Your guide to holding a successful special event for cancer research & enhancements to care at the BC Cancer Agency.

Keys to your successful event

1. A great idea.
2. Volunteers - friends, family and/or co-workers to help you.
3. A good financial plan. The BC Cancer Foundation can provide you with guidance and advice, but please plan and promote your event well to ensure a good turn out and financial success.
4. The cause - cancer is the leading cause of premature death in Canada.
5. People want to support cancer research and care. State clearly where the proceeds from your event are going and why.

Here's an easy-to-follow checklist to help organize your event and ensure it is a great success. (Download the full special event guide.)

1 Contact us
2 Form a committee
3 Book your event
4 Give your event a name
5 Use of the BC Cancer Foundation name & logo
6 Set goals
7 Decide what the funds will support
8 Sponsorship
9 Giveaways & prizes
10 Do you need licenses?
11 Using additional fundraising opportunities
12 Volunteers
13 Accounting
14 Tax Information
15 Promotion
16 Remind your attendees who they are supporting
17 Saying thank you
18 Showcase your success

Other information available

1. Media how-to guide
2. Tax information guide

For more information, please contact your local BC Cancer Foundation office.

1 Contact us
Our staff have assisted many third party event organizers and are happy to help you organize your event. Ensure you are on the right track by contacting us to outline the nature of your event and to get answers to any questions you may have.

2 Form a committee
Form a committee with as many "doers" as there are functions to be performed. Committee areas could include: securing the venue; organizing the food and beverages; acquiring prizes; publicity and promotional materials; soliciting sponsorships; recruiting a master of ceremonies; managing the budget and accounting.

3 Book your event
Book your venue in advance. Make sure your event date will not conflict with any similar events in the community. Work backwards from that date to identify the steps that need to be taken to organize your event.

4 Give your event a name
Naming your event gives it a brand and helps people recognize it and its purpose; particularly if you plan on holding the event annually. Make sure you mention the event is to support the BC Cancer Foundation.

5 Use of the BC Cancer Foundation name & logo
We would be proud to have our logo and name displayed on your event materials. To ensure our identity is represented correctly, we ask that all promotional material using the BC Cancer Foundation name and logo be approved by the BC Cancer Foundation. Our logo and graphic standards for use can be emailed to you upon request. The BC Cancer Foundation's graphic standards guide must be adhered to for all use of the BC Cancer Foundation logo (please allow up to one week approval).

6 Set goals
Set a fundraising goal for your event. Establish a budget that shows all your expenses and how much you expect to make to reach your goal amount.

7 Decide what the funds will support
You may donate your event proceeds to a specific area that the BC Cancer Foundation supports. This could include: cancer research and care in general; a specific type of cancer research that is most meaningful to you and your group; or a specific care initiative that the BC Cancer Foundation supports in your local region. Remember the BC Cancer Foundation supports the activities of the BC Cancer Agency across British Columbia, including centres in Vancouver, Surrey, Kelowna and Victoria.

8 Sponsorship
Sponsorship can be in the form of cash or a service/product. Events are excellent opportunities for businesses to promote their name, particularly when aligned with a fun, successful event that supports a very worthwhile cause.

9 Giveaways & prizes
You can create gift bags for your attendees depending on your event. One idea would be to secure free gifts and products from sponsors or local businesses.

10 Do you need licenses?
Check with the Municipal Hall, Police, Gaming Policy & Enforcement Branch, and Liquor Control and Licensing Branch in your city to determine if you need any licenses (e.g. raffles, liquor). Remember six to eight weeks are needed for the processing of most permits so please factor this in to your timeline.

11 Using additional fundraising opportunities
Silent or live auctions, 50/50 draws or raffles may be additional fundraising possibilities to consider. Check with your local Gaming Policy & Enforcement Branch about licenses needed. For additional fundraising ideas please contact your local BC Cancer Foundation representative or Jennifer Harper.

12 Volunteers
Do you need volunteers on the day of your event? Determine what duties need to be done and assign them to your volunteers.

13 Accounting
We recommend you open a bank account in the name of your event. People are more willing to make a cheque payable to an event rather than an individual and it simplifies the accounting process. Once all the funds have been received and all event expenses have been paid, compile a list of revenue and expenses and prepare a cheque for the proceeds raised, made out to the BC Cancer Foundation. To ensure prompt processing of tax receipts, please send your cheque to the BC Cancer Foundation within 30 days after your event.

14 Tax Information
In some cases, tax receipts can be issued to donors, participants and sponsors. More information can be accessed at the Canada Revenue Agency web site: www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tax/charities. You must follow Canada Revenue Agency tax receipting policies and inform event attendees and sponsors of these rules. Different tax rules apply for various types of donations (i.e. cash, art, gifts in-kind) so please contact us and we can assist you in determining which guidelines will apply to your event. We also have a tax guide available, so please ensure you ask for it.

15 Promotion
Promote your event effectively by ensuring your promotional materials clearly state the correct date, time, location and what the ticket price includes (i.e. dinner, drinks, door prizes, etc), as well as where the proceeds go. We would be happy to provide four lines of advertising space on our event web page as well as a link to your web site, if you have one. There are many ways to publicize your event to the public, including having stories published in your local newspapers, radio and TV. Please request our media how-to guide for guidance in this area.

16 Remind your attendees who they are supporting
Contact us to discuss how you can create a BC Cancer Foundation presence at your event. We have items such as brochures, balloons, pens, magnets, banners, golf balls & tees and videos that we'd be happy to supply. If you would like a speaker or representative from the BC Cancer Foundation, please let us know well in advance. We will do our best to arrange a representative to attend your event.

17 Saying thank you
Thank individuals, sponsors, attendees, volunteers and anyone providing services or gifts to your event. They will know how much you appreciate their support and be more willing to support your event in the future. Please supply us with a list of everyone you want the BC Cancer Foundation to thank as well.

18 Showcase your success
We are proud of your efforts to help us get closer to a world free from cancer. Whenever possible, please send the BC Cancer Foundation any written information or photographs from your event which may be included in the Foundation's future publications or sent to local print media.

For more information, please contact your local BC Cancer Foundation office.

Provincial Office & Lower Mainland
Rebecca Kerbel, development officer, special events
Phone 604.675.8243
Toll free 1.888.906.2873
rkerbel@bccancer.bc.ca

Sacha Lehto, development officer, special events
Phone 604.675.8242
Toll free 1.888.906.2873
slehto@bccancer.bc.ca

Abbotsford
Liz Harris, development officer
Phone 604.851.4736
Toll free 1.877.851.0111
lharris3@bccancer.bc.ca

Fraser Valley
Rachel Mitchell, development coordinator
Phone 604.930.4084
Toll free 1.866.232.9974
rmitchell@bccancer.bc.ca

Southern Interior
Michelle De Sousa, development officer
Phone 250.979.6652
Toll free 1.866.230.9988
michelle.desousa@bccancer.bc.ca

Vancouver Island
Heather Jones, senior development officer
Phone 250.519.5552
Toll free 1.866.519.5550
hjones@bccancer.bc.ca

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