 1. If you need an idea about how to raise funds, start by thinking about what interests you. Hobbies are a great place to start – do you like to bake, or maybe you are good at building things, or doing yardwork, or perhaps you play golf, or tennis…almost anything can be turned into a fundraiser and the more you enjoy what you’re doing, the more enthusiastic you will be.
2. Once you have decided an idea, contact the charity you want to help and let them know about your plans. Make sure there are no problems or concerns before you use a charity’s name on any materials or when you talk to people. Sometimes we get calls asking if a particular fundraising event is legitimate and if we don’t know it’s happening, we can’t tell anyone about it!
3. Find a group of people to help you – there is always more to do than you think! Recruit friends, neighbors, co-workers to lend a hand.
4. Set a goal for the amount of money that you want to raise. Just remember to keep it reasonable for the type of event you are planning. Also, try to make a list of any expenses that you could have and keep track of them throughout the process. It is no fun to find out that you made $500 for your favorite group, but spent $450 on supplies!
5. Pick a date, location and time for your fundraiser and make sure to give yourself plenty of time to get the word out about your event.
6. Promoting your fundraiser is one of the most important tasks – how can people support you if they don’t know about it? Community bulletin boards, church/synagogue newsletters, Facebook, and online event listings are great ways to get the word out. Don’t forget to send emails to your friends and family about your fundraiser, and ask them to pass it along to their contacts.
7. And most importantly, when the event is over, don’t forget to thank all of your supporters. Make sure to contact everyone who helped plan, and everyone who attended or donated and let them know how much you made. They will all want to congratulate you on a job well done!
Allison Enedy is the Events Director here at the VBSPCA. She can be reached at:
events@vbspca.com . 757-427-0070 ext 20 | 
Non profit organizations, from animal welfare to disease awareness, rely heavily on the support of community-minded volunteers and donors to meet our fundraising and outreach goals. At the Virginia Beach SPCA, it is always a great day when we are contacted by a business, school or other organization that wants to hold a fundraiser to benefit the shelter! Many of these kind people start out with more than enough enthusiasm, but don’t always know how to get started with planning their charity event.