Strapped For Cash!

The funding has stopped and 2011 is going to be a bleak year for many charity and community event organisers. The cut backs are hitting hard and funding has been withdrawn on a scale never before known.

For those determined to go ahead with their events it is a time for clear thinking. Planners will need to be more resourceful and will need to rely much more on the good will of volunteers, sponsors and suppliers as budgets will be tighter than ever.

Here are my suggestions:

Know your aim

Be clear about what you want to achieve :

• Do you want to raise money? Is so, what is your target?
• Are you trying to help an individual or organisation? If so how? Be specific.
• Are you trying to raise awareness? Who are you trying to influence, what do you want them to do?
• Is your event about building community spirit or bringing people together? How are you going to achieve this?

Prioritise

1. Make a list of everything you need for your event.
2. Put the essential things first.
3. Sort out your list starting with the most important at the top, least important at the bottom.
4. Go down the list to make sure you have included everything.
5. Decide what you can’t do without and which items are nice to have if you can get them.

Work out the cost

Make a cost sheet using your priority list.

• What can you get FREE of charge?
• What will you have to pay for?

Work out how much money you will need to find for the  essentials.

Make sure you know exactly what it is going to cost you to put on your event!

Be sure you can pay the bills

Get sponsors if possible, run raffles, sell tickets etc etc to get the money you need well before the event.

Before you book anything you must be certain that you have sufficient cash to pay for it.  Do not rely on gate money or public donations to bring in the money you need. Do not book suppliers in the hope that you will get a grant or that you will find the money from somewhere. If you cancel them or the event is unable to proceed you may be liable to pay a cancellation charge or even the full amount.

Remember that your suppliers will still want paying even if things go wrong.

Be optimistic

Remember the old saying,

Every cloud has a silver lining

People do still want to enjoy themselves and their is still a lot of generosity and kindness even though we are all feeling the pinch.

So don’t give up, 2011 might not be as gloomy as it seems.

 

 

 

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