Event fundraising
DAY-TO-DAY FUNDRAISING EVENTS MAKE MEMORABLE SOCIAL OCCASIONS AND PULL YOUR SCHOOL COMMUNITY TOGETHER
CASE STUDY: ‘OUR GRAND BALL AND AUCTION RAISED £14,000!’
‘Friends of Burford School runs a biennial big-ticket ball event. Last year, we secured Bisham Abbey as our venue ten months in advance, agreeing a three-course meal for £30 per head. As a charity we aren’t charged for venue hire. We issued a “save the date” notice
nine months before the date, and tickets went on sale six months in advance – selling out within a week! We planned to offer 120 tickets, but due to high demand we had to book a second dining room to fi t a further 60 guests. We charged £60 per head, which included a glass of prosecco, a three-course meal with coffee and petit fours and half a bottle of wine. After dinner, guests enjoyed a live band, dancing, bar and a photo booth. We paid £750 for the band and £350 for the photo booth. A business friend of the school
loaned us a red carpet, up-lights and poseur tables for the bar area, plus microphones and a PA system. A parent of the school designed our posters and event artwork free of charge and a local printer gave us a discount on printing. We ran an auction during
the ball, using Jumblebee (
jumblebee.co.uk). While this wasn’t the cheapest option, they offered a great package, including lots of support. Jumblebee met us at the venue in the planning stages and gave us guidance on how to run the auction. While we were populating the website, which was easy to do, they were always on hand to help. We approached parents and
local businesses for prizes. One of our parents is an events organiser and managed to secure lots such as afternoon tea and bed-and-breakfast stays. We
FundEd SUMMER 2018 45
tried to ensure that we had a range of values, from £30 to £1,000. Two weeks before the event
the auction website went live, and we encouraged people to share the link with friends via social media. We reached £7,000-worth of bids before the evening even started! On the night, two Jumblebee
staff attended to set up. We had four large screens to display the leaderboard and two tablets per table, which guests used to bid for lots. People couldn’t resist getting involved, which made life a lot easier for our compères! Jumblebee’s presence gave the
event a really professional feel. They charged £1,850, but we wouldn’t have raised half as much through the auction if we hadn’t used them. They even helped chase winners for payment after the event. The whole event raised a fantastic £14,000 !’ Jo Caldwell, Member, Friends of Burford School, Marlow, Buckinghamshire (420 pupils)
Want to run a grand ball?
Subscribers can read
our step-by-step guide to hosting a ball and tips for running a silent auction at
funded.org.uk.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60
