Victoria smiled as she reminisced about the first Alzheimer’s Walk that happened in her small town just a few years ago. Even though it was on one of the hottest days of year, people still came. She remembered wiping the sweat from her forehead and listening to the laughter amidst multiple conversations. People walked and talked while following purple feet down the street, around the cul-de-sac, and back to the starting point.
And after the walk was completed, people stayed for the live entertainment, food, special kids’ activities, and chair massages (that felt great!). Over 25 local businesses sponsored the event, plus people generously gave to the silent auction and brought in their own pledges, which allowed the total given to the Alzheimer’s Association to exceed the goal by $1500!
This event brought people together in preparing for it, participating in it, and donating to it. But it didn’t happen without a lot of advanced planning and a lot of attention to details.
As you begin planning for your event, determining the following ten points can create a strong foundation to help ensure the end result is successful.
- Goal of the event. The goal of the event is an essential element that needs to be decided before any planning begins. The goal is the final outcome of what you want to happen at the event. When it’s all over, what do you want accomplished? Fulfilling the goal is one factor in deciding if the event was a success.
- Purpose of the event
Another essential element to determine is the purpose – which is the reason for doing the event. It’s different from the goal in that its basis is deeper. It relates to the mission statement of your nonprofit. How does the event fit with your organization’s purpose? - Name of the event
The name is important because it is the first way people will identify and remember your event. Make it simple, but come up with a theme that represents what the event is all about. - Date of the event
Choose the date carefully. Check community and chamber calendars for possible conflicts of other promotions that are being scheduled. If it’s an outdoor event, consider the time of year as to when the weather has the best potential to cooperate. - Place of the event
Deciding on the place to hold the event matters because you want to make sure you enough space for everyone who is expected. If you having speakers presenting throughout the event, there needs to be enough room for everyone to have a place to sit, see, and hear. If you’re including different vendors as part of it, then there needs to be enough space for each one to set up and have space for people to walk by and look. Are you including a silent auction? If so, there needs to be space for all of the items and sheets to take bids on. - Target audience
Who are the people that this event is for? Who do you want to attend your event? Those are the people who are your target audience. They are the ones you focus on in planning the event. - Promotion choices
Promotion choices are the methods in which you will share the event with the people you are inviting to it. These could include:
*A letter sharing the details of the event
*Emails
*Newsletter articles
*Radio ads
*Articles and ads in the local newspaper
*Flyers
*Press releases
*Information in church bulletins - Sponsors of the event
If possible, find sponsors for your event. Their financial support can help with event expenses, such as the advertising. Sponsorships allow more of the money made at the event to go towards the final goal, because many of the event expenses will have already been covered. Sponsors could be the local radio station, the local newspaper, or area businesses. - Grant possibilities
Depending on the type of the event, there may be some grant money available to help with the event. - Free, sell tickets, or ask for a freewill donation
Another decision that will need to be made at the beginning is whether the event will be free to the public, tickets will be sold, or a freewill donation will be asked. In making that decision, a lot depends on what the event is, what its purpose is, and how much of the expense will be covered by sponsorships.
Are these the only steps to consider when planning an event? No, they are not. These, however, are definitely important elements that need to be determined before getting to the heart of actually planning the event.