Organize an activity

Do you like sports? Gather your friends, sports team, club or association to organize a soccer, hockey or baseball tournament. By organizing a sporting event, you can raise funds by charging an entry fee and by selling refreshments during the event. For additional funds, look for event sponsors.

Do you like sports? Gather your friends, sports team, club or association to organize a soccer, hockey or baseball tournament. By organizing a sporting event, you can raise funds by charging an entry fee and by selling refreshments during the event. For additional funds, look for event sponsors.

Preparation Time

• Usually, four to six months are required to organize a tournament.
• This can be extended to one year if it’s a larger tournament or a well-known sporting event.

Recommendations

• Getting an expert athlete to participate will increase the excitement and awareness around your event.
• Surrounding yourself with people who are familiar with the sport or activity concerned will facilitate the task of organization for you.
• You will have to think of all the logistics that surround a sporting event. This includes parking space, facilities such as showers and toilets, food, drinks, sporting equipment, referees, and volunteers who have been trained in first-aid care.
• Remember to include security, insurance and a first-aid station.
• Think of a plan B in case of bad weather.

Auctions can be an excellent way to raise money for the CHUM. An auction can be held in one of many ways: You can hold a live auction with an auctioneer, or you can hold a silent auction where bids are made privately in writing. What can you sell to participants? Furniture, vacations, artwork, selected wines, autographed memorabilia, tickets to shows, gift certificates and more.

Preparation Time

• Six months are usually required to prepare an auction.

Recommendations

• This activity requires knowledge of the value of auctioned items.
• If you don’t have any experience with auctions, seek advice from people who do.
• The preparation of a booklet that lists the items and their descriptions requires time and effort and can also be expensive.
• If you can’t guarantee the quality or origin of certain items, specify this to participants.
• Consider your options for payment (credit cards, checks, money).
• Consider the necessity of providing delivery for certain items, (such as furniture).
• Contact the Fondation du CHUM for details about amounts eligible for obtaining an official tax receipt.

Events that involve dancing, dinners, theme nights, magic shows, concerts, fashion shows or balls are all regrouped under the term “evenings”. This type of fundraiser allows people to showcase their talent and creativity.

Preparation Time

• Six months are generally required.
• For larger suppers or events, one year might be necessary.
• For the reservation of certain venues, you will have to book one year in advance.

Recommendations

• Choose a date that does not coincide with another big event or with vacation periods.
• This type of event requires a publicity and promotional plan.
• A large number of tickets will have to be sold to raise funds. Delegate this task to several people (usually, one person is responsible for selling 10 tickets).
• If you serve a meal at the event, be sure to think of allergies and diet restrictions, and to provide a space where meals can be kept at the right temperature.
• Remember to think of security and insurance.
• Remember to provide parking space, coatrooms, washrooms, and access for people in wheelchairs.

These endurance contests are easy to explain, accessible to all, completely ridiculous and a lot of fun! Whether you choose to organize a swim-a-thon, dance-a-thon or roll-a-thon, there is no better way to organize a fundraising event for a community such as a school, office or organization. You can top it all off with a barbecue or a themed meal.

This kind of event often becomes an annual occurrence, as the organizers want to recreate the wonderful experience year after year.

Preparation Time

• Six months are generally required.

Recommendations

• Inform people of your event and its date as early as possible.
• Take into consideration the amount of time needed to obtain corporate sponsors.
• Remember that you will require a specific type of venue for different kinds of “a-thons”. For example, a pool for a swim-a-thon, a large room for a dance-a-thon, etc.
• Think of how you will accommodate a large number of guests who are all likely to arrive at the same time.
• Think of security, insurance and a first-aid station.
• Think of a plan B in case of bad weather.

Fondation du CHUM offers you the following:

• Counsel and support for the entire preparation period of your event.
• Confidentiality concerning your list of donors. Donor and buyer lists are neither sold, rented nor exchanged. We use personal information only for the purpose of sending you updates on the Fondation’s activities and to ask for your support in aiding our mission to improve patient care.
• The presence of a Fondation du CHUM representative at your event.

Fondation du CHUM does not offer the following:

• Advance funding.
• The possibility of organizing a lottery.
• Solicitation for your event.
• Names of our donors, spokespersons, etc.