|
An
event may be defined as a onetime activity that has a stated goal or
an end.
Demonstrations, leafleting, stalls, and fests are all types of events
that can take place under the larger Living Free campaign. Depending
on the scale, organising an event can require days or just an hour.
Keeping
important tenets under control while being ready for innovative
solutions are key to making events successful.
Let’s
start with some basics:
- What’s the need,
what’s the event? Whether you’re
raising awareness or funds, there are countless options
available - do you want to host a potluck or organise a flashmob? The need of the campaign should
define the type of event you choose to hold. For example,
hosting a talk in colleges is a great idea if the goal is to
recruit young volunteers for your cause, however, leafleting is better if the goal is
purely awareness building!
- Define Success: Having a smart,
measurable outcome for any event helps create focus, and measure
quality and impact of work. The more quantitatively defined an
event is, the more measureable it becomes – ‘I want to hold a
great event’ is different from saying ‘If 1000 people are
reached out to, and 10 volunteers turn up, then the event
is a success.
- Prepare a Budget: Draw out a rough
idea of expected and miscellaneous expenses such as venue,
printing costs, travel cost etc. Try and stick to a budget as
much as possible. Holding the event at a fellow NGO’s office, or
at an acquaintance’s place are great cost cutting methods.
- Team Work:
A strong, well connected team is key to the success of any
event. Consider creating broad heads of categories that can be
looked after by your most trusted volunteers, deciding a role
for everyone in the group. Take due note of the following:
- Venue, date, time – Fix venue basis
availability, reach, cost, and seating capacity. And be mindful
of choosing a time and day that ensures high availability/high
footfall. Conduct a recce of the venue before finalising it.
- Logistics: From registration
sheets, note pads, pens, and markers to
leaflets, banner, posters and video outreach
equipment, make sure you’re logistically sound!
- Photographs-
Ensure someone is capturing the important aspects
of the event that can later be updated on your page.
- Inviting People- This success or
failure of any event depends on how many people attend it. If
the event is not held at a place that is open for footfall
(example streets, malls etc) ensure
the following steps to invite people -
- Make a list of the
potential people who might be interested in the event you’re
planning to organize.
- Start calling and
recording their feedbacks (if they’re coming, will let you
know in a few days, might not be able to come)
- Following up is
crucial since people tend to forget events.
- Keep posting details
on whatsapp where most people are
likely to keep track.
- Create a facebook event
- Marketing- Now that you have
everything planned, the next step is to get the word out and let
more and more people know! Think of all the ways in
which this can be done. Make regular posts on
Facebook, send messages on Whatsapp
and maybe put up posters at popular cafes and colleges near you!
- Have a checklist: Hold the reigns of
the event together by maintaining a checklist of all activities
and recording feedback of the participants!
|
