Raising money with a Disco
A disco can be an excellent way for younger people to enjoy themselves and to raise money for charity in the process.
A simple disco for younger children is fairly straightforward to organise, but events for older children or adults tend to be bigger events and need a bit more organising. There are security considerations that could make it difficult for a voluntary group to organise discos for older children! You must consider these issues in your planning for the event.
Click the following link for some ideas on planning the event.
Tips on planning fundraising events
This type of event stands or falls on the quality and suitability of the music and the DJ. Employ a professional DJ and check their references, even going so far as to contact some of the customers they list. Be clear on what their service covers and what it does not cover!
Make sure that you get a drinks licence sorted out properly if you plan to sell alcohol. Get a local pub or off-licence to run the bar. They will supply all the drinks needed and will provide the staff; either for a fixed cost or for a percentage of the takings. If you buy alcohol for the event make sure that you buy it on a sale or return basis! In general it is not a good idea to allow alcohol on the premises for events which are intended for teenagers or younger adults!
This type of event will probably have a lot of people attending. It is generally worth putting a lot of effort into the raffle, with additional prizes and better quality prizes. Try to get the prizes donated from local businesses or individual people. If the raffle costs are low then the potential is there to make a good profit from it.
Holding the event in a school hall or a village or church hall is normally quite acceptable. However there can be additional problems with security and potential troublemakers. Although people who gatecrash these events can be of any age, they are more likely to be older teenagers. You may need to address security issues to keep people out of other parts of the location. It is also important that you check the buildings and the grounds after the event for anything that has been lying around. This is especially important if the event is in a school hall or is in a place which is being used by younger children the following day.
Although I am highlighting some negatives in holding a disco, I recognise that these problems are more likely in some areas than others. Take advice from the people who own the hall. Also take advice form the local community police. They will have a much better understanding of potential problems and do take their advice!!