Who is feeling charitable during a Economic Downturn

Selling 800 tickets at £1000 a plate to a Charity Dinner was not a problem in 2007 but when the event was repeated in 2008 it had to be pulled only a few weeks before, due to low uptake.

An event on this scale will not be possible for sometime yet however the support is still there and a new event schedule had to be devised.

Now I am planning a series of smaller scale events for this charity at a range of prices and targeted to different audiences.

This in effect is a positive move as it will now refocus the charity to market itself to;
1. The younger crowd and possible long term charity followers as well as the affluent.
2. The general public outside their usual communities, sector, gender, faiths etc
3. Appeal to whole families rather than just individuals.

Focus is now also on showing supporters the real return on all their donations. During ticket sales they will clearly state where the money will be invested. Something all charities should do as a standard but I think it is more important today to show the donors how far their money will go.

Events are being pulled across the board but charities have to maintain some level of fundraising to retain their presence in peoples and their supporters mind.

Suppliers which may have originally shunned away from low budget charity events before may have to rethink their priorities between hitting a margin or having some revenue. If discounting is not possible, suppliers should offer the charity a way to widen their marketing opportunities by agreeing to sell a certain amount of tickets. This in return allows the charity access to potential new supporters.