Why Christmas is the best time to host a charity dinner

We are in mid-November which means that it is only a matter of weeks until Christmas arrives. While you might be busy ordering your Christmas dinner, arranging dates to meet up with family and friends, and working out what to buy everybody, perhaps you might also think about arranging a charity dinner.

Charity dinners are a fantastic opportunity to gather together with a lot of people in the name of a good cause. Here are some of the most significant reasons that you should arrange a charity dinner in December:

Season of generosity

For many centuries, Christmas time has been synonymous with the season of goodwill, love, and caring for those in need. Today the majority of us still think of it as a time to gather with other people and be thankful for what we have. With these feelings of thankfulness and generosity in mind, it is a brilliant time of the year to host a charity gathering.

Free time

As well as being a season of goodwill, it is also a season of free time! While throughout the year employees are busy at different times and might need to be all over the country depending on their work, most book holiday over the festive period and tend to stay closer to home near their family, meaning that many are free to attend these kinds of events.

Saving up for Christmas

December is the most expensive month of the year for the vast majority of us what with spending on gifts, wrapping paper, travelling to see family, Christmas dinner etc. What you might forget though is that people tend to save up for this part of the year which means that –providing they get into the festive spirit- they can afford to donate to charity.

People are looking for a good time

Not doing anything over Christmas is not just a bit of a faux pas, it is actually very depressing, especially when you are bombarded with images in the media of people gathering together for good fun. Hosting a charity event is not only for a good cause but an opportunity to spend time with other people, partying and letting your hair down.

If you are hosting a charity dinner over the next couple of months, why not raise money on behalf of SRSB? We are a Sheffield charity which is truly thankful for every penny raised. Our purpose is to provide opportunity, support, and friendship to blind and partially sighted people in Sheffield, helping them to be whatever they aspire to be.

How to present a successful charity dinner at home

There are many different ways that you can raise money for charity. From running a marathon to doing a bungee jump, there are lots of things that you can try but one of the most successful methods of raising money is to present a charity dinner.

Along with a big group of fundraisers, you could arrange a charity night in which you hire out a large venue and invite hundreds of guests. However, raising money for charity does not necessarily need to be a huge event; you can raise lots of money in your very own home.

Here are 5 simple steps to arranging your charity dinner:

      Plan well in advance

Regardless of how many (or how few) people you intend to invite, it is important to plan everything well in advance. Decide who you are going to invite, how you would like the evening to be run, and how much money you are aiming to raise. The earlier you send out invitations, the more people will be able to make it.

Provide a simple menu

You don’t want to waste money that can go towards the charity on trying to cater to the tastes of everyone. Make sure that you have meat and vegetarian dishes available as well as a mixture of salad and tastier (less healthy) food. Satisfying everybody does not require hundreds of dishes, just: 1 starter, a choice of 2 mains, 1 dessert is fine.

Have an auction

One of the best ways to raise money is of course to present an auction. Depending on your  budget, you might want to present one expensive prize – such as a holiday or visit to a nearby attraction – and then have other, less expensive prizes such as alcohol, an ornament, a signed object, or something else equally quirky.

Present a quiz

Everybody loves a quiz and it is a great way to break up the evening. Remember to include a mixture of easy and difficult questions so that everybody can join in. If you want to do something different have some sort of egg hunt or quiz take place all over the house, e.g.  cut up pictures of famous faces and rearrange the parts – the quiz is to unravel who is in the picture.

Get a DJ

Last but not least, book a DJ so that everyone can party the night away. Make sure plenty of alcohol is provided and pick a good playlist!

If you are wondering how to actually make money from all this, you can either charge people an entry fee (e.g. £5 pp) or simply leave a little donation bucket in each room for people to donate to as they please.