At the Fundación Andrés Olivares we organise and carry out solidarity events with a specific social objective. One of these objectives is to continue working to improve the quality of life of our children and their families through a complete assistance programme offered by great professionals with a lot of heart.

What is a solidarity event?

With the solidarity events we try to involve society in our cause and also to mark a magical memory in the people who attend. It is an extraordinary internal and external communication tool to communicate what we want, and to do it in the best way.

To organise a charity event in which our main objective is to raise funds to help children with cancer and their families takes a lot of planning and care. If we are successful in doing so, we will be able to secure donors to do their bit and also for future events.

The best way to inspire people to donate and attend the event, is to really care and that in the Fundación Andres Olivares we are experts.

What are the steps to follow to organize a solidarity event?

• Steps before the event

Before planning anything else in relation to it, we should take some time to determine the type of event we are going to offer. Generally, the events we usually do are either small, which are very easy to plan and do not cost much to carry out, or larger, such as meetings of friends, charity concerts, galas or charity dinners. Such events are usually more complicated and expensive, but more money can be raised, depending on the area and potential donors.

We cannot hold a solidarity event alone. That is why we have a great team and a group of volunteers who are active in our staff. After having decided on the type of event, we have to consider how many volunteers will be needed that day. For a simple and small event, such as a raffle, we will only need a few workers. However, for the bigger ones, more help will be needed.

We divide the work between the team workers and calculate how many volunteers we will need for the same day. You should also take into account anyone who is needed for that day, such as waiters, musicians…

To begin with, you choose a date and time. This will be extremely important information later, when we reserve the place and the advertising is done. The date should be chosen in advance to allow sufficient time for planning.

After you have set a date, you need to find a place where we can hold the charity event in either an open or closed space. Since the event will be for a charity, we can ask if the venue would be willing to donate the use of the space or offer a lower rate to book it.

When choosing a venue, we need to consider a few factors, whether the venue is well known, has easy access which is a necessity for some of our children, is it a plot where our families will feel comfortable, is it large enough or does it have the necessary equipment for the type of event.

Once we have determined the location that will best suit our needs and those of the event attendees, it is a good idea to create a list of 2 or 3 options of locations as a backup. Then we will have to check the availability to do it, in case it is not available we will contact the other options, how much they charge since we will have a price estimate and what rules or regulations we have to follow.

When the date is approaching we will take care of the publicity, we will have a presence especially in our social networks and on our website. It is also important that the local media are informed so that they can contribute to the diffusion of the event.

As this is a charity event we will determine the methods of donation, which can be cash, card, donations will be collected in advance or made on the day of the event. You will also need to find someone to take care of you on the day of the event. In addition, there is always the possibility for people who do not attend to make a donation with Row Zero, and thus contribute personally.

At some events we also set up our stand with products from the foundation so that those attending can purchase them.

We cannot forget the small details! In the case that we organize a raffle we will have to buy the tickets and also get some donors of items to raffle or if we organize a dinner, calculate the costs, the menus to be served…

• The day of the event

When the day of the event arrives, everything previously planned must be carried out. Our organiser will arrive a couple of hours before the start to check that everything is ready and to ensure that the programme is carried out as planned or in case of any unforeseen circumstances that need to be resolved.

During the course of the event, we will make sure that those attending the event are comfortable, happy and entertained during the event. If guests are having fun, they are more likely to make donations. We do not forget to attend to the needs of people with any kind of disability. The event must be adapted to any disability that any attendee may have in order to access the event space as we have said before, and to interact with the elements or activities that are carried out at the event and these people must be able to intervene with total normality.

After the event begins, time should also be dedicated to analysing the work that has been done both before and during the day itself.

It is true that with each solidarity event we hold we gain more experience and learning when it comes to planning and carrying out the others. It is also necessary to analyse how the event went, what was the best or the worst, and what we could improve or change.

• After the event    

The issue of communicating the event is just as important before and after it is over. The activity will be continued on our website and on social networks by publishing how the event was and photos of the activities carried out.

Finally, to carry out all these actions to organise the charity event would not be possible without the help of others. For this reason it is important to thank both the donors who leave their grain of sand and the volunteers and staff who give their unconditional support, who in our case make our motto SOUL, MAGIC AND HEART their own, and do not stop working for and with our cancer children and their families.

With a solidarity event we will be able to give a voice to causes with a heart that need to be communicated and heard by society and that otherwise would have less visibility.

How do you organise your events?