If anyone has experience with organising co-ordinated fundraising events, or other relevant event planning, I'd really appreciate your input.
Background: Sands, the Uk's stillbirth and neonatal death society, is launching a massive new campaign (Why17? - so named because of the 17 babies who are stillborn/die in the first 4 weeks of life daily within the UK), on March 4th at the House of Commons, to raise awareness & funds to investigate causes of stillbirth & neonatal death, with the aim of discovering something which can prevent future losses.
My first son was stillborn, with no cause discovered, after a "textbook" pregnancy, in 2005; so I have a real personal interest to do all I can to help the campaign.
This is where you come in! I have no experience of running fundraising events, but am organised and willing! So far I have:
- lobbied my MP (have received written response and am meeting with him next week)
-Set up a justgiving page and emailed my contacts and Facebook friends
-not me, but the lovely HPADers are having an awareness day on 4th March
-Drafted a letter to send out to local schools/ Mums groups, GP surgeries etc - anyone who might have an interest in helping
-Drafted a letter to send to celebrities who a) have lost babies in this way; b) are known for their charity work; c) soap actors who have covered this as a storyline
-Got local newspaper support
-Brainstormed lots of ideas to fundraise.
Questions:
- How do I find the best address to send celebrity mail to? ie not fanclub or similar? Somewhere there's actually a chance of them reading it?
- How do I co-ordinate several events? Get media to cover them? Predict numbers for organisation purposes etc?
-How do I persuade people/companies/venues to donate goods/services for free/discounted price? Any tips?
- Some events I'm thinking of (theme of the campaign is the no. 17) : 17 hour danceathon; 17hour sponsored silence (great for schools); dress-down dyas/coffee mornings etc held on 17th of the month, people pay £1.70; abseil/bungee 17 stories; multi-ability swimathon ie swim 17metres, lengths, km etc depending on ability; getting local theatre group to do condensed Shakespeare into 17mins(!) - or, my dream would be to get the Reduces Shakespeare co. to do it! and lots more.
Any suggestions/ideas/pitfalls to be aware of? Any input at all is appreciated. I may be on and off today as I have 2 very grumpy children, so if I disappear, I'll be back.
