Organise a Ball or Gala

Lights, camera and shine in your very own Rays of Sunshine glamorous ball or gala.

How to hold your Ball or Gala Night

Budget

  • Decide your income and expenditure budget at the start and make sure you monitor all costs carefully.
  • Check for hidden costs such as running a cash bar or a cloakroom.
  • Please do not take on any personal debt to organise an event for Rays of Sunshine.

Date

When picking a date for your event make sure you:

  • Allow between 6-12 months to organise the event.
  • Check for major sporting or public events so that it doesn’t clash.
  • Invite your guests as soon as you can but no later than about 12-8 weeks in advance.
  • Consider sending a ‘Save the Date’ in advance of this.
  • Don’t try and do it all alone if it is a big event.
  • Put together a group of people who can help and assign them jobs (decorations, ticket sales etc.)
  • Think about recruiting additional volunteers on the night.

Venue

  • Your venue can be the biggest attraction for your guests, so think outside the box.
  • Base the rooms size on how many people you think you can realistically sell tickets too.
  • Even the least glamorous location can be dressed up to look spectacular if you pick the right theme!
  • Our team can also provide you with materials to help decorate your venue. Get in touch to find out what we have available.

Food and drink

  • Many venues will expect you to use their catering or pick from a list of approved providers.
  • Think realistically about what your guests will expect and how extravagant food and drink needs to be.
  • Check dietary requirements of your guests and ensure there are soft drinks on offer.

Promotion

  • Local radio and media can help promote your event. Contact us for help on how to publicise.
  • Ask 10 friends to invite 10 people to give your initial tickets sales a boost.
  • Encourage people to take a table of tickets (perhaps offer a discount).
  • Put together a poster advertising the event and ask anyone you can to display this.
  • Ask the venue if they are able to help promote.

Tickets

  • Base your ticket price on covering all costs, then all funds raised on the night can be donated to Rays.
  • Consider offering a range of ticket prices (e.g. paying more to sit closer to the front of the room).

Sponsorship

A great way to raise extra money or underwrite your costs. Local businesses may be willing to offer free or discount services. For example: printing tickets, invitations and programmes, providing auction or raffle prizes.

Raise more

  • Head and tails -Sell tickets to participants. Players place their hands on their heads or bottom, the MC tosses a coin. If it lands on heads all the people with their hands on their bottoms sit down; this continues until there is one person standing who wins a prize.
  • Ask people to donate to take home the flowers at the end of the night
  • Gift Aid can be claimed on donations but cannot be claimed on ticket sales, raffle, and auction. Contact Rays of Sunshine for more information about Gift Aid.

Supporting Rays

  • Please send any materials including our logo to us for approval.
  • If you use the logo it MUST be accompanied by our registered charity no. 1102529.
  • Please let us know if you would like someone to speak about Rays of Sunshine at your event

After your event

  • Count up the amount raised on the night with a witness and contact us to pay in your fundraising.
  • Thank your guests, volunteers and sponsors with the total raised and a few photos.
  • Send a press release to local media with photos.
Register your Gala here!
Set up your JustGiving page

Promote your fundraiser

Setting up a JustGiving page is the easiest way to get donations. Make sure to spread your page far and wide on social media and with friends and family.

You can set one up by following the link below:

Fundraising for Rays of Sunshine

Rays of Sunshine Children’s Charity brightens the lives of seriously and terminally ill children and their families across the UK. We bring their dreams to life by granting magical wishes, providing services at children’s hospitals and hospices, and making sure our wish families are supported and feel part of our Rays of Sunshine family. We are committed to making our work and approach child-centred, high quality and meaningful.

Your fundraising will help Rays of Sunshine create more magical memories.