Planning 3 - Timeline
Time Line
When you have made some final decisions and the date is agreed then you begin the count down to the Sponsored Fundraising Event. The remaining weeks/months establish a time line and overview. Break down the tasks and look at the logistics that you and your teams need to have in place. The shortest time taken to put together and deliver a Sponsored Fundraising Event was just six weeks - normally its three to six months.
TIP: Treat it as project management and schedule tasks with a tag of how long they should last with start and finish times. You'll have some weeks when nothing appears to be happening but remember you are ahead of the volunteers. Their brief is to deliver the Sponsored Fundraising Event, yours is to lead and motivate them. You might decide on one or two whole group meetings with everyone together, pulling in any stragglers. This could coincide with a social event.
Sponsored Fundraising Event Overview
You should refer to reports and experiences from organisers of other Sponsored Fundraising Events. Your teams that are responsible for these areas will identify any extra volunteers needed in reserve on the day. Here are some:
- Refreshments
- BBQ, disco or celebration party at the end of the rowing
- PR team to take photographs and prepare a report for the media and Concept 2 website
- Clear up and bin any debris
- Help with cleaning, take down of machines and their return to Concept 2
- Check everything when you leave the venue and leave it as you found it
Checklist "To Do"
- Finalise collection arrangements with Concept 2 for the loan/set up of Indoor Rowers for the Sponsored Fundraising Event - remember you have a five day window for borrowing the Indoor Rowers
- Arrange first aiders to be in attendance, eg: St. John's Ambulance
- Research local businesses asking for sponsorship of each machine/team
- Continue to share and grow the original vision for this Sponsored Fundraising Event
- Registration of Indoor Rowing teams - each with their own name/identity
- Team training preparation progresses - fitness levels improve
- How about preparing and printing an Sponsored Fundraising Event Brochure with advertising space sold to bring in extra funds
- Volunteers streamline their skills and rehearse the build up to the Sponsored Fundraising Event
- The running total pledged begins to rise to meet the target
- Media interest grows as you forward news stories to them
- Motivate participants with incentives for those who bring in the highest total and remind them to collect the money, preferably before the Sponsored Fundraising Event or immediately afterwards
Summary
You'll now be working with what seems as an overload of jobs to do and people to organise. Don't get rattled or short fused. Just plough through the chaos zone and keep focused on the goal. The important thing is for you to keep motivating your team of volunteers and participants telling them they are doing a great job. Let's face it; the Sponsored Fundraising Event now has its own heart beat and pulse. Re-visit your original notes when you started and you'll realise how much momentum there is and how close you are to the big day.