Charity events serve an important purpose, not just for monetary fundraising, but also for whatever the core mission of the charity may be. A walk is a common way to do both, engaging participants in an event that both fun and worthwhile. Walks can range from small, informal affairs to large-scale fundraising endeavors that raise exorbitant amounts of money and become a flagship event for the organization benefiting from it. However, organizing a walk for charity requires more than asking a few people to show up and start stepping; time, event expertise and skillful solicitation are all part of the planning process.
Instructions
1. Approach your charity of choice and ask if they would be interested in being the benefactor for your walk. It is always best to ask before assuming they need to money or awareness in case they have their own events or rules in place regarding use of their name on such fundraisers. If possible, choose a local charity so you can work closely with the staff during the planning portion of the walk so they can leave their imprint on the event in a prominent way.
2. Choose a day, time and venue for your walk. The key to getting people to participate is to make it accessible to all people in the community, from avid fitness nuts to those that are fairly sedentary, but want to participate anyway. You can either choose two routes depending on fitness level or a route that finds some middle ground in terms of length and type of terrain.
3. Plan out logistics of the event. Determine what kind of legal matters need to be addressed during the planning phase, including the information that needs to be included on any waivers walkers must sign before participating. If you want to hold the walk on private property, you must get permission first. And work with the charity on any legalities they may have in terms of receiving the funds and promoting the event.
4. Solicit sponsors. More than money just to get the event of the ground in terms of booking a venue and paying for promotion, you also need sponsorships for little components like water for your walkers and T-shirts emblazoned with the charity logo for optimal awareness. Solicit for community sponsors that already support the organization for which you are walking to avoid negative responses.
5. Promote the walk to the community. You can do this through traditional means of advertising, such as TV, radio and newspaper, as well as via social media. Use the charity's social media forums as well and engage in any online promotions. The more people you can get pre-registered for the walk, the better prepared you will be on the actual day of the event. Pass out flyers and encourage people to donate and participate, even if they aren't able to walk. The awareness you disseminate about the charity during the promotion of the walk will be priceless.
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