In today's society there are many people in need, such as sick children with lack of health insurance and families who are losing their homes due to loss of work and an inability to pay their bills. A good way of offering support is to host a benefit to raise money. If you are considering hosting a benefit to help a family in need or to bring awareness to an illness, you may be worried about how to get donations.

Create Fliers to Announce the Benefit and Cause

Create and distribute fliers to announce the benefit. A good way to create the fliers is to use your personal computer. Create the flier in a software, such as Microsoft Word or Publisher. Publisher is probably the best way to go, but a person with limited computer skills may find it easier to navigate Word. Say for instance that you are hosting a benefit for a child with leukemia. Write a concise overview of the disease, including statistics on survival rate. Include a paragraph about the child involved, giving details of the severity of his illness and the struggle he has or will endure. Add details such as lack of insurance or ability to may medical bills. Include a picture of the child to add a personal touch. Announce the date, time and location of the event as well any entertainment or meal that will be provided. In addition, include the charge, if any, that there is to attend. Finally, be sure to add that it is a charitable benefit for which donations are being solicited.

Distribute Fliers

Once you have completed the fliers, you will need to distribute them for which there are several ways to do. Word of mouth is one of the best ways to receive donations. Start by spreading the word to your family, friends and co-workers. Show them the fliers you have created and ask them to hand them out and to tell everyone they know about the benefit. When others learn about charitable benefits through people they know, they are more likely to attend and usually donate bigger amounts. Stop in to local businesses and restaurants. Ask them to post the fliers on their counters or to hand them out. While you are there, tell them about the cause and the benefit and ask them to attend. Ask family and friends to volunteer by handing out the fliers and invitations to the benefit in their neighborhoods or at their places of employment. Doing this is a good way to meet with people face to face and persuade them to attend the benefit by explaining the cause. Another good option for distributing fliers is to have them inserted into the local newspaper. You can do this by calling the newspaper of your choice and talking with an advertising sales representative. You can choose which areas you want the fliers to be distributed. Keep in mind, there is a cost to do this which will vary depending on the quantity of fliers as well as the size of the area you wish to include in the distribution. If you are on a tight budget, this may not be a viable option.

Silent Auctions And Raffles

Another good option to raise money is a silent auction during the benefit--a fun entertainment for the attendees. Ask local business or sponsors of the benefit to donate small items to be auctioned off. Explain to them that the proceeds are being donated in whole to the cause. Raffles during the event is another good way to earn money for the benefit. Most raffles cost between $1 and $5 for the attendee to enter to win a small, donated item.

Donation Bins

A relatively inexpensive way to gain donations is to place bins in local businesses where people can deposit small amounts of money. Again, be sure to post a flier on the bin explaining what the donation is for.