Step 1:

Start your planning by holding a brainstorming meeting with your entire Lions Club. These are the main questions to be answered:

The Red Mountain Lions Club
in West Richland has tied their
fundraising into a concert series
at the city pavilion.
• Who will chair the event?
• Who will perform? Can you tie into an existing concert?
  (Consider anything ranging from your local symphony to a high school band or even karaoke contest.)
• Where will the concert be held?
• How will money be raised?
  (Tickets, suggested donation at the door, raffle prize, concessions, CD sales, etc.)
• If you're doing a raffle, what will the prize be?
• Will an alcohol permit be required? What are the local restrictions on age (in terms of curfew) and sound levels?
• Who are potential volunteers and participants?
• Where will you advertise?
• How will you work hearing awareness into the event?
• If you're holding an outdoor concert, what's the back-up plan for bad weather?

Make it your mission to have a chair by the end of the meeting, as well as volunteers to help prepare for the concert. If you still have spots to fill, ask group members to suggest people they know and tap into connections with schools and employers.

Step 2:

Secure your location – it could be as informal as a park, community center, or someone's home. Take into account parking and whether or not you'll need any special permits from the city. Also, consider the seating arrangements. Is the concert BYOC (Bring Your Own Chair), is there seating available, or will you have to rent?

Step 3:

Line up the performer. It could be one main group like your church gospel choir or several smaller groups like a barbershop quartet, acoustic guitar player, and Neil Diamond cover band performing one after the other – now that's unique! (This idea works for karaoke, too…just say you'll keep singing until the collection jar is full!)

Step 4:

Download our
sample poster

Choose a date, keeping in mind that it doesn't have to correspond with the official Play it by Ear days (the month of October). Yours may be contingent on the location, weather, other local events, and volunteer availability.

Step 5:

Finalize your plans for raising the money. As applicable… Decide on the amount for tickets and how they will be printed and sold. (At the door, in stores, via e-mail, etc.) Submit requests for a raffle prize and business sponsorships. Set prices and purchase items if you're selling concessions.

Step 6:

Publicize! Have Club members tell everyone they know, post flyers around the community, get a spot in your newspaper's events calendar, print posters and handouts to display at the event and show how the money raised will make a difference…

Step 7:

Download our
sample slide show

Decide how to incorporate hearing awareness into the concert. We've made a PowerPoint slide show that can be projected onto a screen behind the band or in your "mingling" area. The presentation contains hearing facts and great pictures of people we've helped. A sample slide is on the right.

Step 8:

Week of the event… Final check-in meeting with volunteers and reminder calls to performers.

Step 9:

Day of the event… Have fun!

Step 10:

After the event… At your next meeting, discuss how things went. What worked? What would you change for next year?

Send the money raised from your hard work to our very grateful Foundation, along with the Final Report. Send thank you letters to everyone who contributed to your success. If you'd like us to send them, just attach a list of deserving people to your report.