A fun way to raise money
The name says it all. The fundraiser social's sole purpose is to raise funds! Cash, dough, moola or whatever you want to call it. A uniquely Manitoba tradition, they are used to raise money for charities, medical procedures, community centers, sports teams and more. The whole reason for the function is to raise money.
In order to do this, you need people. Preferably ones with money. While a wedding social raises money for a couple and is an opportunity for them to celebrate with family and friends who may not be able to make the wedding, a fundraiser social's sole purpose is to attract people and make money. Thus, you will want to sell tickets to everyone you can reach.
Plan your event carefully. Choose a well suited venue, preferably one that will assist with some of the planning stages. It may be a good idea to have a theme. Casinos, Hawaiian or even the wild, wild west! (For this one, make sure you have a jail and a sheriff. People pay to have someone thrown in jail, and someone must bail them out. This is always a hit!)
When printing your tickets, make sure you state what the fund raiser is for, and why the money is being raised. Also, you should have added incentives for attending. Awesome silent auction and door prizes, a live band, or even a terrific DJ with an amazing light show that will rock the night! (A little Gudlite Entertainment plug...)
Once your tickets are printed, then comes the task of selling them. Make sure you have ample time to sell all the tickets. Give the tickets to as many people as you can to sell at different places. Make sure the person you are giving the tickets to will actually sell them. There's no point if the tickets are going to sit in their pockets and never see the light of day. Also, don't give the tickets to two people selling at the same place (i.e.: coworkers selling to other coworkers). Chances are the same amount of people will buy the tickets whether one or two people are selling them.
One of the most important, and usually the most neglected, part of selling tickets is control. Know where every last ticket is and do at least a weekly count. Collect the money often. Not only will this inform you of how much money has been raised and how many tickets are left, but how many people will likely be attending. You will need this information to decide on how much food and alcohol to supply. Also, some venues require this information prior to the event.
Now that the tickets are being sold, you must decide on the late lunch. Usually this consists of bread, a fruit/vegetable platter, cheese platter, meat platter, condiments, crackers and coffee. Some venues will require a hot meal (usually meatballs) to be served as per their liquor license. This is a good idea, as many people like to have a hot meal with their beverages.
Make sure you have security on hand at your event. Since you may not know many of the people attending, this is a good idea. Not only do they keep the peace, but they prevent alcohol from leaving the premises. This will prevent headaches if the cops find out. Security may be required and provided at your venue.