Whether it’s a glamorous ball or a picnic in the park, hosting a successful charity event means raising as much money as possible, in a short amount of time. It all comes down to planning, attention to detail and perseverance. Here are the key elements essential to achieving the results you want.

Be specific about your goals

Before you can put an effective plan into action, you need to make sure the purpose of the event is totally clear. Is it to raise money for a particular person, organisation or cause? How much are you aiming for?

Or is it more important to generate awareness and publicity, nationally or within the local community?

Defining specific goals and establishing the most important outcomes is crucial in figuring out the details of your event.

Get on top of the budget

Creating a budget and sticking to it helps keep your spending under control.

You might need to allocate money for event catering in Sydney, venue hire, entertainment and staff to help out, so knowing how much you have to spend on each element helps you to make cost-effective choices.

Write a list of your top priorities and allocate funds to the most important. That way, you can scale back if you need to as you move further down the list.

If your goal is to fundraise, your budget needs to take this into account, so as much of the profit as possible goes to the cause, rather than on event planning.

Gather your volunteers

Getting volunteers on board is a great way to keep costs down. You might have friends, family or co-workers who are willing to help out with the preliminary organisation and at the actual event.

Your volunteer group may also include local businesses who help fund costs or celebrities who come on board to help raise awareness before the event takes place and boost ticket sales.

Implement marketing and donation plans

As your charity event starts to take shape, advertising to your target market becomes the overriding factor for success. Use local newspapers, social media, word of mouth, notice boards and invitations to get the word out there.

Make sure invited guests know how they can help your charity and give multiple options if you can. These might include a ticket price entry, a raffle held on the day, an auction, or a donation at the door.

Make the experience a special one

In return for their attendance, offer your guests a fun experience. For example, if your event venue is a park, include a hot dog cart and a local music act in the ticket price. If you’re hosting a formal ball, why not hire a dance teacher or two to get everyone waltzing around the floor?

And remember – when the event is over, personally reaching out to everyone who donated, attended and helped is a great way to generate continued interest and engagement with your charity.