Fundraising Events Resources
Event Planning Guide
Thank you for your interest in hosting an event to benefit Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters. From businesses to community organizations to individuals, anyone can host a fundraiser that will make a difference in the lives of our children.
With the support of friends like you, CHKD is able to offer our patients the care, attention and healing they deserve. There are a number of unique programs that make our hospital such a special place, that wouldn’t be possible without philanthropy. We look forward to working with you!
Event Planning Process - Where do I begin?
Prior beginning work on a fundraiser to benefit CHKD, your event must go through an approval process. Please note that events may not be advertised as supporting the hospital until this process has been complete. CHKD never endorses any door-to-door
solicitations or sales to benefit the hospital.
- Contact the hospital’s development department by email or by phone at (757) 668-7070.
- You’ll receive a follow-up call to get more information on your event, and a special
events proposal form will be sent to you.
- Complete the special events proposal form and return to the hospital via email or fax. It will be reviewed for consideration and approved or denied. The more information you are able to provide on the form, the quicker the review process will be.
CHKD Guidelines
- The use of CHKD’s name and/or logo for publicity and fund-raising purposes by community groups and individuals is allowed by written permission through the development
department.
- Children’s Hospital must only be named as the beneficiary of the event, not as the host. For example, you should call your event “Golf Tournament to benefit Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters” rather than “Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters Golf Tournament”.
- It shall be the goal of all events intended as “fundraisers” to net a minimum of
50% of the gross income.
- All copy for advertisements, point of purchase materials and other event-related promotional materials used by a sponsoring organization will be approved by the development office at CHKD prior to use.
- If you plan to solicit sponsorship support for your event, please discuss it with
your hospital contact.
- No costs associated with special events that are sponsored by a community group will be incurred by CHKD.
- Event hosts may not keep any portion of the proceeds for profit or compensation for putting on the event.
- Recognition for the sponsoring group’s donation to CHKD will be in accordance with the established Donor Recognition Policy.
- Proceeds must be presented to CHKD within 30 days after the event, unless otherwise agreed to prior to the event. All monetary transactions for the special event will be handled by the sponsoring group.
- All staffing and volunteers for the special event will be provided by and will be the responsibility of the sponsoring group unless otherwise agreed to prior to the event.
- All aspects of approved events must be reflective of CHKD’s reputation as a family-centered institution.
- All communication with the hospital regarding your event must be done through your
contact in the hospital's development department.
What support does CHKD provide?
Here’s what we are able to do to support you as you plan your fundraiser:
- Provide event planning guidance and expertise
- Promote the event on the CHKD website
- Provide CHKD publicity materials such as stickers, banners and brochures
- Issue IRS-compliant receipts to donors as appropriate.
- Provide formal acknowledgement of a contribution to donors who make their check payable to CHKD
- Provide a copy of the CHKD logo
- Write a letter showing our support of your event
Unless otherwise agreed to prior to the event’s approval, CHKD is not able to secure sponsorship or funding support, provide volunteers, obtain press coverage, provide reimbursements for expenses, secure celebrities to attend your event, distribute promotional material in the hospital, offer a mailing list of donors, or guarantee attendance of CHKD personnel at your event.
Steps to a successful CHKD fundraising event
- Choose something that interests you, then create an event around it.
Almost any interest or hobby can be turned into a fundraiser! The more you enjoy what you are working on, the better the event will be all around.
- Contact CHKD to get the approval process started. Email us, or call us at (757)
668-7070, and we’ll provide you with your special events proposal form. Once the event has been approved, continue planning.
- Assemble a planning committee. Whether this is friends, family or co-workers – or all three!- you’ll want to get together a group of people you know you can depend on to get the job done. The more support you have, the more successful you will be.
- Plan your budget and establish an achievable fundraising goal.
This is especially important in an event’s first year. Whether you are planning to raise $500 or $20,000, you want to make sure that you have the plans in place to realistically reach your goal.
- Schedule your event. Choose a date, location, and time to hold your fundraiser. Be sure to schedule around any major holidays or school vacations, and give yourself as much time as you’ll need to make the event a success.
- Promote your event. Put a plan together for getting the word out about your fundraiser. Even if you don’t have a large budget for this, there are many ways to publicize what you’re doing. Of course newspaper, tv and radio advertising come to mind, but don’t forget about church or synagogue bulletins, posting flyers in the community, listing the event on online bulletin boards and event calendars, email marketing, and word-of-mouth advertising.
- Hold the event and have fun with it! Once all funds are collected, contact the hospital to coordinate next steps, particularly if you would like to do an official check presentation.
- Thank your supporters. From your committee members to your sponsors to your event attendees, make sure everyone knows how much you appreciate their support! Be sure to spread the word about how much you raised.
Frequently Asked Questions
Click on the question to view the answer.
Can I use CHKD’s name and logo?
Answer:
Once you have gone through the
event approval process, you will have permission to use our name and logo. All materials using our name and/or logo must be reviewed by the hospital prior to printing.
What if I don’t know how much my event will raise?
Answer:
Every dollar that is donated to Children’s Hospital makes a difference for our patients. Whether your fundraiser brings in $100 or $100,000, your hard work on behalf of the hospital is truly appreciated. The most important thing is to be realistic about your budget and how much you can raise, and work to make that goal a reality.
Can someone from CHKD attend and/or speak at my event?
Answer:
Due to the demand on staff time, attendance of CHKD personnel
at your fundraiser cannot be guaranteed. We will work with groups on an individual basis to determine staff availability.
How can the hospital promote my fundraiser?
Answer:
Once your event is approved, we will post it on our
online events calendar provided it is open to the public. We can not guarantee or finance any press coverage or obtain any celebrities to attend your event.
Do I need to be a non-profit organization to host a fundraiser?
Answer:
You do not need to be a non-profit organization to host a fundraiser for the hospital,
unless your fundraiser involves an activity only non-profits can host, such as bingo and other games of chance.
Can I hold my fundraiser at CHKD?
Answer:
Unfortunately, due to space constraints, fundraisers hosted by community members not affiliated with the hospital cannot take place on hospital grounds.
Can I host a fundraiser to benefit a specific patient?
Answer:
CHKD cannot authorize the use of our name or logo in fund-raising events that are to benefit one specific patient or family.
Does CHKD receive a lot of community support?
Answer:
Philanthropy has always played a critical role in our ability to provide state-of-the-art services to meet the diverse medical needs of children. Ongoing support from all areas of the community makes CHKD the special place that it for so many families. Without generous support, we would not be able to maintain our unique level of care. For example, many services key to a child’s recovery, such as child life, pastoral care, and social work, are not reimbursed by insurance and rely on charitable gifts to help our children and families.
Is CHKD affiliated with Children’s Miracle Network?
Answer:
CChildren’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters is one of 170 children’s hospitals across North America that is a Children’s Miracle Network member hospital. For more information on Children’s Miracle Network, please click
here.
Should I be concerned about the privacy of my gift?
Answer:
CHKD does not share or sell donor information with other companies or organizations. Unless you request that your gift remain anonymous, all donors giving $350 or more each year are listed in CHKD’s annual Honor Roll of Contributors published in Kidstuff Magazine. Donors who give $1,000 or more annually are also included on the hospital’s donor wall that is currently under development. We will always respect your wishes for privacy and if you have any concerns, please contact the development office at (757) 668-7070.
Contact Us
For more information, please call our development department at (757) 668-7070 or send us an
email.