Managing Business Projects: Fundraising event for a local charity

Name
BMGT5011 Managing Business Projects
Fundraising event for a local charity
Date
A. Introduction
A fundraising campaign is an activity carried out by a group to raise money for the group and its programs. The proposed fundraising campaign will require the group to participate in a fun day event that allows them to contribute money towards a charity. The minimum age of entry is 15 years where there is an entry fee £ 20 or sponsorship pledge of £150. Running a fundraising campaign aims to raise money, and while this is not one of the large-scale events, it is appropriate to attract the residents, well-wishers, and even corporate sponsors. Raising money in the shortest time possible and getting donations from different sources is important to the project’s success. Planning for the fundraising activity requires identifying the objectives, including the project needs and the need for priority funding. 
The project’s structure includes the project’s objectives in the next section, followed by the scope and assumptions, the performance criteria, initial planning, a detailed plan, stakeholder analysis, risk assessment and control approaches, and the conclusion section.  Independent charities like the Oxfordshire Community Foundation inspire local philanthropy and connect people with different causes, while addressing social problems and providing grants to other local charities and stakeholders.
B. Objectives
The purpose of the fun run event is to raise funds for a charity. Thus to achieve this, we will raise £8,000 or more through direct donations, fees, and sponsorships to support the event and other projects. There will be increased local awareness to garner grassroots support, outside support, and support from the community. The goal of raising £8,000 means that exceeding this figure shows that it is above the goal and if below this, the target has not been met. The clients are informed about the project’s goals and what is to be achieved where there is the dissemination of information to bring awareness and get support for the fun run fundraising event.
The project goals and objectives are realistic as they are based on the need to raise money for a local charity, which will, in turn, support local projects. The proposed project is expected to take three months from start to finish. This is sustainable where volunteers and those working to actualize the project are expected to meet the timeline's goals. Donations would make a difference to the local community, and the event is also open to organizations that will participate as partners or donors.
C. Scope and Assumptions
The scope and assumptions are included in the planning process and may be modified based on the project’s progress. This is a one-day event that will attract both the young and adults, with students encouraged to attend. The fundraiser can attract 400- 500 entrants and attendees committed to supporting and participating in the event. The scope further covers the efforts to manage the event efficiently and effectively, but not the means of transportation. There is preparation to ensure the event's success, including having the resources, defining responsibilities, and conducting the event. However, transportation depends on the attendees’ choice and means of transportation that is most convenient. The scope also caters to the attendees and entrants who do not seek large cash prizes, as is the case with professional runs.
There are different assumptions where the event will run for 5-10 km. in most events people run for 5 km or 10 km, and since the runners are professional this distance is appropriate. There is a demand for the fun run event where event will host the run for the Oxford Brookes University. It is also possible to organize and hold the event considering the logistics, resources require, the capacity and capability to organise the event. There is approval from the authorities and there are no interruptions in the activities. While there is no professional project manager there is project management to ensure the project’s success.
D. Performance Criteria
Evaluating the event’s performance requires asking questions about the event’s overall success, and where possible, surveying to corroborate the observations. The project is measured based on attendance and meeting financial goals. This is important as they reflect whether the event has accomplished its purpose. In fundraising projects, the donors’ and beneficiaries’ needs are taken into consideration (MacQuillin and Sargeant, 2019, p.242). Another essential aspect of the performance is the event promotion's success, based on whether the event reached the intended target, the people who attend, and how hard it is to spread the word about the event. Additionally, ease of purchasing tickets as it should be easy to buy the ticket and people to register without there being long delays.
Generating funds for the event is important to ensure that the event is suitable, and getting feedback on the fun run event is helpful. When there are minimum donations during fundraising drives, this likely sway those who would have paid less to increase the amount to the threshold level, and there is no significant drop in their willingness to pay (Huck, Rasul, and Shephard, 2015, p. 343). There is a lower relative price for those who give above the threshold level (Huck, Rasul, and Shephard, 2015, p. 343). Revenue generated from a fundraising strategy is a measurable outcome. There ought to be enough people in the case of attendance and not the event being a no-show. Considering the revenues and the costs involved helps to determine the return on investment for specific activities or events. The return on investment is an important indicator of what is most effective as part of the fundraising efforts. Having enough volunteers who are helpful and representing the charity’s values helps to ensure the event's success, as it is more likely that they know what to do.
 
E. Initial Planning
Fun Run EventWork-breakdown structure (WBS)
Project management
Sponsorships & Donations Marketing/ PRTicketing Volunteers Registration Venue
Identify Sponsor & Donors Estimate guests Follow-up before and after event Brand awarenessParticipant management
Online booking system
Refreshments Costs Social media campaign
Manual system
Other services
In the initial planning, there are different approaches such as the work breakdown structure (WBS). The WBS shows the critical work items, activities, and tasks of a project and shows their relationships to each other and to the project as a whole. The graphical depiction of WBS can help a project manager make predictions depending on different scenarios, which is beneficial in optimizing decision-making on the procedures and changes. The key objectives and tasks were identified as they help to achieve the charity’s goals. The work breakdown structure begins with the fun run event and then there are specific details that that are logically connected, and the WBS appears like a flowchart.
In the WBS, the elements at the bottom present the tasks that are explained to understand the execution of the task where there is a good level of detail. Planning helps to minimize errors, increase efficiency, and ensure better control of the tasks and activities since different projects are organized. Allocating responsibilities and ...