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🎉 Your First Fundraising Event: How to Plan It · Free Lesson

Lesson 2: Plan Your Event — The Complete Checklist

Good planning is what separates a successful fundraising event from a stressful one. This lesson gives you a complete planning checklist.

⏱ 10 minutes 📖 Action lesson 🎯 Lesson 2 of 6
Your progress
2 of 6
1 Pick Your Event 2 Plan It 3 Promote It 4 On the Day 5 After the Event 6 Your Plan 🏆
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The planning timeline

Most fundraising events need at least two to four weeks of planning. Here is a general timeline:

4 weeks before
Confirm date, venue, and format: Lock in the essentials first. Nothing else can happen until these are confirmed.
3 weeks before
Promote the event: Start telling people — social media, school, family, local community
2 weeks before
Sort logistics: Equipment, ingredients, prizes, helpers, payment method
1 week before
Final push: Remind everyone, confirm helpers, prepare everything you can in advance
Day before
Final preparations: Set up what you can, prepare your float for change, confirm everything is in place
On the day
Execute and enjoy: Arrive early, stay calm, thank everyone who comes
After the event
Count up, thank donors, share results: Post your total on social media and thank everyone personally
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The essential planning checklist

For any fundraising event, make sure you have covered:

✓
Date and time confirmed
✓
Venue booked or confirmed
✓
Permission obtained (school, parents, venue)
✓
Budget created (expected income and costs)
✓
Helpers recruited
✓
Equipment and supplies sorted
✓
Promotion plan in place
✓
Payment method ready (cash float, card reader, or QR code for JustGiving)
✓
Thank-you plan ready for after the event
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The one thing most people forget

The most commonly forgotten element of event planning is the payment method. If you are selling things or collecting donations, you need to be able to take payment easily.

Options include: a cash float (bring change), a free card reader (SumUp or iZettle have free options), or a QR code linking to your JustGiving page that people can scan with their phone.

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Tip: Having multiple payment options — cash and card — means you never miss a donation because someone does not have the right change.
✏️ Create your event plan now
Choose your first fundraising event and create a planning checklist using the template above. Set dates for each planning stage and add them to your calendar.
You now have a proper event plan. In Lesson 3, you will learn how to promote your event effectively so you get the maximum number of people coming — and donating.
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Lesson 2 of 6 Plan Your Event — The Complete Checklist