Club Council

Develop a projected budget for your event

Your event budget should include both expenses and income.  Don’t forget your event partners and keeping track of the event’s overall budget plus each partnering group’s contribution.  Make sure all event partners are working off of the same budget information to minimize miscommunication and accidental assumptions.

Throughout the event-planning process, you’ll need to monitor and track your expenses and income.

Think through your funding sources and opportunities

There are different funding sources available to your group but not all “money” can be spent in the same way. For example, not all grant funding can go towards your group’s operational expenses so you may need to look at using membership dues, event ticket sales or fundraising income to cover some of your expenses.

Grant Funding 

Club Council offers additional funding for events that your group hosts both on-campus and off-campus, as well as for travel to conferences/competitions.  

Planning ahead and completing the Club Council Funding application process early can allow your group greater access to available event funds. Learn more about Club Funding.

Consider collaborating with other student groups to plan an event!  Partnerships allow your group to put on larger scale events and share the planning responsibility with others.  

Fundraising

Fundraising is one of the best and most proactive ways to make your group self-sufficient, finance your group’s activities and gain valuable experience for the participating members.  All student group fundraising activities must follow University policies and procedures, as well as local, state, and federal laws.  When planning a fundraiser, keep the following in mind:

• Reserved spaces and contact tables must display the name of the student group and be staffed at all times by the members of the club/organization which have reserved space for the fundraiser or sale.
• The name of the sponsoring student group must be prominently displayed in all advertising and other communications connected with the fundraising or sales effort, including at the event site itself.
• Sales of goods and/or fundraising activities are allowed by registered student groups ONLY with an approved Solicitation Registration Form. 
• Registered clubs/organizations should be aware of licensing policies pertaining to the use of Appalachian State University's name, marks, and logos for use on any merchandise.

"People" and "Time"

All events, regardless of size, need to have dedicated individuals who will participate in planning for the event, serving as event and logistical coordinators, assist with promotions and publicity, assist in picking up supplies and other driving needs, organize event materials, and handle food or catering. There also needs to be a “day-of” team of volunteers who help with set-up and tear-down/clean up, serve as door greeters or staff check-in tables, and assist throughout the event itself so everything runs smoothly.

Depending on how large an event’s supporting team of people is, for both the event planning process and the day-of event management, the timeline needed for successful event planning will be affected.

Things to consider when determining your event date:

• How is your event being funded? If you need to secure funding through donations, fundraising, grants or partnerships – what is your estimated timeline for securing that funding?
• When will you actually receive the money and when will you need to pay your bills?
• Once your group has determined its event and logistical coordination team, how much time do they really need in order to successfully plan for your event? 
• Once you’ve mapped the funding timeline and event planning timeline, what is your venue availability?
• Between enough time to plan, knowing that you can pay for the event, determining venue or event space availability, you should have an idea of your “final” event date. Do you have enough time to properly promote your event? Is the event date a good time for your intended audience to come?