the Institute for Cross-cultural Exchangethe Institute for Cross-cultural Exchange

Suggested Steps for Creating Your Own Fundraising Event

Outlined below are some of the key steps and some useful pointers to organizing your own ICE group fundraising event in your community.

DECIDE on an event

Spend some time with friends, family, co-workers and community members brainstorming ideas about the sort of events that might successfully be held in your area. There are many different types of events that can be organized to raise funds for ICE. Here are a handful of examples:

  • A-Thons (e.g., walk, bike, bowl, skate, dance)
  • artists’ donation art sale
  • auction
  • car wash
  • BBQ
  • boat cruise
  • book sale
  • battle of the bands
  • dance marathon
  • fashion show
  • gala evenings (e.g., gala, dinner, singles night, costume party, award night, celebrity dinner)
  • international food fair
  • local talent night
  • Mulla Nasrudin birthday party
  • sporting and gaming tournaments (e.g., golf, hockey, billiards, darts, ping-pong)
  • storytelling event

TEAM-UP with others and form an event committee

Once you’ve chosen the type of fundraiser you’d like to hold, additional support is important. Invite co-workers, friends, family and members of your community to be part of an event committee which will oversee the organization and execution of your event. Recruit a team of enthusiastic volunteers with different skills and experiences to assist in the various components of your fundraiser. It is important to choose a coordinator who will lead and oversee event planning and preparation.

PLAN your event

With your committee formed, it is now time to plan the fundraiser in all of its aspects. Some of the key planning decisions include:

  • Choosing the name, date, time and location of the fundraiser
  • Setting a realistic goal for the number of participants and expected revenue
  • Creating a budget which identifies all possible sources of income and all expenses
  • Finding out whether you require permits, licenses and insurance
  • Deciding on how to attract and recruit additional volunteers and support
  • Creating a plan to promote your event
  • Deciding on how you will display ICE information during the fundraiser
  • Deciding on how money will be collected and handled

PROMOTE your event

Promoting your fundraiser by a), alerting media sources and b), taking advantage of relationships that you and your committee members have in your community, will heighten your fundraiser’s presence, attract more participants to your venue and allow additional funds to be raised for ICE. Designing and distributing promotional materials – such as brochures, posters, and invitations – is also an integral part of holding a successful event. Click here to see sample event promotional materials associated with previous ICE fundraising events. Click here to see a list of tips for event promotion and publicity.

To make arrangements concerning additional materials for use, distribution and/or sale at your fundraising event, including ICE and Hoopoe Books, brochures and promotional materials, please contact ICE – see below.

OTHER considerations

Tax Receipts

As a charitable organization, the Institute for Cross-Cultural Exchange (ICE) is committed to following all the rules and regulations regarding tax-receipting set out by the Canada Revenue Agency. This is also important in protecting our charitable status. It is very important that you understand the rules about tax receipts before you plan your event.

Contacting ICE

For fundraising support in the form of further tips, and answers to questions, as well as information on how to acquire ICE and Hoopoe promotion materials and books, contact John Zada at iceaffiliates@gmail.com.