One thing that many people struggle with when planning and organizing a fundraising event is creating a party type atmosphere but keeping the serious business of fundraising in mind.  You and your committee need to decide right from the very beginning of planning an event, are you having a party or a fundraiser?  Tough choice sometimes, but you can have both!  Ambiance can bring a new level of excitment to an event.  Create a theme for your event and try to insert it into every aspect of it that you can.  From the decorations to the food items, revenue enhancers even down to some of the auction items you can successfully keep the theme of your event going throughout, while keeping your guests entertained and engaged. 

In today's market you need to find more creative ways to get your guests in the doors.  There has been a decline of people attending fundraising events over the last 2 years, so giving your guests and supporters more of a reason to want to attend any event is becoming more paramount than ever before.  Your organization is competiting for the attention and support of a smaller pool of people for various reasons.  Give yourself an edge by coming up with a great theme.

Your first priority of any fundraising event is

and should be making money for you organization and it's cause.  Always keep this in mind when planning your event.  Also it is important not to get too carried away with decor expense.  Many times the decorations for an event can be the most expensive part of it.  The decorating committee is one of the most popular ones for most events, many people enjoy using their creative talents and skills to transform a gymnasium or hotel ballroom into an elegant presentation or a fantasy getaway.  Set a budget for what you will spend on decor and stick to it.  If your organization has run events in the past you can base your decorating budget on amounts spent in years past to get you started. 

Within your decorating committee, has a sub-committee that is in charge of getting decor items donated or underwritten.  The money saved with this one sub committee alone could add thousands of dollars to your bottom line, while at the same time putting your event over the top and something that guests will be talking about afterwards for months.  Make your event a MUST ATTEND EVENT. 

Ron and Fred of Red Derby C&F are experts in advising on themes and how to create a serious fundraising event that is disguised as a party, and many other aspects of benefit fundraising.  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  now to find out how the magic works!  The pictures in this article were taken at the Highland School James Bond Themed event entitled "A Night to Bond".