Charity - Cancer

[Cj_The_Dj]

Hi guys. I didn't know where to put this so mods please feel free to move..

Right.. My mum has very advance cancer, started off in her brest, the doctors told my mum it was nothing for around 7 years untill her doctor was on holliday and a temp doctor told my mum it was cancer and had to go to the hospital stright way.. To cut a long story short.. It was too late and not the cancer has spread (over the last year) to a state where she's un treat able.. (She has cancer in her breast, lungs, liver, brain and now bones.) She is ditrating very quickly and now she's only got the matter of days to live. She's only 48 :( ... Its been a horrible year let's just say that.. But now my mums in a hospice who are doing a fantasic job.. They are making my mum and us very comfy.. Its a very nice place who only run on donations.. But I just feel I owe them somthing in return...

So I'm wanting to do a fundrasing event with all money going to the hospice..

But I'm after some advice on how to go about..

I'm thinking of doing a dinner and dance event..

I've got a local band on side called the sour cherry who are very good.

And then finish off with disco after a meal etc..


But I don't know how I go about it. Do I need somone from the hospice there? Do I need a licence?

Also any ideas how I can make this more special than just a meal and a disco?

Also anyone local willing to hire me some uplighters and some bif truss? (I pay out off my own pocket.)

Many thanks for your help.

[ppentertainments]

On my way out shortly, but will send you some info. Where are you based ??

[Excalibur]

Oh CJ, what a kick in the teeth! :(

I don't know that I have much useful info, but I'll help in any way I can. I'm sure that others on here will also offer help, advice and suport. Our thoughts are with you.

[DeckstarDeluxe]

Sorry to hear it CJ but bravo for doing what you are doing. I would speak to someone from the hospice however as they might have contacts or an upcoming event in the pipeline.

[DJ Jules]

If you want to raise serious cash, get a celebrity on board (even if it means delaying the event) as they'll bring in the crowds.

[Shaun]

CJ, My sincerest best wishes to you and your family.

[SC Events]

Sorry to hear about your mom CJ. Cancer is never nice, my youngest brother is currently going through Chemotherapy as he has Hodgkin's Lymphoma.

I wish you all the best with the gig and I hope it's a great success :-)

[Javlingames]

Sorry to hear this CJ . I think what you are attempting to do is a great thing. Hopefully someone here can advise you on the best way to go about it.

[MikeW]

Sorry to hear your sad news CJ. Good luck with the charity event, hope it goes well for you.

[DiscoMagic]

Firstly I echo all the above sentiments as noted above.

My advice is this:

1)
Work out your target audience, are they your friends, family, work colleuges?
What would they enjoy at your event?
What would get them spending/giving money?
What would get them there?

2) Choose your venue and date carefully.
There is no point in arranging an event on the same date as a big event such as a football cup final, or during periods where familys are engaged elsewhere such as Christmas time or summer holiday time.
The venue should be easily accesable, and preferably well known. You might want to consider any "posh" venues that you work with on a regular basis, nice venues sometimes attract more people, and sometimes they might not charge especially if they are quiet anyway (such as January) as they see this as both brand awareness and income through bar and food sales.

3) Choose what entertainment you might want. Variety is allways good, whether it be a good middle of the road band from the local high school, a professional wedding singer, or a dance troup there should be something that appeal to the majority of your audience. EG: I full blown rap artiste might not be the ticket if your audience is made up of middle class retired people!!! Children entertainers nearly always go down well what ever. and of course a disco.

4) Choose your fund raising. There are several options here. auction, raffle, heads/tails game, donations, ticket sales etc etc. Some people really enjoy the raffles and auctions because they like the chance of getting a deal and will once this is completed.

5) Plan the event carefully. Things over-run[B] always [B] and so plan carefully and allow for an extra time. Have lots of variety.

6) Get your prizes. This is easy enough but requires persistance and lots of time. Approach everyone and every business / shop you know. You will get a lot of knock backs but some people will be lovely as well. The more people you ask, the more stuff you get. Simples! :)

7) Market you event, get the local newspapers involved. Tell your friends. Tell your friends to tell their friends. Use facebook. Use posters.

8) On the night have a team of people friends / family to assist you. you cannot do it on your own!

And finally enjoy! It is hard work but it is well worth it in the end. The above advice is based on lots of experience, but how much you do is up to you. You can do something small like a simple disco with raffle, or you can do loads of stuff and make more money.

The most recent event I was involved with was a Black Tie big charity ball, where we raised something like £5k, the local mayor was involved and it was huge :eek:. See below pic for my good self with the Mayor!

If you need any other help or advice, or even to run an idea past me do call me on 07968 956921 or chuck me a PM.

All the best and enjoy!

[Jonathan Ford]

CJ, I was in a very similar position to you at a very similar age, so you and your family are in my thoughts.

If you need any help whatsoever with this project, please don't hesitate to get in touch.

[DazzyD]

Sorry to hear your sad news, CJ. I'm sure you didn't post this for sympathy but you might take some comfort out of knowing that you and your family are in our thoughts right now.

As for your request for help with your fundraising, I'm sure that lots of members of the forum will be forthcoming with ideas. I'll also put my experience at your disposal as what you're aiming for is pretty similar to how my business started. Our first assignment was to arrange a fund-raising night for the (then) newly-formed Cancer Research UK. We had a solo singer, a duo and we compared the whole evening as the Blues Brothers. It went down a storm and a lot of money was raised for a really good cause.

My first tip for you is find a sponsor for the whole event. It's noble that you want to put your own funds up but you'll be able to take your event further with a corporate sponsor on board and you may find that they can open doors that you hadn't even considered.

Anyway, good luck and keep us in the loop!

[tumbledown]

If you want a free website for the event, give me a shout.

[Paul The Party Dj]

Well done for doing something positive at this terrible time. Cancer has cast it's shadow across our family too and I share your pain.

Plenty of wise words already given. I'd only add speak, to the fundraiser at the hospice, or charity you decide to support - they will have ideas, experience, and contacts.

I do a Cancer Charity Ball each year which is organised by 2 ladies who have become my good friends. They work for one of the big banks who, I believe, fund-match their totals. The hotel give them a good rate, and it's a 3 course dinner, charity auction, and dance/disco. This year they added a comedy magic act to the entertainment. They have lots of contacts through their work with clients who book tables, and donate prizes.

Working with people who can shift tickets and gain generous prize donations takes the pressure off of me. They also have someone to host the main part of the evening, something that I would, of course, happily do if needed but this means I can just make sure the sound and light are great and that the radio mics are working.

They also have a photographer doing pictures for anyone who wants them - couples, groups, etc. Last time a cake maker provided cup cakes for desert which the hotel allowed. You may be able to use some of your business network to help.

That's all i can think of right now.

Good luck with your plans, and my thoughts are with you and yours at this terrible time.