If you've set yourself a big fundraising goal you may be looking for an event that will meet or exceed your target and expectations. We have mentioned some fundraising activities that you may have heard of and some that are outside the box. Have a read through and see if something tickles your fancy.

Silent Auction

You’re probably familiar with how an auction works. You raise your hand to bid, there’s someone who also wants the item doing the same and the person who desires it more for an affordable price for them wins. A silent auction is a little different. Usually, you have the chance to look at various items right down your bid on a piece of paper and hope that you have made a high enough bid for the item. You and the others won’t know until the bidding is closed to see if you had the highest bid or not.The key to any auction is having the right auction items. If you do your homework on the audience that plan on coming along to your event, both you and the audience will share in the success of the night. So take your time with the planning stage and you’ll do great!

Themed costume party

You may be the type of person who enjoys dressing up but not particularly for black tie events. Why not host a costume themed party?In the process of deciding what theme you want to go with consider if is an event that is close to that, you could base it around that. For example, if the tennis is on you can all dress up as your favourite tennis stars or if a new movie for Star Wars comes out you could dress up in any of those characters. Be creative!There are many different types of costume party’s that you can choose from. You could dress up as your favourite superhero or even a villain. Do you have a decade that you resonate with? Why not pick it. Another great costume theme party is a Great Gatsby themed. Dress up in vintage glamour, flapper girls, a gangster or even Gatsby himself!Whatever it is you could ask for a small donation to be given on the night or charge an amount that would cover the party and more.

Poker tournament

Why not set up a poker tournament? Different from your usual fundraising activities but it could separate you from other fundraisers. There are a few things you’ll need to get in order before your big poker night tournament.First is you‘ll need a big enough venue to allow for multiple tables spread across the floor. Next item on the list is poker supplies. Instead of forking out a load of money at the start you can hire the game from a local vendor to avoid this. You may even mention it is for a charity and receive a discounted rate. Also, when you have the people you think that may attend the event consider what prizes they would like to have. This may generate a bigger turnout and give you your own Royal Flush!

Trivia night

Trivia nights have grown in popularity in recent years due to the social interaction, team building and overall atmosphere it creates. This also benefits the businesses who decide to host the event to generate income outside their normal day to day activity.There are a few things you need to consider during the planning process and I’m sure you have thought of a few yourself but here are some to get you started.

Pick a time that suits everybody – The thing is to make sure it doesn’t clash with holidays or massive events. Once you know the type of people that will come you can determine a time that suits e.g. families with kids will need to be early or if it’s adults-only it can be later.

Ask around for a venue – If you know someone with a reasonably sized venue ask if you could use it. In fact, they could offer the place for free as in-kind match funding.

Find a charismatic host – Think about when the last time you took a course or sat in a class. Who did you listen to the most? That’s the type of person you need for your event!

How will you make money? – Are you going to sell tickets? Food? Drinks? Or all of the above. If you’re at a club you could ask that a small donation made from each purchase of food and drinks during that period can be given.

Conclusion

They are just some fundraising idea's that can help you make a big difference in achieving or exceed your fundraising goals. You may have already chosen one the ideas from the above or just took bits and pieces from them all and are in the process of creating your own. Whatever you've decided, remember Kidscan is here to help you!