Just need a bit of advice from the pros...
I`m thinking of doing a charity disco. I hope to raise money for the local hospital baby unit and also get a bit of promo at the same time!
My first port of call is to arrange a venue. I will get in contact with all the local venues asking if they would be able to donate a hall for an evening to raise money. Im willing to supply door men but I would need bar staff. What do you think my chances are?
Also ,im hoping to sell tickets (possibly between £5 - £10) to friends and family (estimating about 100-150 people). This way it will raise money and also give us an idea of how many people are coming. Im not sure whether to do fancy dress with some kind of theme? I was aiming to play 50s to early 90s music as there would be a mix of ages there.
Also, I hope to do a raffle (possibly let the "punters" have a free raffle ticket if they come - but also sell extra tickets to those who want them), and I hope to get local companies to donate gifts/prizes.
My main problem is I have never done this b4. I dont know what I need, how much works involved etc.
Has anyone got any other ideas?
BTW - Hoping to host this in about April/May time.
Full Version: Charity Do....Advice Please
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One of the most important aspects in the law !!
Have you got a PPL AND PRS at the venue, how about PLI.
I have just noticed CP is typing a response so will see what he says first before I repeat everything !!
Have you got a PPL AND PRS at the venue, how about PLI.
I have just noticed CP is typing a response so will see what he says first before I repeat everything !!
I appauld your efforts, however you do need to think about this a little more clearly.
| QUOTE |
| Im willing to supply door men |
Legally they have to be council registered and have some form of insurance, insurance is also something that you also need to consider, i'm guessing that you would be the organiser / promoter of the event so it would all fall to you to arrange this.
Perhaps you could enquire about arranging to hold the fundraiser on hospital property?, maybe their own social club etc, therefore the licensing / insuring should technically be covered - but ASK!.
I'm not sure but I think that even a Raffle comes under the Lotteries and Gaming act?, I may be wrong and they may waive any commission for charity events but it is as well for your sake to be the right side of the law even if it just means filling in a bit of paperwork.
Promotion - use the local rag, if they are truely a local community read then they should give you space for free for a charitable cause - even if its only a write up in the editorial column
- also try local radio. If all else fails invite the mayor or Hospital Director to"open" the event or make the raffle presentation - that will get the press involved faster than anything!.Get other friends / family involved selling tickets too, and don't forget to ask a few popular private businesses to get involved and high street shops to sell tickets for you, That should gurantee a good turn out.
Even tho its for charity £10 is a lot to pay for an admission ticket, try and get something included in the fee. Maybe a buffet or pie 'n' pea supper - just something that won't break the bank but will make the ticket price more attractive.
Other than that - for a good cause you should be able to get some good promotion but it will involve a lot of effort and paperwork.
Apart from the above!
Get whoever you are raising money for involved.... If it is a hospital I bet they can sort out a venue complete with licensed bar etc etc. Asking for people to donate raffle prizes is going to be hard... most places have been inundated with requests at christmas.. but keep banging on.. some people will donate something - use your own personal contacts.. ie., brothers/sisters/mum/dads work place etc.
Do you know what I do to get a ton of money when doing charity gigs... I do a "trash tracks ten minutes" - I play the worst songs imaginable and people have to pay me to take them off... I usually get around £100in the space of ten mins! I also do a 20-50p per request.. and if I dont have it, I put the money in myself!
There are loads of things you can do... good luck!
Get whoever you are raising money for involved.... If it is a hospital I bet they can sort out a venue complete with licensed bar etc etc. Asking for people to donate raffle prizes is going to be hard... most places have been inundated with requests at christmas.. but keep banging on.. some people will donate something - use your own personal contacts.. ie., brothers/sisters/mum/dads work place etc.
Do you know what I do to get a ton of money when doing charity gigs... I do a "trash tracks ten minutes" - I play the worst songs imaginable and people have to pay me to take them off... I usually get around £100in the space of ten mins! I also do a 20-50p per request.. and if I dont have it, I put the money in myself!
There are loads of things you can do... good luck!
See !!
Also if you sold 100 tickets at £5, again you would need to see the legal side of this, you make £500
So door sales equals £500
Doormen will cost £200 (depending where you live)
Food will cost you £300
Erm you see where I'm going with it..............
Also if you sold 100 tickets at £5, again you would need to see the legal side of this, you make £500
So door sales equals £500
Doormen will cost £200 (depending where you live)
Food will cost you £300
Erm you see where I'm going with it..............
Cheers guys, I knew you would have some ideas... and I knew there would be a "small print" to put a spanner in the works!
Excellent ideas from Kazz - I`ll try those!
I have a friend who runs a local security firm so im hoping to rope them in for this.
As I can get about 100-150 people who are family & friends, I didnt think I`d need to advertise. I was hoping to not worry about advertising as Im expecting these numbers!
I also said that I was thinking of the tickets between £5-£10 so i`d go for the £5 end of it!
I wasnt thinking of doing food. I was hoping for a sort of 7-12am time. I go to lots of nights out at different venues (bands & discos etc) and none of them do food so I wasnt going to bother with that.
All in all, I think i`ll go for it. The promotion side of it was only a bonus and for a start, I`d just like bookings from family & friends until I can get back in my stride again!
I`ll get in contact with the hospital to see if they have a venue they can get hold of.
Many Thanks.
Excellent ideas from Kazz - I`ll try those!
I have a friend who runs a local security firm so im hoping to rope them in for this.
As I can get about 100-150 people who are family & friends, I didnt think I`d need to advertise. I was hoping to not worry about advertising as Im expecting these numbers!
I also said that I was thinking of the tickets between £5-£10 so i`d go for the £5 end of it!
I wasnt thinking of doing food. I was hoping for a sort of 7-12am time. I go to lots of nights out at different venues (bands & discos etc) and none of them do food so I wasnt going to bother with that.
All in all, I think i`ll go for it. The promotion side of it was only a bonus and for a start, I`d just like bookings from family & friends until I can get back in my stride again!
I`ll get in contact with the hospital to see if they have a venue they can get hold of.
Many Thanks.
If it is family and friends, and your mate helps out too there will be very little costs involved so you should make a small profit, I say go for it !!
Go for and why don't you ask some local shops to donate sope items so you can do a action that is always good to raise so money also the venue might donate a % of the bar profits. good luck
just make sure your rellies will buy a ticket and support you otherwise you may stand to lose a lot of your upfront costs
The way we made heaps of money and got a brilliant turn out was to turn it all on its head............
DROP your ticket price to 50p or a £1 INCLUDE a meal in that price
Get local greengrocer to donate salad (loads) butcher or Asda to donate sliced ham every punter gets a ham salad meal (plate em up beforehand with clingfilm)
nobody cares the ticket was only 50p!!
that gets you a full venue.... then donations from eveybody and anybody for the raffle........ Thats where you make your money on raffle tickets, auctions, games, whatever because you have a FULL venue!
Make it different Split your stage in two and have TWO discos, battle of the discos or whatever record for record not both together! ( Or even try a disco in each corner of the hall with four different styles of music ) All donating their services for free of course!
The possibilities are endless!
Spin
DROP your ticket price to 50p or a £1 INCLUDE a meal in that price
Get local greengrocer to donate salad (loads) butcher or Asda to donate sliced ham every punter gets a ham salad meal (plate em up beforehand with clingfilm)
nobody cares the ticket was only 50p!!
that gets you a full venue.... then donations from eveybody and anybody for the raffle........ Thats where you make your money on raffle tickets, auctions, games, whatever because you have a FULL venue!
Make it different Split your stage in two and have TWO discos, battle of the discos or whatever record for record not both together! ( Or even try a disco in each corner of the hall with four different styles of music ) All donating their services for free of course!
The possibilities are endless!
Spin
I have been doing a charity theme night once a year for the past 3 years, we do a school disco theme (cause it was all the rage at the time) we have the raffle as normal and get companies i deal with thru friends and thru work to donate prizes.
we also do roll the £1 coin to the champagne, this does genarate a lot of money people love to throw it away !! just buy a large bottle of champagne put it at one end of the function room then make a marker on the floor quite away away then the person who throws the £1 closest to the bottle wins it, just make sure you collect all the coins that are no where near as you go then you can change up the people who only have note !!!
also as we do it for over 18s only we have people willing
to strip this really does boost the fund rasing we play a record and say if we get enough money these men will be willing to strip, the ladies love it. 
also we sell glow sticks and whistles that add to the evening and make it a great fun night out...
On the subject on door men go to your local club chat to a doorman (as said make sure he is vetted by the council) he will either work for a agent or him and a mate might take a night off and do the function for you !
we also do roll the £1 coin to the champagne, this does genarate a lot of money people love to throw it away !! just buy a large bottle of champagne put it at one end of the function room then make a marker on the floor quite away away then the person who throws the £1 closest to the bottle wins it, just make sure you collect all the coins that are no where near as you go then you can change up the people who only have note !!!
also as we do it for over 18s only we have people willing
to strip this really does boost the fund rasing we play a record and say if we get enough money these men will be willing to strip, the ladies love it. also we sell glow sticks and whistles that add to the evening and make it a great fun night out...
On the subject on door men go to your local club chat to a doorman (as said make sure he is vetted by the council) he will either work for a agent or him and a mate might take a night off and do the function for you !
Depending on the sort of friends and relatives you're hoping to get along, you could do a "pop" or trivia quiz before the disco starts to raise more money. It's a piece of 
to put a quiz together and you could make a bit of additonal cash for the cause, especially if people donate prizes. I've done this in the past and it worked well.
You may find that you'll get more people to come along as some "older" rellies may want to have a go at a quiz but not fancy the music. However, in my experience, there aren't many who just come to the first bit.
The additional bonus is that people will have a pint or 2 (or 3 etc) while the quiz is under way so they're in the right frame of mind when the music starts !
Regards to all
Ian Stuart
to put a quiz together and you could make a bit of additonal cash for the cause, especially if people donate prizes. I've done this in the past and it worked well. You may find that you'll get more people to come along as some "older" rellies may want to have a go at a quiz but not fancy the music. However, in my experience, there aren't many who just come to the first bit.
The additional bonus is that people will have a pint or 2 (or 3 etc) while the quiz is under way so they're in the right frame of mind when the music starts !
Regards to all
Ian Stuart
| QUOTE |
| It's a piece of to put a quiz together |
OI ! OI !
Can I rephrase that to its a piece of poop to put a one off quiz together!!!
Putting a quiz together week in week out so punters return every week is a full time profession!! I should know my longest running quiz night is 16yrs week in week out barring holidays!!
Feel better now!
Spin
| QUOTE |
| Can I rephrase that to its a piece of poop to put a one off quiz together!!! |
Apologies Spindoctor; I should have put that better myself. It is indeed easy to put a one-off together and much more difficult to make it a long term success !
I too should know, I've been doing quizzes since about 1992. I'll go and have a word with myself !
Regards to all
Ian Stuart
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| I'll go and have a word with myself ! |
LOL Ooooer I hear dem voices too!
Spin
Cheers guys. Thanks for all the advice.
Im starting to get this together now.
Thanks
Im starting to get this together now.
Thanks
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