Organizing a fundraising event is a fun and rewarding way to contribute to your community or to a worthy cause. Whether you're trying to send the high school drama club on a field trip or raising money for a national charity, careful planning, creative thinking, and attention to details will help you generate the kind of support that can really make a difference. This easy guide includes steps to follow and some creative fundraising ideas to help you plan a successful event.

First, it helps to clearly establish your financial goals and what you'd like the event to accomplish. Create a document with the following information, and refer to it throughout the planning process to keep everyone on track.

Create a mission statement. Describe exactly who or what will benefit from your event. Include a brief description of the organization's needs, and explain how a fundraising event will help meet them.

Establish a financial goal. If you're sending a school dance team to a tournament, calculate travel and lodging expenses and adjust the amount to account for extra costs. If you're raising local contributions for a larger cause, set a realistic (and optimistic!) per-person dollar amount that you'd like to collect.

Think outside the dollar. Consider in-kind donations—such as equipment, practice space, or meals—that could help your cause. Offer these as options in lieu of cash donations, but always leave the door open for generous donors to write generous checks.

Now that you've created your framework, it's time to come up with fun and creative ideas for what will actually happen at your event. Consider who will be attending and what types of activities they would enjoy. Remember to keep an eye on costs to ensure that as much money as possible goes to your cause. Here are a few ideas to get you thinking.

Conduct a silent auction. People love to get a good deal while contributing to a worthy cause. With a silent auction, everybody wins. Before the event, solicit donations from neighbors and local businesses. Make and print a bidding sheet for each donated item and include a description and details about the item's value. Then make three columns on your sheet: Bidder's Name, Phone Number or Email, and Amount of Bid (be sure to include plenty of blank spaces for multiple bids!). At your event, display each item (or a card with photo for big items such as vacation getaways) along with the bidding sheet, and set a time limit for guests to browse and bid. At the end of the event, announce the highest bidders, and exchange each item for the "winner's" donation. (Decide if you will allow people not present to win the bid and plan to follow-up with them the next day.)

Throw a party. Come up with a fun theme, such as a masquerade ball or a casino night. Guests support your cause by paying an entrance fee to attend.

Organize a bake, book, or rummage sale. A sale is an easy and profitable way to raise money with help from plenty of volunteers who can either bake or donate items to sell.

Compile a cookbook. Gather recipes, stories, and photos from volunteers to create a one-of-a-kind cookbook to sell. Keep costs down by printing the pages and binding the book yourself. Use the free cookbook page template at the HP Activity Center. Also, read the article "How to create a family cookbook" in the Invitations & stationery section of the Activity Center (located under “View all how-to articles”).

Have a karaoke night. Rent out a local karaoke bar (or see if they'll donate their services for a night) and charge an entrance fee to participate.

Now that you know what your goals are and how to accomplish them, the real planning begins. With a little organization and forethought, all the details will fall into place. Keep these tips in mind as you prepare.

Set a time, date, and place. Choose a date and time that will allow plenty of people to attend and that make sense for the activity you’re planning (such as evening for casino night or afternoon for a rummage sale). Estimate how many people you think will attend, and reserve an appropriate venue. Popular locations fill up quickly, especially in spring and summer, so reserve yours well in advance. As you consider your options, ask vendors if they'll donate the space or give you a discount in exchange for recognition at your event.

Create a schedule and stick to it. Make a calendar including all the key milestones for planning your event, and be sure all volunteers have a copy. Try sending out gentle reminders if dates are missed.

Send personalized invitations. Make potential donors feel special and set the tone for your event by sending a beautiful, customized invitation.

Generate sponsorships. Local businesses are often happy to provide money or goods to your cause in exchange for public recognition. Offer to include a sponsor's name or logo on team uniforms, program guides, event advertising, or signs at your event.

Write a press release. Create a brief document that includes all the key details: time, date, place, and reason for your event, as well as who's organizing it and who will benefit from it. Include contact information for the public, and send it to your local newspapers. Also try calling the community calendar editors of local papers and regional magazines to get your event listed for free and gain more exposure, too.

Take out an ad. Ask local newspapers and radio and television stations to donate ad space or airtime to publicize your event. Some businesses might even consider donating their paid ad space to promote your event, which would benefit your cause and generate some publicity for themselves.

Create a simple, professional donor form. Create an easy-to-read, one-page form for donors to fill out, including space for their contact information, how much they're pledging, or what service they're pledging if it's not a cash donation. These will be useful for tracking donations, thanking donors, and creating a mailing list for future events.

Volunteers can offer invaluable support as you plan a fundraiser and at the event itself. As the organizer, you'll want to be sure all volunteers are motivated and clear about their responsibilities. Here are a few things to consider.

Assign established roles. Make sure each volunteer is clear about who is responsible for what and when things need to be done. Let volunteers choose their roles to match their interests and skills.

Keep spirits high. Boost morale by acknowledging individual volunteers and the group as a whole whenever possible. Treats such as coffee and dougnuts or a few pizzas for lunch are always appreciated.

Keep everyone in the loop. After the event, be sure to send thank-you cards to your volunteers, and consider throwing a small celebration to recognize their accomplishments. This is a great time to share pictures of the event.

After your event, be sure to send thank-you cards to all of your donors and supporters, regardless of the size or nature of their contribution. Remind them of exactly how their gift will be used and, if possible, include photos or videos of the people they have helped with their donation. Also, be sure to create and save a mailing list of all your donors for future fundraising events.