Open up your local paper and you’ll see just how many articles refer to local people fundraising, look at their ‘what’s on’ column and you’ll notice that a high proportion of the activities are ‘in aid of’ something.
When you run a quiz night, or a jumble sale, you are providing a community service in a way. People come together to socialise and many events, such as fetes and Christmas fairs, become part of the traditional calendar of local events.
‘Socially’ important fundraising
It is useful to take this into account when you are planning some fundraising activities, which you may be tempted to reject because they take a lot of effort, but raise less than other activities. However, these events may offer a fantastic ‘social’ return on the time you invest in them. People who run and attend these events have a great time and it brings together members of your community who might otherwise never meet. They help create healthy happy communities by encouraging local people to volunteer and socialise together.
Encouraging new volunteering and giving
Sometimes offering people a social event or service is the only way to engage them with the cause you support and get them to make a ‘donation’. So by running a fete, a carwash, a quiz, or by providing another service you are able to tap into a group of donors whom you would never otherwise reach. Accessing this new pot of donations may be hard work, but when you have to raise a large sum of money it may extend the potential donors way beyond your existing pool of friends, family and supporters.
If as a result of your event a whole new group of people have fun, that’s something to feel positive about in itself. If you are able to use the event to get them to be more proactive about supporting a charity, especially the one you are passionate about, that’s a great achievement. As a volunteer fundraiser, you can also become an advocate for the charitable sector and encourage others to care enough to volunteer too.
Disclaimer
This know-how sheet is produced by how2fundraise.org, an on-line service provided by The Institute of Fundraising. It is intended to provide general information only and should not be taken as a full statement of the law. Please bear in mind that the Institute does not give professional legal or accounting advice, and while care has been taken with this information, you should consider whether you need to seek advice before taking any actions or incurring costs.
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