How to Plan a Benefit for a Cancer PatientIn Feburary 2016 22,

In Feburary 2016 22,
Gather a small group of people to help plan the event. With your group, decide what kind of benefit to host and who should be the chairperson. Common ideas include silent auctions, spaghetti dinners or bowling parties. Pick something fun and uplifting for the cancer patient, and a fundraiser that will involve the whole community.
Find a location and pick a date for the benefit. Give yourself at least a month for planning the event. Some places, like churches, schools and fire departments, will donate their facilities for free, and often have tables and chairs. If needed, rent a banquet hall or bowling alley for the benefit, but make sure the managers know that your event is a charity fundraiser.
Decide on admission prices for the event, after you have estimated your costs. Some benefits simply ask participants for a donation at the door, but others charge a set price.
Contact local media about the fundraiser. Many newspapers have local event listings for free, and some media outlets may be interested in writing a story about your friend and the benefit. Also, hang signs throughout your community in restaurants, grocery stores, churches and schools. This publicity will attract participants and possibly donors for the event.
Contact area businesses for donations. Choose a member of your planning committee who is comfortable with public speaking for this task. Outline why you are having a benefit, who the recipient is and what you would like the business to donate. Things to consider asking for include food and beverages, prizes for a silent auction or raffle and decorations.
Purchase or collect decorations, food and drinks the day before the event. Make sure you have plenty of napkins, plates, cups and silverware if you are serving food. If possible, decorate your facility the day before to reduce stress the day of the benefit. If you are having a silent auction, present items in an appealing manner where participants can see them throughout the event.
Gather donations during your event and collect contact information from donors. This way you can send 'Thank You' notes after the fact to show your appreciation for their help. Present the donations or an estimate of the total to the cancer patient during the event, if possible. This will make everyone feel involved in your success.
In Feburary 2016 22,

How to Design a Pastoral BanquetIn Feburary 2016 21,

In Feburary 2016 21,
Settle on the number of guests to invite to your event. Besides the pastor, his staff and his family, you may choose to invite the entire church, or key leadership. You will need these numbers first in order to adequately plan and design the pastoral banquet. Create your guest list and have it handy always.
Send out invitations using a guest list. Ask for RSVP's so you can have solid numbers to give to the caterer.
Choose the location of the banquet. Your church may have a fellowship hall, if so you should use that one. If the group is larger than can be adequately seated in your hall, or you do not have a fellowship hall, you should look for one to rent. Ask others who you know have held banquets for some good recommendations. When you find the right one, make the deposit and set the date.
Acquire dining chairs and tables. Determine how many of these you will need by having one chair per guest. Then ask the rental company how many chairs can one table comfortably seat. Ask your rental company how muchthey will be providing according to the initial contract and how much it would cost to add more, if you should need them.
Create a seating chart using the guests from your guest list. With a pencil write the names in of all your guests, placing them where you want them to sit. A traditional way to seat people is to place them is alternating the sex of the guest This will keep the conversation flowing easily during the banquet.
Using your theme selection to help you decide the colors you will be using for the event. Color choices will effect table dressings, streamers, balloons and centerpieces. Stick with one or two colors to keep it simple.
Rent or buy tablecloths to cover the dining hall tables. They should be long enough to reach the floor but not to be a tripping hazard for the elderly. Besides covering tables for diners you will also need to cover the food and serving tables.
Decide on what style of dinnerware, silverware and stemware you will be using. Buy or rent the utensils you need. Practice your dinner arrangements by setting place settings and adjusting them until you are satisfied with the look. Write down your choices and decisions so on the day of the banquet you'll have a guide to use.
Design the centerpieces for the banquet by implementing the theme choice into them. Make the pastor's table centerpiece much larger than the regular table centerpieces.
Meet with the caterers you have selected and choose a menu to serve the night of the banquet. Ask for volunteers to help serve for the banquet. Book the special speaker to come for the event. Take the menu, the agenda and any program you design to the printers to have them made. Purchase awards or gifts you will be presenting to pastor. Arrange for a church group or committee to decorate the banquet hall before the event.
In Feburary 2016 21,