Sponsored events are some of the most popular charity fundraising ideas.

From round-the-world treks to a day of famine, sponsored events offer donors the opportunity to pick a donation level that suits their budget, whilst also raising a lot of money for the participant’s charity or cause.

How to Organise a Sponsored Event

A sponsored event can be simple or complex. Every day, hundreds of people raise money for worthy causes by doing everyday things; others take once-in-a-lifetime journeys to raise awareness and funds. The choice is up to you.

First, decide on a sponsored event that suits your interests, time and budget. Logistics are important here; you may want to go on a massive trek to Mount Everest, but who will look after your kids? It’s important to sort these details in the planning stages so you don’t find yourself canceling or postponing the sponsored event at the last minute.

Then, allow yourself plenty of time to plan, train (if necessary) and get ready for your sponsored event. Again, this will vary based on the difficulty of the sponsored event you choose to undertake, but it is always a good idea to leave more time than you think you need. Not only does this give you a cushion should problems arise, but it also gives you more time to fundraise!

Sponsored Event Ideas

Here are some popular ideas for sponsored events:

• Extreme sports – abseil, skydive, BASE jump, bungee jump
• Crazy ideas – haircut/dye, baked bean bath, custard boots
• Activities – Travel abroad, bike, run, swim
• Give something up – Sponsored famine; or give up smoking, chocolate, TV or texting

Activities like baked bean boots can be done in only a few hours, soliciting donations from those around you; or, you can choose a more challenging physical activity like a hike to Machu Picchu in Peru or running a marathon in every European country. Get creative and make sure you have fun.

How to Publicise a  Sponsored Event

A great way to find donors outside of your immediate family, co-workers and friends is to get publicity for your sponsored event.

Well ahead of the event, contact local media (television, newspaper and websites) and tell them what you’re doing. Ask them to publish an article about what you’re doing; you can even ask them to sponsor you directly. Local and free papers in particular are always looking for human interest stories like this, but it won’t hurt to drop an email to The Sun too.

Whilst media coverage of your sponsored event is fantastic, getting publicity before you embark is even more important, because this raises money for your cause. Publicise early and often!

You can also create flyers, a website, and use social media sites like Twitter to get attention for your sponsored event.

How to Stand Out When Doing a Sponsored Event for Charity

People love to hear about the crazy, daring things others are doing to raise money for charity, so take advantage of this.

The press and the public are more likely to take an interest in your sponsored event if it is new or interesting. Even a popular sponsored activity like BASE jumping can become more interesting if you do it in costume, blindfolded, or from the top of your city’s tallest building. Get creative with the “unique selling point” of your sponsored event.

How to Collect Sponsored Event Donations

There are lots of resources available for sponsored event collections. Websites like JustGiving make it easy for donors to give money online from a credit or debit card. This also adds legitimacy to your cause.

Don’t overlook cash collections, though. Both early on and during the event itself, you can make quite a lot of money by soliciting donations in person. In particular, if you are doing an event like an abseil, ask a trusted friend to be on the ground, in the crowd, collecting donations.

Finally, you can do a lot of Internet fundraising and telephone fundraising from the comfort of your own home.

Final Words about Charity Sponsored Events

The most important thing to remember when doing a sponsored event is to make the most of every opportunity.

Publicise your cause whenever you can, use all sorts of websites to let people know what you’re doing, keep a journal, and take lots of photographs during the event. All of these things will create a footprint around your event, which will help people remember you – and your fundraising cause – long after the sponsored event is finished. That’s the real key to making the most of your donation opportunities!

Nothing grabs the public’s attention quite like a charity event. From glitzy charity balls to massive sporting events, a charity event is the perfect way to make money for your fundraising cause in a big way.

Types of Charity Events and Fundraisers

There are so many large-scale charity events you can hold for your fundraising cause. Here are some popular ideas:

• Charity dance or ball
• Sporting event, tournament or race
• Charity concert or variety show
• Shopping fair or fête

How to Plan a Charity Event

The first, and most important, step of planning any charity event is more advice than action:

1. Plan everything
2. Stay organised
3. Give yourself plenty of time

Before you begin, set goals for the event and recruit several trusted volunteers to take on different tasks. Buy a day planner and mark down contact details, deadlines and to-do lists for everything. You don’t want to forget anything!

You will also need to create a financial plan. Create realistic estimates of the costs of the items you need – including the venue, rentals and permits – and make sure you can cover your costs either from the charity event itself (you may need to stipulate this to donors if the cost is high) or through separate donations. Also plan how you will make money from your fundraising event.

Because you are planning in advance, you may also need “float” – money to pay bills in advance of the fundraising event. For example, most venues will require a deposit ahead of the event day.

Step-by-Step Charity Event Planning

Planning a charity event is a lot like planning a wedding – you need a venue, key people to help, food, extras and guests.

Large-scale charity events can require up to a year of planning. The amount of planning, and your steps, depend on how big the event is: a pub quiz doesn’t require the same attention as a city run or marathon. However, there are several general steps to consider.

The first thing to do when planning a charity event is to choose your venue. Be sure to do this as soon as possible; that way, you can begin publicising the location of your event.

A lot of your logistics will depend on where the event is being held. Speak to the owner of the venue to ensure that everything you need is included – for example, sound systems, kitchen facilities, and staff – and make sure to rent or hire anything else you need. You should get all of these details in writing so there are no surprises on the big day.

After your venue is chosen, begin recruiting the important people you will need for the event, such as master of ceremonies, musicians, caterers and even celebrity guests. Every charity event will be different here but make this a unique affair that no one will forget.

Publicity – Bringing the Press to Your Charity Event

Once you have the basic plan laid out, begin sending press releases and making phone calls – you want to pique the attention of media folks who can help publicise your cause.

It’s important to promote your event early and often; the sooner donations or pledges start rolling in, the easier it will be to plan your event. Remember, publicity isn’t just about getting a write-up telling people how great your event was – you need to convince people to come out and support your cause!

Depending on the type of event, you can also send out invitations or an email to your charity’s mailing list to bring in guests or participants.

Final Thoughts on Charity Event Planning

Many people choose to hire an event planner to help them with the details of their charity event. Whether you choose to do this is up to you, but remember: most charity events end up costing more in time and money than was initially planned. Also, an event coordinator may have connections that you don’t. It is definitely something to consider if you are worried about having the time to do justice to your charity event and cause.

In the end, remember that the most important step is to make a great event for your fundraising cause! Keep this in the front of your mind when you get stressed negotiating with all the different people who will ultimately help make your charity event a success.

Holding a bake sale is a delicious fundraising idea. With a pinch of creativity and a dash of cooking expertise, your bake sale can be a success for your charity or cause.

How to Run a Bake Sale

Before you embark on this tasty fundraising idea, take a moment to consider the scale of your event. This will impact everything you do, from the venue you choose to the number of bakers and volunteers required.

If you’re organising the bake sale as part of a group, assign tasks to each individual. Some people may be better suited to baking, while others can be out and about finding the perfect place to host your bake sale.

Choosing a Bake Sale Location

You can hold a bake sale anywhere – local schools, halls or restaurants might be willing to help out for free or a small fee. You can even have a small-scale bake sale at your own home.

When choosing the location for your bake sale, consider the cleanliness of the area. Also, check to see if you will have access to any prep areas, refrigeration units or kitchen facilities on the day. If you do get kitchen access, this means you can serve fresh items like tea and coffee as well as your baked goods!

Bake Sale Food Ideas

When you’re planning your bake sale, it’s important to have a variety of items to appeal to many different tastes. Communicate with your volunteers on this – you don’t want to receive many of the same item.

Here are some popular bake sale items:

• Sponge cake
• Brownies
• Breads (banana bread, fresh white bread, etc.)
• Biscuits and tea cakes
• Cupcakes and muffins
• Doughnuts
• Home-made candy

Check with each volunteer to get a cost-per-item (unless they are donating the ingredients to your cause). This will determine your sale price and ensure that you make money once everything is sold.

Bake Sale Safety Advice

You want everyone to have fun at your bake sale, so make sure your group is following proper food safety guidelines.

Cleanliness is the most important safety precaution for a bake sale. Ensure that all of your bakers wash their hands frequently, and that surfaces are wiped down with a bleach solution to kill any lingering germs.

To avoid a food safety disaster, consider avoiding bake sale items that have a higher likelihood of spoiling or being contaminated. Milk-based items, such as custards and cream cakes, are harder to keep fresh because they require refrigeration up to and during the bake sale. Consider non-milk and non-cream-based alternatives instead. Watch out for fruit-based items too!

Finally, consider potential allergens when preparing your bake sale items. Common allergies are wheat, eggs, milk, soy and nuts.

If you are going to make an allergy-safe item, make sure that nothing you’re using has come into contact with the allergen, including your hands. This can be very difficult to avoid in most kitchens so you should always take care when “guaranteeing” that a bake sale item is allergy-safe. These items should be clearly labelled and stored in a separate area from other bake sale foods.

Final Step… Have Fun!

Invite your friends, family and neighbours around to your bake sale; you can even place an ad in the local free paper for additional publicity.

Finally, don’t forget to remind everybody about the cause your bake sale is benefiting. It might be hard to look past the sweets at first, but the success of your fundraising cause will be even sweeter in the end.

Telephone fundraising is an easy, inexpensive way to raise money for a charity or non-profit group. For the price of a few local phone calls, you can make a real difference to your fundraising cause.

How to Get Started with Telephone Fundraising

It can be daunting to call up someone and ask them to donate money; luckily, this is the biggest obstacle you will encounter when you start fundraising by telephone.

The rest of the telephone fundraising set-up is easy:

• Pick a time, preferably an evening or weekend, when you’ll make your calls. Make sure you choose a quiet place where you won’t be interrupted.

• Create a spreadsheet of all the people you’ll call. Don’t forget to leave room to write down their donation amount!

• Plan how people will donate so there is no confusion. If you’re doing telephone fundraising for a sponsored event, you can get pledges by phone and collect the money at a later date. However, if you’re doing a more typical fundraising venture, you will need to decide how the people will pay. Cheques, JustGiving and cash collections are all popular options for smaller fundraising causes.

• Pick up the phone and get started! If you’re nervous, practice your donation pitch on a spouse, family member or friend.

Telephone Fundraising Ideas

While it’s true you can call anybody about your fundraising cause, there are a few ways you can make your pitch really stand out.

First, consider creating a call list that relates to your planned event. For example, you could network with a local restaurant to plan a charity dinner. Get permission from the restaurant to call guests from their reservations book and invite them to the dinner, or fundraise directly over the telephone. This is not only great for your charity but also great for the company’s repeat business.

It is best to use a pre-arranged telephone fundraising call list rather than cold calling. You will find that people who know you, your charity or someone with which you are affiliated will be more receptive to your call.

Also, consider offering something in return. While you can use telephone fundraising to solicit flat donations, selling raffle tickets, sponsored items or other fundraising ideas can be more rewarding for both the person donating and your charitable cause.

Telephone Fundraising Legalities

Telephone fundraising is easy but it’s important to get it right so you don’t upset the people you’re calling.

When you call people and ask them to donate money, it’s important to present yourself as professionally as possible. You should give them clear, concise information about your charity. Also, offer them the opportunity to find out more – they may wish to call the charity themselves and verify that your telephone fundraising effort is legit before they donate money.

Above all, respect the wishes of the people you’re calling. Do not call too late or too early, and do not call repeatedly. For larger charities, ensure you are following the rules of the Direct Marketing Association and Advertising Standards Authority, and adhering to the Data Protection Act and following the wishes of people who have signed up for the Telephone Preference Service (TPS).

It sounds daunting, but the results are well worth it. For the price of a few phone calls and a couple of hours on the phone, you can raise a lot of money for a very worthy cause!