Written by Danny on April 7, 2012 – 5:39 pm
Ellie held a pamper party raising well over £1000 for Arms Around The Child – here’s her story. Get inspired. Throw your own bash!!
“Girls and Boys night in” I started this party idea a few years ago, born out of the desire to fund raise but at the same time not have to kill myself running a marathon or climbing a mountain although very worthy and hats off to those who do!
So let’s do what I am good at, throwing a party, but how to get people really engaged and know why they are there, something that often gets lost when having too much fun and alcohol.
OK, so calm relaxed, good conversation could be a dinner party where you ask everyone to donate, that works well! Or, how about asking some of the lovely people I know to donate some time and their talents? So this is what I did. I asked friends to come and do massage, manicures, caricatures, magic, crystal readings, tarot, palm readings, sing, dance, hairdressing, make up, shaving, cooking, tell stories in fact anything I could think of that anyone I knew could do, some were friends of friends.
Perfect, set the date and went about inviting friends and friends of friends mostly via facebook and text and asked for a donation of £10 per person either via the just giving page (good for gift aid) or on the night, you could ask for more and some did donate more. I visited local restaurants, hairdressers and companies to get raffle prizes . The raffle was a great moment to gather everyone together on the night and tell them about the charity and what their support meant to me and the cause.
I was very lucky that some very kind friends donated all the food for the evening BBQ’d to perfection (salmon parcels and more) served in chef whites with a smile. My son and his friends took great care of the bar, mixing cocktails and a few for themselves!. People bought drinks with them and I was lucky enough to get donations from local supermarkets and friends. If you don’t ask you don’t get!
The evening raised over £1000.00 plus the gift aid of £250 everyone had a treatment or 2 and once again a very successful evening for all who came, ladies, men, boys and girls and the kiddies who loved selling the raffle tickets.
