find themselves at the wheel of the fundraising train, whether they’re just looking to do chesed or have been enlisted by their children’s school. Want to avoid Penina’s mishaps as you plan your event? Here’s everything you ever wanted to know about organizing a fundraising event — from marketing to volunteer management, and everything in between — along with tricks of the trade from women who have taken fundraising to a whole new level.
One of Penina’s big mistakes — something that trips up many first-time event planners — was deciding what type of event to hold without considering who was coming. The critical first step for event planners is knowing your target audience — the people most likely to attend your event and give money to your cause. This can be a make or break factor in the success of the event.
For example, if you’re raising money for your children’s school, the parent body will most likely be the target audience. If you’re working for an organization that assists the elderly, your audience could be their children or other family members who have deep appreciation for the organization. Be as specific as possible when you define your target audience — the more details you can get about what interests or attracts them, the more effective your advertising and event itself can be.
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