Last updated February 17, 2017
With the recent dollop of rain at the top of the North Island spoiling a few events, I thought I would look at some ways to build in a contingency plan for your fundraising day. Having options will help ensure you still make heaps of money and keep everyone happy.
Make a Date
Not only do you need a date for your event, but you need to choose a date by which you will make a decision on the weather. For example, if one week out things are looking questionable you can’t really pull the plug, but if two days before things are a bit damp, you might need to decide to put plan B into action. This decision date depends on how easily you can change plans or get refunds.
Plan B
That Plan B needs to have been decided upon in advance, with the main choice being whether to cancel, move indoors or postpone to another pre-saved date. If you promote an alternative date early enough, hopefully people will have kept it free. If cancelling is the only option, make sure products are purchased on a sale or return basis and think about making sure prizes or raffles are non-perishable and not season specific. Make sure you have your Healthy and Safety plan in place to cover any eventuality.
Tell People
Whatever the plan is, make sure you let everyone involved know. Your suppliers, performers and stall holders all need to be aware of what they are signing up for. Your volunteers need to know to keep two dates free and your customers need to know where to go if things get moved inside. If the weather decides not to play ball, you will have all your bases covered and still have the best possible chance to make some moolah.
Rosie Julou
Rosie is the General Manager at Exult and works behind the scenes planning, organising and making everything run smoothly. She is passionate about working in the community sector.
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