If you are motivated by doing something wild and wacky or just downright strenuous, like running a marathon, but really don’t feel that you are a natural fundraiser, try to find a fundraising buddy. Buddies are great if you love organising events, but hate selling tickets too.
Fundraising buddies are people who go out and get sponsorship, sell tickets or attract donors for you. They may be a friend, family or kind colleague. In the best buddy relationships, you get to enjoy training for, or organising, the activity that you are passionate about and your buddy gets the prestige of having raised a large sum of money.
Remember, not everyone wants to give up all their evenings for months of training. Lots of people would shrink from the responsibility of organising a major event. But most of us would like to help a worthy cause. So seeking out a buddy is actually quite a logical idea.
Think about everyone you know who is socially gregarious and good at persuading people to do things then ask them to help you. If you are lucky it will be one of the few asks you will have to make to reach your fundraising target.
Another advantage of having a buddy is that you double the list of people you can approach as you can give your buddy the contact details of all your friends and hopefully they will approach all of their friends too.
If you find a buddy, cherish them. Remember to thank then for their efforts on a regular basis and make sure you acknowledge their support on the day.
You will also need to sort out how the money will be collected and how it will be banked with them prior to starting the fundraising.
Beyond buddies
If your event is very large, then you may be looking at bringing together a committee of people to get enough sponsors or sell enough tickets. For large fundraising targets, chose people for your committee who are likely to have a social circle that would attend your planned event/s. Consider whether you need to have a formal fundraising organisation.
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.
The information applies to England and Wales only.
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