Planning a charity ball takes time and we have learned this from past experience of 3 charity balls. You really need to start planning a ball as soon as your last one is finished and even before in some cases.
The venue is key. Things to consider include costings, the entertainment, is there accommodation nearby, what is the parking like, will your ideas be suitable for the venue, food packages, how many people does the venue hold and most importantly what time does the bar shut! Don’t think foolishly that the venues will offer dirt cheap packages because you are a charity, it simply isn’t true, as they also have a business to run and wages to pay.
Another thing to consider is what theme you will have. This has to be a vision shared by others as you will need to encourage people to buy tickets. If it doesn’t stand out, you could have difficulty filling your tables. Stoke-on-Trent has various fundraising balls throughout the year and as a smaller charity, sometimes it can be a challenge to compete with others. You have to entice people with a great theme and ensure that they feel they are also getting value for money. Included in this vision, you need to think about table decorations, goodie bags, decorations for the room, photographs and you need volunteers to assist you during the evening, this is even before you can think about what you are going to wear!
A charity ball takes hard work and planning, but it is almost guaranteed a large return on the investment of time. It’s worth noting that as a fundraiser, I am constantly thinking about how much we will make form certain activities, but you cannot buy the connections, the networking opportunities and the future business relationships that you make at a ball.
I always say “planning a ball is like planning a wedding for 300 people, with no budget”.
We still have a limited number of tickets available and opportunities for local companies to sponsor us too. If you would like to join us for our Greatest Showman Ball on 16 November 2019, or are interested in finding out more about being a sponsor please contact me, Paul Deakin on 01782 344740 for more details.