Throwing a charity ball that won’t be forgotten
A charity ball can be a brilliant way to raise funds for a cause - but it’s not just cold hard cash that charities can get out of it. Organised well, a gala or charity ball can raise much needed publicity for a charity, whether it’s a big national or even international organisation, or just a small local cause.
The two most important things to bear in mind when you’re organising any kind of charity event are how to minimise spend and maximise return. You want people to feel that the cost of their ticket or table was worth what they’ve paid, but you also need to turn enough of a profit on your tickets that it’s worth organising the event.
Of course, there are ways other than the standard ticket cost to generate revenue; depending on the venue you may get a cut of the bar’s takings and extras like a blackjack table or a charity auction can encourage people to part with more of their hard earned cash. In addition to this, booking a well known celebrity speaker through a talent agency may allow you to charge more for tickets.
When you’re describing something as a ball or a gala it creates a certain image in the minds of your potential attendees, and you don’t want them to be let down. Ensure that your event is suitably glamorous and luxurious and convey that by choosing an exclusive venue - guests will be reassured that they’re in for a treat. You’ll also find that the better the venue, the less you need spend on decorations - and many venues will give charities a discount.
It also helps to instigate a black-tie dress code; people love the opportunity to dress up, and a well timed email to the local paper could ensure guests the opportunity to be featured in the paper’s society pages - a real draw for some!
A theme always helps to draw an event together and makes planning somewhat easier if you have a framework to operate within. Picking a decade can make for a popular theme (but think 1920s, wartime chic or the 1950s - no-one wants to relive the ‘80s) or a novel or film like The Great Gatsby or James Bond is also an easy win.
Food can be expensive and time consuming to organise as well as difficult to get right - why not skip the sit-down meal and opt for a later start time with drinks on arrival and nibbles available? By keeping the cost of your tickets down, you may be able to attract a more diverse audience and improve your charity’s profile.
Finally, a celebrity speaker with a link to your cause is always an excellent option to add value and appeal to your event, and with so many on the books at London based entertainment agency MN2S, you can find someone with an interest in almost any charitable cause.
