No matter how well established your charity is, organising an event will require some careful planning. Before your start to make your arrangements, read this handy checklist to ensure your function is as successful as possible.

Identify your objectives

Firstly, it’s important that you identify your objectives and establish what you want to achieve out of holding the event. You’ll also need to think about the type of people you’re hoping will attend and plan accordingly. For example, you won’t reach your objective of holding a family event if it’s a nighttime affair. It’s vital to make sure you have an end goal and a plan of how you’re going to get there.

Set a budget

Setting yourself a realistic budget will help you decide how large the function can be. You will have to decide if it is going to be free or if you’re going to charge those attending. Bear in mind that hiring a venue and equipment can be costly, so make sure your budget is big enough to cover all of the potential costs. You may want to seek sponsorship to allow your finances to go even further.

Decide on your venue and entertainment

You will need to give the venue of your event some careful thought. If you’re expecting a large turnout, you’ll have to make sure the location you choose is of the right capacity and size. If you decide to hold the event outdoors, you might have more space. However, you will need to take the weather into consideration.

It might also be a good idea to organise some form of entertainment for your guests to enjoy on the day of the function. As talent agency NMP Live mentions, a headline act can create a real buzz. So whether you arrange to have live band, comedian or even a guest appearance from a celebrity, it’s important to keep your attendees entertained and make your event a memorable one.

Think about health and safety

The health and safety of those attending your function is paramount. You may want to appoint someone to be in charge of monitoring the safety and wellbeing of your guests on the day, or you could even ask a first aid company to attend to take care of this for you. You could set up a dedicated first aid area at the event for attendees to head to if they’re in need of assistance.

Before you begin making your arrangements, you might benefit from using this organisation checklist as a starting point. Taking these suggestions into consideration may help you in planning a successful and unforgettable charity event.