RAISING MONEY FOR CHARITY

Two natural disasters rocked Asia recently - a cyclone in Myanmar, and an earthquake in China, which brings me to the topic of raising money for charity.

Raising money for charity is essentially about earning money for a cause you believe in. And you're never too young to start helping out with various causes. But how do you go about it?

First, find a cause that you personally find worthy, and can get excited about.

Then, contact organisation or organisations that work within that area. Find out whether they have existing fundraiser projects that you can join. That is a good way to start -- to join others who are already experienced in fund-raising.

Read up on how to organise fundraisers and how others have successfully done so.

Once you gain some experience, try coming up with creative projects for raising money. You are likely to raise more if your fundraiser moves people in some way, or creates a dramatic impression. For example, if you're working on a charity for pets, you might want to organise a pet competition so that you can get pet-lovers together, and tell them about all the good your chosen charity is doing.

Submit your proposal to your charity, and gain approval. People are more likely to donate if they know you are officially affiliated to the charity.

And don't forget to advertise your event. Get your friends and family to pass out flyers. Ask if your local community newspapers will put your event in their listings. etc. etc.

Make sure you plan and organise your event so that it runs smooothly. You'll have to calculate how many people you need to take care of booths, games, competitions, etc, and source for volunteers. You'll also have to remember to train your volunteers. Also, since your main objective is to raise funds, make sure you have persuasive people in charge of talking about the charity and collecting donations. You may also want to approach local businesses to sponsor prizes, etc. in return for acknowledgements in flyers or billboards at your event. Approach your local media to see if they're interested in covering your event -- that could give valuable publicity to your charity.

Lastly, at the end of the event, keep a careful account of how much has been collected and arrange for it to be delivered to your charity.

Are you thinking now that raising money for charity is really not much different from starting a business? You're right. When you raise money for charity, you're learning all the different skills that you'll need to succeed in the business world.