For a cause that is important to you, hosting a charity event is a great way to contribute meaningfully and spread awareness. Whether you are hosting one independently or on behalf of a non-profit organization, a successful charity event requires thoughtful planning to attract a wide audience.
The best part about charity events is that while they work wonderfully to support a worthy cause, they are also a great way to bring communities together through fun activities and social events. Depending on the cause, it is important to narrow down your target audience to have a better picture on the kind of activities to include as part of your event!
There are several ideas to choose from when it comes to deciding a theme for your charity event ranging from old-school car washes to crowdfunding online. Choose from our top five charity event ideas to center your function around:
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Games night
A games night is always a guaranteed crowd pleaser because it can be adapted to any kind of audience. For example, if your event is directed towards families, you can raise money through registration tickets where families sign-up as teams to compete with other families. The activities can include classic board games, charades, Bingo or a themed trivia night. A night of friendly competition with the added bonus of supporting a worthy cause is bound to bring in the crowds.
Just make sure to promote your charity event and clearly highlight the activities and games in your marketing content. Make the process easier for your audience by clearly laying out all instructions on how they can donate and sign up for the event. Take advantage of social media to really spread the word and expand your reach.
You can even design your own posters, social media posts, sign-up sheets, trivia night flyers for free through websites like PosterMyWall that have several customisable templates to choose from. Print out or publish your promotional material online well in advance and encourage people to share ahead within their circles.
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Sports event
Nothing gets a crowd going more than a good, friendly sports game. Decide on a sport that your local audience is passionate about such as baseball or a golf tournament. Groups of people can register their own team or you can choose to partner with an already established amateur league to attract a larger audience as well.
You can even have multiple channels for people to donate such as through purchasing entry tickets or via donation stalls set up at the venue.
To make your charity sport event an even bigger success, consider reaching out to a local celebrity athlete that your community looks up to to come in for a guest appearance. This is a great way to incentivise people to attend and donate. Plus, local heroes are always more than willing to support good causes and give back to their communities.
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Art exhibition
An art exhibition can work for almost any kind of charity event. With more and more people encouraging others to support local artists and their work, an art exhibition would provide the perfect opportunity to do so.
Reach out to local artists for work they’d be willing to donate which can then be sold through a fundraising auction. Perhaps you can set up a pop up art gallery and raise money through tickets to attend the event. Do remember to give credit to each participating artist in your marketing and go ahead and invite them to share information about your charity event amongst their audience too.
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Walkathon
A Walkathon is the kind of event that is for everyone, whether it is individuals who want to target a fitness milestone, families looking to enjoy an activity together, as well as workplaces and companies that are in search of team building group events.
You can reach out to local news forums to spread the word within the area and even ask local businesses to put up flyers and posters about the event. Plus, you can raise more funds through selling merchandise at the venue.
Walkathons have the added benefit of helping people achieve personal goals regarding fitness, and combined with an important cause to support, you can be sure that lots of people will be more than enthusiastic to attend!
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Movie night
Who doesn’t love a good movie night? This is the perfect idea to host a relaxed evening by giving people an opportunity to sit back and unwind with a cinema classic. You can partner with a local cinema or you may even want to go the extra mile and create a whole vibe with an outdoor screening. Simply set up a projector and a few bean bags and picnic blankets for people to come with their friends and family for a night out. Add in a few snack stations by partnering with local eateries to complete the experience.
Invite people to donate through tickets and by making an announcement about the cause before and after the screening. Just remember to ask the audience to share pictures and videos from the event on their social media as well in order to raise more awareness!
Here’s to hosting a successful charity event!
Overall, the key to hosting a successful charity event is to make it engaging, fun, and meaningful for everyone who participates. Once you have your audience narrowed down, with a little creativity and effort, you can make a big difference for a great cause. Best of luck!