This chapter is intended to help you, the Club Fat Ass Event Host, leverage your event to generate funds for the charitable causes you support.
Club Fat Ass was founded to make fun, low-key outdoor activities accessible and affordable to all. By hosting a Club event in the first place, you are already doing a lot for your community. "How on earth is it possible to host a free, Club Fat Ass event and also raise money?", you ask?
Many current and prospective Event Hosts have asked this question. We are happy to say that it is possible to do and thousands of dollars have been raised as a result of Club events. All it just takes a bit more time and planning.
Where Do I Start?
Since all Club events are by definition free to members, the challenge becomes how to maximize the number of participants and to find ways to encourage those participants to either voluntarily donate to your cause or to invent ways for your participants to want to contribute.
Maximizing Participants
The Club goes to a lot of trouble and expense to promote Club events. Club events are listed in a print brochure. They are promoted to the media and they are listed on online event calendars and are showcased on the Club website and in the monthly Club newsletter.
We highly recommend you take some initiative locally to make sure that your event is promoted in community centers, running/sports stores and the local media. For ideas, please see the chapter of this manual on Promotions.
Since you have a special additional goal of fund raising, we recommend you review your attendance and fund raising goals with the Club to insure that extra emphasis is placed on promoting your event and your goals.
Voluntary Donations
Club members are extraordinarily community-oriented. Experience has shown that if you organize an exceptional event and treat your guests well, they will be open to donating to your cause. We recommend that you make it clear on your event website that your event is a fundraiser and that you make a convincing argument on your website for your cause. You may want to note that your event is free, but you are suggesting a donation of $10 per person.
Fund raising Activities
There are endless ways to coax contributions from your guests! Here are some suggestions for activities that are very effective for running races.
Raffle
Solicit prizes from local businesses. Raffle them off. A simple way to do this is to charge $2 per ticket or 3 for $5. Given that most people will purchase $5 worth of tickets, you can quickly estimate the proceeds. For example: 70 participants attend the party, 60 buy $5 raffle tickets = $300.
Provide a speaker
Convince a local media or sports celebrity to speak on a relevant topic. You may want to have your speaking event at your pre- or post-event party or at another time. Charge something for tickets.
Other Hints and Tips for Fund Raising
1. Start early
Experience has shown that the Event Hosts who start planning and promoting their fundraising efforts early have a very high degree of success.
2. Determine your fund raising goal
How much money do you want to raise? Be sure to pick a realistic goal.
3. Make Your Goal Public
Mention your fund raising goal on your event website adn to the charity you are working with. That way, the heat is on and you are more likely to reach your goal!
4. Determine the number of participants will you need to achieve your fundraising goal
This is simple if you make a few simple assumptions. Let's say you aim to raise $500 and that you aim to have each person contribute $20 or more. That means you will need to get at least 25 participants.
Note: If your guests are annual Club members, you are not charging them for their attendance. If your guests are day of event members, the Club will split the after cost fees with you. This will raise an additional $9 for each online single day membership registration and $10 for each single day membership registration paid at the event.
Sharing your comments. If you have any comments, criticisms or other thoughts on what is written here, please share them with your fellow Event Hosts. To add a comment, go to the bottom of the page and click on "Add new comment".
Printing this chapter. To print off a nicely formatted version of this page, go to the bottom of the page and clink on "Printer-friendly version".
