Charity balls, pub quizzes, talent shows, race nights; there are so many fun and exciting ways charities can raise money through event fundraising. As a small charity leader, you have likely looked on enviously at larger charities sharing that they raised £75,000 at their latest black-tie dinner. You deserve a piece of the pie, right? But is it really as easy as it looks? And how much did the event cost to deliver? 

While in-house events might be an important income stream for many charities, it isn’t suitable for every cause. In this blog I’ll tackle the question; should small charities run in-house fundraising events? 

What Do I Mean By an “In-House Event”?

There are three different ways charities can use events to raise funds;

Third Party Events

Charities can get involved in events either specifically designed for charities or they can piggyback onto other events for sponsorship purpose i.e. you could get involved in an event like the Kiltwalk (a walk organised specifically to raise money for Scottish charities) or you can ask people to sign up for your local marathon to raise funds for you.

The key here is that someone else is organising the event, and taking part should be free or low-cost to the charity. You may choose to buy charity places at the event and give these to your supporters, and you can give them a t-shirt to wear while they are taking part. You’ll also have costs associated with a digital fundraising platform such as JustGiving, but generally, the costs involved are much lower than if you were to organise it yourself.

The drawback? People don’t have to raise funds for your charity – you could be in competition with every other charity in the UK and some non-UK charities. This also means that publicity opportunities are limited, again due to many charities being involved.

Photo by Didier Veillon on Unsplash

In Aid of Fundraising

An ‘in aid of’ fundraising event, is when one of your supporters organises an event for you on a voluntary basis. This can be anything from a lunchtime bake sale, to a gala dinner. Like third party events, your supporter will cover most of the cost, although you may give them merchandise. You could also put them in touch with other supporters who can offer pro-bono support (free venue hire, prizes, etc.)

The more supporters you can encourage to do this the better, it is a great way to reach new audiences who might not otherwise donate to you. However, you don’t have much control over how often supporters do this, or indeed any control over the event itself. 

This is a simplified description of in aid of events and I’d strongly recommend you make yourself familiar with the Code of Fundraising Practice and the Chartered Institute of Fundraising‘s guidelines around volunteer fundraising events.

In-House Fundraising Events

In-house fundraisers are events which you are fully responsible for and during which funds are raised solely for your charity. In-house events can range from the very small e.g. a bingo day or quiz night, to the very large e.g. a fun run or a charity gala. It is this final category that I am going to focus on in this blog, read on to find out more. Again, do read the Code of Fundraising Practice before you do anything.

What’s Your Goal?

Before you decide whether event fundraising is right for you, you need to clearly define what your goal is. You might think that’s obvious – ‘I want to raise as much money as possible through the event’ – but there are a few other reasons you might consider hosting a fundraising event.

• Increased Brand Awareness 
• Increased Community Engagement 
• New Donor Recruitment 
• Networking with Local Businesses 

The common theme amongst all of these goals is that the pay-out comes later. You can use events to raise the profile of your charity and build relationships and emotional connections with people who might support your cause in the future. If your key goal is in the list above, making a big profit during the event itself might not your top priority. 

What are the Challenges of Running an In-House Event as a Small Charity?

Delivering in-house vents can be stressful and risky, so here are a few of the challenges to consider when creating your fundraising event strategy.

Event Cost

As a smaller organisation, your budget and resources are likely to be fairly limited. Research the cost of venue rental, event promotion, supplies, and catering and try to estimate how many staff hours will be spent on the project – the latter is often the largest cost.

You can mitigate these challenges in a few ways. The best way to do so is by finding an event sponsor i.e. a business or wealthy supporter who underpins the costs of the event. This is tough to do unless you already have a strong relationship with the business. Large, household name charities find it easier to pull in sponsors without existing relationships because being a sponsor at one of their events can be a great way to get your business’s name in front of hundreds of people. 

Unless your charity is very well known in your community, your sponsorship offering won’t be quite so attractive. So it will need to be someone who genuinely wants to support your cause and doesn’t expect huge publicity in return.

You might find more success in asking people to give you freebies to keep your costs down – free event hire, free prizes, free food, etc.

Staff Time

Planning an event can take a lot of time, so if your paid staff are organising it, you have to think carefully if their time could be better spent on another aspect of fundraising. If event planning isn’t your staff member’s full role, they can become overworked and overwhelmed in the run-up to the event, and you can risk burning them out. If you are asking staff to organise fundraising events, make sure you are giving them enough time and support to do so effectively. Skilled volunteers who are ready to help with planning and work during the event can make a real difference. 

Risk of Low Attendance and Fundraising Return

If your charity doesn’t have a lot of experience in running events, you might find it hard to predict how many people will attend. Low attendance equals a low return on your investment. If your event fails to reach its financial goals, it could result in a net loss, which is a significant risk for small charities with limited resources.

Here are a few things you can do to help you figure out if you will have enough attendees:

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

Do you think in-house fundraising is right for your charity? Here are our top tips:

• Create an event that is specific to your cause. As an example, I recently ran a History themed Murder Mystery Night for a rural Museum charity with characters from the local area. It was a great success, partly because it was so bespoke.
• Do plenty of research into your target audience and other competing events that might be taking place – find a niche if you can.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for freebies!
• Keep costs low on your first event to test the waters, and build up the size, glamour, entertainment, etc. of the event as you become more confident in running them.
• Ask other charities who have run similar events for advice.
• Ask for help from well-connected individuals who can help you secure sponsors, free prizes, and cheap venue hire rates.
• Record notes on the event – especially take note of pitfalls and what you would change should you run the event again.
• Don’t expect to make a huge profit during your first event, if you break even you are probably doing quite well! It can take a few years for an event to start making good profits. See it as an opportunity to raise your profile, and learn what types of events work for your charity.
• Set your Board’s expectations low – don’t promise big profits. Instead, explain the other benefits including networking opportunities and donor recruitment.

Don’t Let Size Define You

Just because you’re small, doesn’t mean you can’t run a successful event, even a big one! Every charity is different, and there is an event that could benefit every charity. You don’t have to spend thousands of pounds or hours of staff time to organise a simple event – some of the best ones I have organised cost less than £100 to run! You might just have to adjust your expectations regarding how much you will raise and consider the other benefits of hosting an in-house fundraising event.

Photo from Glencoe Folk Museum Murder Mystery Night