The best fundraisers are those where participants contribute vast sums of money willingly, while all the while having fun. Consider a golfing event or a marathon and their popularity. The people going to participate in the sport will be aware of the cost of registration being part of their contribution to charity.
At the same time, project sponsors willingly sign up to support because they know they are contributing to a good cause, and they are going to get exposure and other benefits that come with brand reputation. However, fundraising using sports held in different destinations is not always easy. The organizational and logistical aspects must be on point. The following are considerations to make and tips to use for organizing an travel fundraiser using sports activities.
Start With a Destination in Mind
The first step ought to be the destination because everything else will depend on the chosen locations. Companies seeking to be part of the brand for charity and others that will be offering critical services will only participate when the place is right for them. For instance, an event in New York would be most attracting to global companies seeking to highlight their brand. However, it can be a low key event only for local companies and participants. Nevertheless, starting with the location gives you an excellent footing for picking logistical options.
Publicize it as You Travel
The publicity before and during the event is essential. Therefore, engaging the services of publicists is crucial for the function to warrant the attention it deserves. Most exclusive events attracting high net worth guests have bigger publicity budgets than the mass-marketed events. The reason is the need for personal relationship building with the high net worth individuals as opposed to the mass strategy where media campaigns and press conference work well to raise the publicity of the event. If you take note carefully, you will notice that even the mass advertised charity sports activities first start with a private fundraiser exclusive to high net worth individuals.
Use an Internally Capable Travel Partner
Many of the guests, participants, fans, and sponsors in a private fundraising event will need to travel. Go the extra mile and partner with a firm offering international travel packages to enable all participants to attend the event in time. The firm offering the travel package will also help with bookings for hotels, and may even provide ticketing services. You intend to provide a one-stop solution for your participant so that they come straight to the event without having to wander around town finding hotels and event tickets.
Create a Robust Project Team
The fundraising event must run as a project with a dedicated project manager and with specific strategies for increasing coordination. Projects at an internal level also need increased investments in communication to handle the virtual and physical teams. You might be having staff coordinating activities abroad and communicating with them in real-time will be essential for completing the fundraiser project. Remember also to consider cultural and communication style barriers that could hinder your efforts. If they exist, then you will also need to use other alternative practices to lower the influence and avoid associated risks of failure.
