Events are great to attend and can be fun to organise – why not take advantage of the fact the we are a national organisation and invite some new people along too?
When groups get together there is always that added buzz and the bigger numbers mean more ideas and more variety of meetings. You could even throw it open to the general public too.
Organising an event doesn’t have to be difficult. One group or even a single person could do the whole thing. How? First of all, if you have an Area Organiser contact her. If you don’t then contact NWR. The office has a wealth of material to help you and it won’t cost you anything. In fact, there is a £100 start-up grant for events. So you don’t have to stump up your own money for things such as a deposit for a venue.
Top tips for organising events:
- Choose a good venue. For a quiz a school or village hall will do but for other events, particularly if you are trying to attract members from outside the area, somewhere more interesting is a good idea. Perhaps a historic building or a room in an interesting town.
- Choose a good speaker or activity leader. Ask around, someone will have heard a speaker they can recommend. If a speaker is associated with a charity they may ask for a donation. This is OK as long as you make it clear that you are paying them for their time and what they do with the money is their concern.
- Food is always an important part of the day but doesn’t have to cost a lot. If budget is an issue, how about a ‘bring and share’ lunch?
- Advertise your event. Send information to other local groups or further afield if you wish. The office can put you in touch with Local Organisers. Tell them what you are planning, give them the dates and ask them to inform their members. Then send more information and booking forms nearer the date. Be prepared, you will probably have to follow this up with reminders.
- Don’t worry! If you organise it they will come.
- Need ideas? You could do a quiz or theatre visit, have a speaker or do a workshop. Why not have a look at other groups’ programmes by going to their group pages on the website.
So how about it? We are National Women’s Register after all. We’re looking forward to seeing you at your next event!