Target €1,000 (£650Stg) + depending on numbers and raffle proceeds.
Getting started...
- Decide on theme for the night: Popular themes could be 70's or 80's night, murder mystery night, James Bond night or a novel idea could be to have a Christmas night during the summer, or a Beach Party during the winter. (Try to think of something that hasn't already been done.)
- Sell tickets for €10: Rather than sell a single to each of your friends, family and colleagues, give them batches of 10 or 12 tickets to sell on your behalf. Try to encourage them to sell all of the tickets for you by letting them know that you won't accept any tickets back.
- Approach local companies: for goods and/or prizes for a raffle that you can run on the night. It's best to start with personal contacts first, and others should be contacted by letter stating what you are doing, and then followed up with a personal call.
What you'll need...
- An appropriate venue in relation to the numbers expected. A pub is always a good idea for such an event although may not be suitable depending on the theme. Always try to get the venue for free in an effort to minimise the cost of the night.
- Musicians/DJ: High profile bands or DJ's can be very expensive so firstly approach people you know who might be able to take care of this for you. If this isn't possible contact your local music college or musical society who should be able to put you in touch with local people who may be able to help you out.
- Raffle: You'll need to get an appropriate number of raffle tickets, buy loads as there're relatively cheap and the more you have the more you'll sell. You will also need a couple of ‘pushy' people who are prepared to sell as many tickets as they possibly can. Try to have all the prizes well in advance of the night and local businesses are generally very generous in donating small prizes for such an event.
Timing...
- When choosing the date(s) try to make sure they don't clash with any major local/national event.
- Select 2/3 dates and perhaps circulate these among family and friends, to check availability. Using email at work may be an option providing quick responses
