Planning a charity event can take months, but what’s the use of all that event planning if no one knows about it to show up? Promoting your charity event is a vital part of the process and needs to be a factor when considering your overall budget. While you want to make sure costs are covered when planning any event, the purpose of a charity event is to make sure that the funds raised can go directly to the charity.
When budgeted improperly, costs can add up quickly, but promotion is one area in which you can keep them low. Think of inexpensive or free ways to get the word out about your upcoming event. With a little brainstorming and creativity, you and your team can come up with what will work best for your event. Here are some ideas to get started:
1) Use Social Media
Generally, social media is free. You don’t have to buy into the advertising that is offered to share your event with the public. Create an event on Facebook that lists all the important information with regular updates counting down the days until the event. People like to see the details all in one place and keep track of who is going. If you are using Eventbrite to sell tickets, make sure this link is included within the Facebook event. Also, use social media to share your event with online influencers who might be interested in attending and will help spread the word. Twitter and Instagram are two useful networks for planning posts to be released several times a week to increase viewership and engagement. It is also a good idea to find the sub-Reddit of the city or town that your event will be held in to notify those users as well.
2) Reach Out to Your Network
Put together an email blast to be sent to everyone you know. It is important that you encourage them to attend your event without feeling like they are being spammed. Make the email fun and include information about the charity and why it’s an important cause to you. Use a service such as MailChimp to create a template that will be eye-catching and informative. Let your network know you’d love for them to be part of your meaningful event and make sure all the details are included. For a tentative guest list, you can also set up a free Evite account online.
3) Get Creative with Signs or Fliers
Marketers have found that promoting brand messaging online has a better chance of being seen than paper fliers, but it’s still a good idea to put efforts into both, especially when considering your target audience. You can order signs online delivered to the event space to help spread word around the town of the event. Create one simple design and share it across all the promotional materials you’ll be using to reach the people you already know and also the people in your community who may be interested in your charity. Since you can create signs in bulk, this cuts down on cost and makes it so you can reach a larger audience in a more cost effective manner.
4) Hold a Raffle
Everyone likes a chance to win something and when the money is going to charity, people are likely to be more generous. Contact local businesses who may be interested in being an event sponsor and ask if they’d be willing to provide prizes to be raffled. They’ll get additional promotion and you get fantastic raffle prizes – it’s a win/win situation. Prizes don’t have to be expensive or over-the-top either. They can be as simple as restaurant gift cards, gift baskets filled with products from a few of your sponsors, or even handmade items from your crafty friends.
5) Word of Mouth
People immediately turn to marketing online when promoting their events, but forget the power of good old-fashioned word of mouth. Most likely if you are spending months planning your charity event, your friends and family will be well aware of what you’re doing. Encourage them to tell others about the event and talk about it in your social circles. The more people who know about it, the better chance for a successful turnout you will have.
Although there is a lot that goes into planning and executing a successful charity event, these are just a few tips and tricks to make the entire process easier for you. As a leader, you have a lot of choices and decisions to make. Have you ever thrown a charity event? What worked for you? What didn’t? Let us know down below in the comments.