Local community events are a great way to get people together and raise awareness or funds for local charitable causes. Successful community events are vital to improving relations and visibility in your local area. Putting on an event is no mean feat and lots of effort and planning goes into making sure that everything runs smoothly on the day. Here at TheGivingMachine, we work with a host of charities up and down the country and we know that local community events are really important opportunities for charitable causes. That’s why we’ve put together some pointers to help you put organise a great local community event.
It’s crucial that you keep on top of your budget from the moment you start planning your event. Keeping everything recorded and in one place can help you to monitor where you are and what you can afford. If you need to make savings then you’ll be able to easily assess where you can allocate money from without compromising the rest of the event. It’s a good idea to plan for unpredicted circumstances too, so you have some money in the pot if something unexpected happens.
Whatever you do, don’t try and do everything yourself. It’s impossible to run an event and not delegate tasks to teams of workers and volunteers. Make sure that you communicate the aims of the event and how you’d like everyone to work so your team are all on the same page. It’s a good idea to get small teams working on certain aspects of your event and appoint team leaders that you can keep in touch with and help out if problems are encountered. Having a strong team is a sure-fire way to success.
Most people sigh when they hear the words ‘health and safety’ but getting this spot on is really important for any event. Making sure you limit the chances of something going wrong and preparing for situations that could arise is a good principle to work by. Carrying out risk assessments is key and should be a top priority. Any charity that puts on an event for the public will need Public Liability Cover, in case anyone gets injured or there’s damage to property. It’s recommended that you check what licensing or insurance you’ll need beforehand.
Creating a local community event should be kept simple. You can’t put on an event that appeals to everyone in your local community but you can try to organise something that the majority of people will enjoy. If you start to make more complex logistical plans then there’s more of a chance that issues can arise and you’ll need more volunteers, licensing and money. Putting on a simple event means that it’s easier to make it a success.
It’s really important to promote your event locally so that people will come and enjoy themselves. Making sure you leave enough time to promote your event through social media, local newspapers and through word of mouth is important because you can build up excitement for your event and raise awareness. Putting on an event in your community is a way of building relationships between residents and creating a happier local area.
