Organising a social event for KidsOut
We really appreciate your support in organising an event for KidsOut. Whether you have been organising events for years, or if this is your first event, we hope these hints and tips will help you with the planning of your event.
When?
Events can be held whenever it suits you, although there is some evidence to show that a themed event that links in with a specific occasion are more successful – such as:
- Valentines Day
- Easter
- Halloween
- Bonfire Night
- Christmas
- St Patricks Day
- Burns Night
Who?
It is, however, important to first decide on who you are targeting your event. Is it adults or a family event? Is it going to be fancy dress or black tie? Formal or informal? Day or evening?
Once you have decided this, you will need to consider people’s availability. For example, if it is going to be a family fun day, you may need to avoid summer school holidays. If an adult dinner dance, a Friday or Saturday night will work best – but again, try to avoid periods of the year when people will be taking holidays.
Where?
Events can be held anywhere, providing the right permissions are granted. Village halls, recreation grounds, local hotels, pubs and restaurants, at work, at home, in your garden – in your friends’ garden – and even in the street …
However, before deciding on your venue think about:
- Suitability – Is it big enough? Can it accommodate your event?
- Accessibility – can the people you are inviting easily get there? Does it have disabled access? Do you need car parking?
- Do you need kitchen and/or WC facilities?
- Cost – if your venue carries a charge, such as a village hall or hotel room, you will need to consider the implications on the final amount you raise. Any expenses incurred in running your event will need to be deducted before your donation is made to KidsOut.
Pre Event
Contact KidsOut’s community fundraising department on 01525 234207 for a fundraising promotional pack which will include posters, press releases and literature.
- Send your invitations and use the KidsOut posters to publicise your event.
- Make sure all prices and information (eg. raffle, auction, etc.) are included with the invitation. Consider offering an incentive for people to buy their ticket early (like a reduction in price)
- Arrange for a KidsOut speaker to come to your event, our community fundraising team can help to arrange this. And if you have a local celebrity, invite them too!
- Your local media – newspapers, magazines, radio and television – can help you in publicising your event. Get in touch with the local newspaper and radio station to see if they will help publicise the event for you and issue the press release in your pack accordingly. Our Press Office will help you with contact numbers and papers. (Tel. 01525 243222).
- Contact local shops, businesses, friends and colleagues to see if they can donate prizes for a raffle or auction. Offer them publicity on your tickets and in the programme (if you are producing one), and list them in all media materials.
- Prepare a check list, which should cover every element of your event, from venue to invitations and from caterers to florists.
- Recruit volunteers – if you’re planning a large scale event, you will need as much help as you can get!
- Set yourself a financial target. Once you know what your likely expenses are going to be, work out your ticket price, raffle prizes, etc., and work out how much money you want to raise. This will give you the focus to make the event really work!
On The Day
- Have as much information about KidsOut available as possible and examples of how we have helped children and young people in your area. This really can motivate your guests to get involved and help you to raise as much money as possible.
- Give yourself time – get started on the final preparations early and if you are using a hired venue, make sure you can have access to it early enough to set up.
- Never forget the cause!
After The Event
- Once you know how much money you have raised, contact the KidsOut community fundraising team. We will arrange for paying in slips to be sent directly to you, and we will work with you to issue a press release to local media and any follow up activity required.
- It is always a good idea to send thank you letters to those who significantly helped with the event. From volunteers to donors of raffle prizes and venue organisers – it helps build relations and you may want to call on them again …
Keep It Legal
We want to ensure that your event is successful but there are some legal issues we need to point out to you.
- Under the 1964 Licensing Act it is an offence to sell alcohol without the relevant licence.
- If you are organising an event in your own home then you must ensure that you do not charge specifically for the wine element of your event. You can give wine free, but perhaps your generosity will be reciprocated with an equally generous donation to KidsOut as requesting a general donation to the charity is perfectly acceptable.
- If you are organising an event in a local pub they will already be licensed to sell alcohol.
- If you are planning to hold a raffle with your event and intend to sell tickets beforehand you will require a licence.
Please call our community fundraising team for further information if you are planning a large event, and would like information on applying for an occasional licence.
KidsOut, 14 Church Square, Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, LU7 1AE
Registered Charity No. 1075789
