Event ideas

Planning your event

• Brainstorm ideas: Talk to your contacts to decide what type of event would be most successful for you.
• Form a committee: The scale of your event will determine the size of the committee you require. Remember to assign roles to committee members to ensure the work is distributed evenly and according to the skills of each member.
• Set the budget: Estimate your revenues and costs to determine if your fundraising target is realistic and attainable. Ensure that the committee is dedicated to the budget.
• Ideas to Raise revenue:Consider the following initiatives to increase revenues from your event: silent auction, live auction, ticket sales, % of food/beverage sales, sponsorship, pledges, donations, sale of a product.
• Target your audience: Who will be attending your event? Ensure that the event suits your audience when choosing the location, sponsorships and if applicable silent/live auction items and prizes.
• Set the date: ensure you have enough time to organize and promote your event. Also, do not schedule your event to compete with another event. Take into account various religious, cultural and statutory holidays.
• Secure the location: ensure the location has all the amenities required for your event. If the event is outdoors, have a rain plan.
• Save the date notification: send out the date, time and location of your event to potential guests as soon as you know this information.
• Solicit sponsors:  this can be one of the most important, yet frustrating, parts of the planning process. Start early! You may solicit for cash (to help off-set the costs of the event) or in-kind sponsorships (where the company donates their goods and/or services) in exchange for promotional benefits. Promotional benefits may include logo on signage or invitation. Moreover, you may decide to recognize your sponsors at different levels depending on their level of support; for example, bronze, silver and gold levels. Outline your sponsor program prior to approaching sponsors. Answering TTP will provide you with a formal sponsorship ask letter, that should be used to complement your personal ask letter. The personal ask letter should be a short (no more than 1 page) "pitch" detailing why they should sponsor your event.
  
• Plan event logistics: Develop a critical path document to outline key times, talks and responsibilities to help you and the committee keep track of necessary deliverables. Remember you will need to rely on your committee. Ensure they are well versed prior to the event. 
• Providing tax receipts: Answering T.T.P. (Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura) Foundation is a recognized national Canadian charity capable of providing tax receipts for eligible donations.
  

Registering your event with us

• advice on event planning
• provide the Answering TTP logo; however, materials must be reviewed by the foundation before the logo is issued
• tax receipts if applicable
• publicity on the Answering TTP website
• Sponsorship ask letter validating the authenticity of the event
  

Promoting your event

• Designing your promotional materials: There are many graphic design programs you can use to create your promotional materials. Be creative, but remember to include the event name, date of event, time, location, ticket price (if applicable), description of the event and what is included, and contact information. As one of the goals of Answering TTP is to raise awareness about TTP we encourage you to consider including a link to www.AnsweringTTP.org and/or a brief description of TTP; TTP is a rare autoimmune blood disorder which forms small clots throughout the body that starve vital organs which can lead to heart attack, stroke, cognitive dysfunction and/or kidney failure.
• Using your materials: Remember your target audience and place your materials where they will see them such as: local business store fronts, community calendars and/or website, information bulletin boards (community centres, libraries, malls, schools, workplace), newsletters (published by hospitals, churches, schools, service clubs, business bureaus), invitations via e-mail (in a PDF format) to your contact list, and networking sites such as Facebook.
• Media relations: any sized event should make use of media relations. Media often have a requirement to cover local and community events. You should designate one person from your event committee to be the media contact and coordinate with the media.
  
• Pre-event media relations: Think of a news "angle" (community news, human interest story, high profile attendees)that is newsworthy or a photo opportunity. List the types of media you want to connect with and create a media contact list to facilitate your interactions. Think about inviting local dignitaries to draw the media. Send out a one-page media advisory to your list of media contacts two weeks prior to your event.
  
• Event day media relations: ensure the main media contact is on-site and accessible to coordinate requests for interviews and or photo opportunities. Coordinate a volunteer photographer; someone who has a camera a photography hobby.
• Post-event media relations: send out one or two of the best photos taken at your event with a short blurb detailing the number of participants, total funds raised, recipient of the funds and any other worthy information.
  

Tips

• Setup time: ensure you have enough time to set up the event.
  
• Directional signage: branded signage indicating the location, washrooms, registration desk etc. will help guests.
• Contact list: have a contact list of committee members, volunteers and suppliers handy 'just in case'.
• Rain plan: if you are having an outdoor event, ensure to have a plan B.
• Event box: pack a box with pens, markers, tape, stapler, scissors, highlighters, blank paper, string, pushpins, calculator, cash box, credit machine with slips.
• Communication: if your location is large consider walkie-talkies to communicate.
• Thank you: ensure to have the opportunity to personally thank your event committee members, participants, volunteers, sponsors of the event.
• Schedule: ensure the event volunteers are well versed and you adhere to it.
  

Submitting the proceeds

Tax receipting

• Pledges and donations: a list of names and addresses (including postal code) of the individuals to be receipted, as well as the amounts (more than $25). Also, the total funds donated must be of equal or greater value of the total amount to be receipted.
• Tickets: the receipt value depends on factors such as ticket price, meals, complimentary items or giveaways and door prizes. Please contact us to see if a tax receipt is applicable.

• Cash sponsors of the event. Instead a Letter of Fair Market Value for these funds can be provided indicating acknowledgment of the event and monies raised for Answering TTP foundation.
• In-kind sponsors who donate products or services and receive promotional benefits.
• Donated services such as hiring someone/thing for an event (e.g. tent set-up)
• Product sales (e.g. bracelets)
  

Thanking your supporters