Issue 4.10 – October 2009
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Event Planning: What can go wrong?
In event planning, anything can happen, and it's always best to head off disaster by anticipating what could occur. If you plan for any possible risks, you won't be thrown off when "the worst" happens.
If you're a person who can think on your feet, remain calm, and stay flexible, you'll be in good shape to respond quickly to anything unexpected.
Three common problems that can occur at an event are:
Accident or injury
With a more athletic event, like a run or walk, you'll need to think about the possibility of accident or injury. Even if you've ensured that the event will be as safe as possible for your participants, you should also:
- Include emergency numbers, such as ambulance and police, in the production schedule.
- Have a first aid kit at the event to deal with minor injuries.
- Ask participants to sign a waiver before participating, to protect your organization from liability.
Theft or sabotage
When planning an event, you should consider the safety of participants and volunteers, as well as the security of the venue. Your planning group should review all elements of safety and security by brainstorming questions like these:
- If you will be handling money for the event, do you have a safe place to keep it?
- If guests will be bringing coats do you have a staffed coat check for them?
- If you have included such elements as a silent auction, do you have secure storage for the auction items prior to the event?
Problems related to alcohol
If you're serving alcohol at your event, you'll want to ensure that both servers and drinkers take a sensible approach to drinking. A drunken guest could do irreparable damage to the event and to your organization's reputation. And it goes without saying that such an individual shouldn't be allowed to drive. You should therefore establish a written protocol or policy for responsible alcohol consumption. You should post the policy at the event, and make sure your volunteers and workers are familiar with its contents.
You can learn more about potential risks by taking the Event Planning Campus online training course.
Get help with your special events!
Are you in charge of putting on the next great event for your organization? Looking for interesting ideas or tips on how to make your next event a huge success? Check out Event Planning from CharityVillage Campus. Learn the essential steps in event planning from creating a budget to evaluating the event’s success. [Read more...]Sponsor Message
Campus Q & A
Question: I'm a little nervous about having speakers, including our CEO who is acting as the master of ceremonies, at our upcoming gala event. What can I do ahead of time to ensure they don't stray off topic or provide any surprises?
Answer:
Just like in the movies, your event master of ceremonies (or emcee/MC) and certain guest speakers, will need scripts. Your board chair or the organization's executive director, for example, may require speaking notes.
It's especially critical that the MC says exactly what you need them to say, at the right time. He or she will set the whole tone and maintain the pace of your event. They can only do a good job for you if you give them all the information they need - in detail. Being prepared and going over the script ahead of time will help you to iron out any difficulties.
If you have a guest speaker who has created his or her own speech, you'll still want them to provide you with a copy in advance. You don't want any surprises!!
Got a question that you'd like answered in an upcoming issue? Email it to us today at editor@charityvillage.com.
Subscriber-only bonus download
When planning any type of event, setting your budget and sticking to it is key to success. To assist you in creating your next special event budget, we've provided you with a sample budget, a free download from our online Special Events course.
Upcoming events
Charity Compliance: A Primer for BoardsDate: October 13, 2009
Location: Sudbury, ON
Cost: $15
Complete details (PDF)
Campus Course List
"Excellent course and programs. This is easy for anyone to use as a beginner, or as a refresher for those of us who just need to get back to basics! The Grantseeking course was excellent! The resource materials and information learned from the course allows beginners and experienced fundraisers to hit the ground running! Bravo!"-- Marianne Hebb, London, ON
• NEW: Attracting Corporate Sponsorship: Learn the key components of a sponsorship program, including how to attract and keep sponsors, write proposals, and develop appropriate pricing.
• Receipting Charitable Gifts in Canada: Learn the critical elements of gift receipting, from fair market value to split receipting rules and much more!
• Strategic Planning: Learn the core elements of a strategic plan and the basic process of strategic planning.
• Event Planning: Discover how to plan, run, and evaluate a flawless special event for your organization.
• Getting Started in Planned Giving: Learn how to get a planned giving program up and running successfully.
• Building a Great Volunteer Program: Delight your volunteers and deliver results for your organization by developing an effective system to manage your volunteers.
• Boards That Work: Learn what it takes to be an effective board member and build a successful board of directors.
• Proposal Writing: Translate your ideas into dollars by improving your funding proposals today.
• Grantseeking: You'll have better success with your proposals if you fully understand the grantseeking process.
• How Fundraising Works: Once you get the basics, you'll be in a great position to find support for your organization.
• Writing Effective Policies and Procedures: Policies and procedures form the backbone of your organization and this course makes them easy to write and implement.
• Telling Your Story Through the Case for Support: Write a compelling story about your organization that will entice and captivate supporters.
• NEW PACKAGE: SpringBoard: The Better Board Kit: a 3-step process to help your organization's board members ensure that they know their responsibilities, are prepared to act on them, and that your board works as a team to help accomplish the organization's goals.
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