A Step-by-Step Guide to Planning a Charity Event

Charity events are a great way to raise money for important causes. But this can be a little daunting. That’s why we’ve created a step-by-step guide to help you effectively plan a charity event that gains donors and attendees and achieves your fundraising goals. 

Here are a few steps you should follow:

Step 1: Determine the goal of your event 

Like any event, it’s important to determine what you want to get out of it. Determining goals allows you to track and measure the success of your charity event. For example, it’s a good idea to set a goal on how much money you want to raise. This will encourage larger donations from attendees as they’ll want to help you reach your desired amount.

Other goals may include:

• Acquiring new donors.
• Promoting your cause and getting publicity.
• Engaging with potential donors.
• Reconnecting with existing donors. 

Set a budget 

For a charity event to be successful it’s important to remember that significant money and time may need to be invested. To ensure you keep on top of costs, raise as much money as possible and deliver an engaging event, it’s a good idea to create a detailed budget before you start spending money. Your budget should include costs for things like:

• The venue.
• Entertainment.
• Fundraising and/or auction software.
• Marketing and advertising.
• Catering and refreshments.
• Invitations.
• Furniture, crockery and cutlery.
• Staff.
• Any video, presentation or audio equipment.  

Choose the type of event you want to hold 

When planning your charity event, it’s important to define the type of event or theme you want to use. When deciding this you should consider what will resonate more with your guests and encourage better engagement. To get a better understanding of this there are a few questions you can ask yourself:

• What do our guests prefer to get involved in? 
• Where do our attendees live?
• Will the weather have an effect on my event ideas?
• Does my cause have a specific demographic?

These questions will allow you to narrow down the type of charity event you hold and any set themes. For example, some types of charity events include:

• Fun runs or walkathons.
• Competitions.
• Fashion shows.
• Auctions.
• Exhibitions.
• Galas.
• Concerts.

Research and book a venue

Choosing the right venue is crucial to having a successful charity event. You’ll want to make sure your venue fits your theme, accommodates your cause and is easy to get to for your audience.

Venues are usually the biggest cost and while you want to create an excellent event, you don’t want to overspend or significantly underspend your budget. When looking for a venue you can ask yourself a few questions, such as:

• Does the venue fit my theme?
• Does it have enough space to accommodate the number of guests we want to invite?
• Does this venue have any previous experience hosting charity events?
• Does this venue fit my budget?
• Can tickets be reasonably priced based on the cost of the venue?

Promote the event, send invites and sell tickets

After spending numerous hours planning the perfect charity event, you don’t want to neglect to promote the event, send invites or sell tickets.

Marketing your event helps you reach a wider audience and encourage people to buy tickets, helping you to sell out your event and reach your fundraising goal. 

Social media is a great way to promote your event as it’s often free and helps you reach an already acquired audience. It also allows you to post regular updates and photos taken during the event for guests to easily access and keep up with any changes or updates. 

You can also send out invitations to those you want to attend helping you curate the perfect set of donors and attendees. This can also encourage others to buy tickets as influential people relating to your cause may influence ticket purchases and conversations about your event. 

Set up the event 

It’s the big day! That means it’s time to start putting all of the finishing touches in place. This may include:

• Making sure the entertainment knows where to park, the time they’re performing, when they need to arrive and the time of any rehearsals.
• Decorating the venue.
• Preparing food and refreshments.
• Setting up tables.

To ensure the day runs smoothly it may be a good idea to create a clear and thorough schedule for the day. This could also include information on dress codes and the times different team members need to arrive. Creating these should, in theory, mean that everyone is on the same page and understands their requirements and the overall plan. 

Get in touch with attendees after the event 

Getting in touch with your attendees after the event makes them feel valued and like they’ve played an integral part in something special. 

Sending thank you notes and updating guests on how much was fundraised lets them know the impact the event has had on the cause. This also helps you build strong relationships that lead to returning guests and donors helping you make significant contributions to your cause in the long-term.  

Hosting a charity event at Millennium Point

We have extensive experience in hosting a whole range of events, including charity events and our spaces benefit from:

• Being fully flexile – Multiple of our spaces are perfect for a variety of events. 
• Outstanding services and add-ons – We offer bespoke catering and hybrid and virtual events to help you accommodate all of your guests.
• Being in the heart of Birmingham  – We have onsite parking and are close to various train stations as well as being a short walk from the city centre. This gives guests multiple transport options helping you gain a bigger turn-out.  

Many of our spaces also come with tables and chairs allowing you to create your desired seating plan if required. Our Auditorium is also perfect for a range of events like awards shows and auctions due to our giant screen and stage. 

Formerly known as the first IMAX, the Auditorium has comfortable tiered seating where up to 354 delegates can be seated. It’s also equipped with Datavideo PTC-280 cameras giving you the opportunity to live stream your event. 

If you’re looking to host an exceptional charity event, explore our range of event spaces and their benefits.