Fundraisers can be an absolute blast for everyone. Whether someone is the organizer, a volunteer, or one of the many guests, a fundraiser provides an evening (or two!) of fantastic entertainment. The people involved in the fundraiser often feel a sense of joy, since doing good usually feels great. The people who come also feel that sense of joy, since giving is good for the soul. More than just making your guests and volunteers happy, a fundraiser also accomplishes one major task: raising money for a good cause.
You might be a school, a small business, a theater company, or a non-profit. Funds are always hard to come by, so planning a winner of a fundraiser could help get you through this next year with flying colors. There are hundreds of different ways to run a fundraiser, from a performance, to a movie night, to a marathon, to a gala. In this article we are going to focus on one of the more fun and unusual ones: a barn dance fundraiser.
Set Your Goals
If you have chosen a barn dance fundraiser, you are likely aiming for families, couples, and even kids. Knowing your audience will help you know what to buy, how to price things, and who to market to. Besides knowing who your market is, you should also set a clear financial goal for your fundraiser. Once you have a set amount, it will be easier to work towards it. Do you need to sell food or provide it free? Should you sell tickets at the door or only make a profit off in-event merchandise and treats? Knowing your financial goal will help you plan each step of the fundraiser.
Get Help
In order to plan a successful fundraiser, you should get some help. Have a team of people help you figure out the details, and start hiring volunteers early. If this is a huge event that involves parking attendants, servers, activity directors, and more, you may want to professionally screen your volunteers. You can use a visitor management system with comprehensive background checks to make sure each one of your volunteers is good to go.
Plan Your Entertainment
A barn dance fundraiser promises a few important things: namely, a barn, and dancing. You will want to rent a barn for your event — preferably one that’s large and regularly used. You would not want to borrow your uncle’s barn, only to realize on the night of the fundraiser that there are bats in the rafters. You will also need to hire a band or compile a playlist and you will almost certainly want to hire a caller: someone to call out the steps to the guests. Once you have both the barn and the dancing under control, you will want to find other fun things for guests to do when they are not dancing, like a mechanical bull rental and great food.
Capture The Feel
Not all fundraisers are created equal and you will be glad you picked a barn dance once you start to decorate. Hang bandana paper lanterns and string lights. Sell cowboy hats and bonnets, and have Old West-themed food, like cornbread and baked beans. With square dance music playing, and candles burning on the tables, your guests will feel like they got transported back in time. When everything’s ready, sit back and relax. You have a great evening ahead of you!
