Local fundraising example:
Benefit concert

Organisation	Instituto de Música Educação e Cultura Harold Berman Choro Blue
Type	NGO
Suitability	Starting organisation
Country	Brazil
Funding needed for	Musical education and instruments
Period of action	May 25, 2013
In-kind donations raised	Food and drinks
Types of donations	Selling of concert tickets; selling of food, drinks and CD´s of the concert
Types of donors	The community in general; beneficiaries and former students of the Institute; local businessmen and women

Summary

The Institute's main activity is teaching music to underprivileged children. The first instrument is the recorder. Later children are taught how to play other instruments and they join the Choro Blue band. For this event the band performed Brazilian classic songs. Online media were used to advertise the concert (website, blogs and social media). Besides the tickets, food and drinks were sold. During the concert a CD was recorded, which was made available commercially and was received very well. The Choro Blue band is staging concerts to raise funds on a regular basis, not only in their own city, but in many others as well.

Tips and lessons learned

Creating a sense of community with the local businesses is essential to achieve success in getting their support.
Giving something in return for a donation (like a CD) increases the chance of receiving donations.
Events are a good opportunity to make contact with potential donors and ask for their support.
Involving the community and local businesses makes them potential partners for the future.

Review by Wilde Ganzen Foundation

A benefit concert for an Institute teaching music: what better way to get your fundraising message across. If we look at cost/benefit, the ticket sale is obviously the most profitable part of this activity. If the Institute would try to attract more sponsors for food, drinks and theatre rent, they would be able to reduce the costs even more and get more revenues out of their events.

Details

Objectives

Create awareness of the activies of the Institute.
Encourage solidarity and donations in the community where the Institute is based.
Involve the beneficiaries and former students of the Institute.

Targeted donors

The local businesses and the community in general.
Beneficiaries and former students of the Institute.

Results

Accounting details

Income (in Euros):                        

Tickets                                 1.290
Snacks                                    260
CD's                                        390

Costs (in Euros):                            

Invitations                               38
Theatre rent                            58
Snacks                                     65
100 CD's                                260
Daily support man                  32

Description of preparatory work

Meetings to set up the event's programme.
Inviting voluntary musicians (15 collaborated).
Finding partners for production. Asking local businesses to support with food and drinks.
Promoting the event.
Selling tickets.

Description of implementation

Each one of the 6 employees involved was responsible for a specific task. At the concert somebody collected names and addresses of the audience, so they could be contacted when the CD would be launched to buy it.