Fundraising with fireworks

Secret school fundraising offer

Calling all teachers – be your schools’ fundraising hero!

If you’re reading this then hopefully you are a teacher, headteacher, PTA member or a parent active in school fundraising.  If you are, then we can reveal a one-time offer that will allow you to easily raise funds for your school and be a fundraising hero! This offer has become available solely due to the dates that certain days of the year fall in 2017!

Intrigued?  Then read on and all will become clear…

Fundraising problems:

  1. Fundraising is a headache, it takes a huge amount of effort (entertainment, marketing, different suppliers, health and safety, risk assessments – the list goes on). What we can offer reduces the amount of effort you need to put in to hold the fundraising event, as we do the majority of the work!
  2. Keeping people at your fundraising event and spending – our offer will allow you to easily attract people to your event and keep them there spending for as long as you want!
  3. Cost – the cost of holding an event can be expensive with little return. We have a discount offer to blow you away – keep reading!
  4. In order to grow the event year after year takes an increase in effort with not necessarily the same growth in funds raised. Our offer is proven to grow and current customers have seen attendance and revenues grow year on year.
  5. If you hold your event at the same dates as other schools then you’re already competing for attendance. This is where our offer delivers…it’s time to explain.

people standing behind firework display

Bonfire night falls on a Monday this year, which means that most of our customers want a display on the Friday or Saturday, however like most firework companies we have our stock, staff and vans ready from much earlier in the week and so can offer a much reduced rate for a Bonfire night fireworks event…

  1. Our existing school clients started off small, made a good profit in year 1 however have grown year on year
  2. We carry £10 million public liability insurance, and do risk assessments and organise the display set up and clear up
  3. Attendance tends to be high as people are looking for firework displays to go to at that time of year, and are more likely to attend their own schools display if it doesn’t clash with a large public event. A small entrance fee will make a big difference to your fundraising efforts
  4. You can blow them away with our amazing professional displays. Recently we held a display at a school who had previously done fireworks themselves – they were blown away by the difference between a professional display and their hand-fired retail bought fireworks.   Their crowds have grown year on year ever since.
  5. Your customers come with money and spend at stalls until the fireworks are done. This allows you to put on additional stalls to raise further funds:
    • Competition stalls (hook a duck, basketball throwing)
    • Hot food stalls
    • small fair ride pitches
  6. Ever see glow sticks and flashing toys at firework displays? That’s because kids buy them by the bucket-load, and we can provide them for you at a low cost giving you an extra revenue stream on the night
  7. Prices for our firework display include VAT, so many organisations can claim that back, making it even cheaper to hold the event

Our Bonfire night displays start at £1800 including VAT however due to the date that Bonfire night falls and availability on other nights in the week we can now offer:

Tuesday 30th Oct – Thursday 1st Nov – £1250 incl VAT Quote offer ref BONWEEK

Sunday 4th & Monday 5th November – £1500 incl VAT Quote offer ref BONSUN

 “I organise a fireworks night as a fundraiser at my children’s school and everyone always says it is truly the best display they have seen, our crowds have trebled over the last 3 years as has our profit.  Value for money with the most fantastic service…… everything is taken care of so all you need to do is sell tickets!   Could not recommend enough”

Jane Lee – Forestdale Primary School PTA

So in terms of fundraising, the sky really is the limit this Bonfire Night.  So why not be a fundraising hero and see how Electrify Pyrotechnics can help your organisation to exceed its’ fundraising target in 2017.

Driving Great Place to Work and fundraising

One of the key challenges for a company driving toward a Great Place to Work status in their organisation is getting the funding to do it.  In today’s climate there is less and less funding available for fun events and social gatherings, where ROI is difficult to measure.  In this blog, we discuss the things that companies can do to improve their Great Place to Work standing, plus give a really useful fundraising tip to allow you to generate funding to take your GPTW status to the next level.

Most companies now understand the power of being a great place to work and the benefits it brings to productivity and staff tenure through improved employee engagement.  In a recent independent financial study, publicly traded companies that had achieved ‘Great Workplace’ status consistently outperform major stock indices by a factor of 2.  These workplaces also have 64% less staff turnover than their competitors. This inevitably saves vital margin eroding spend on things like training and recruitment.

According to the Great Place to Work website, when times are tough, employees at a great workplace show the resiliency to pull through. When times get better, those same employees are ready to lead the rally. It all adds up to cumulative success 2x better than the market average.

So, how do you bring your staff together when it’s hard to demonstrate the hard and fast short term benefits in a traditional business case and of course without breaking the bank?

Firstly, before thinking about spending any money, the one key piece of feedback that employees raise time and time again is around good workplace communication – and by that we mean two way communication.  It’s about trust, keeping employees informed, listening to their concerns and demonstrating that where you are able you are acting upon their suggestions.

This should be fairly easy – quarterly roundtables or Town Hall Meetings held by Executive and Senior Managers to talk about strategy and performance.  Trust your staff with information, but call out when information is sensitive and is for their ears only and not to be shared – clearly this is not about sharing confidential board room level strategic decisioning, but moreover giving your staff all the information they need to understand what is happening with the business and where it is going, including the challenges it faces.  This ensures staff feel engaged and aware of what is happening in the company (rather than like mushrooms – in the dark and fed…well, you know what)!

Ensure the sessions allow for people to raise questions.  If you want to be even more open, allow them to put forward questions and comments anonymously – this way you get a better view of what they think without expecting them to put their head above the parapet and risk shredding their career.

If you keep coming back to them with regular updates and further comms sessions, talking  about what they raised last time and what has been done, you will soon gain their trust and they will see that you are listening to them.  Where ideas, thoughts and suggestions cannot be implemented, as long as you tell them why rather than glossing over them then the majority of staff will understand why.

All that sounds fairly basic and straightforward, however the given the number of companies that fail on staff engagement – it clearly isn’t.  Cascading information down the management chain is critical however sometimes people want to feel like they matter, and to be visited by the CEO and asked for their important opinions on how the company is performing is a great way to get your staff engaged.   Remember, those at the coalface usually have the best view of what is happening with your clients and customers, senior management can get real insight here. It’s a win win.

So what else can you do to ensure your staff feel engaged and enjoy working for your company?  These are our key principles that we feel are really important, they aren’t exhaustive by any means, however these are the ones we’ve actively adopted to drive GPTW:

  1. Brand affinity and loyalty – drive a pride in your workforce around your brand products and services. If your staff love the business, they’ll give more and defend it to the hilt.
  2. Create a culture of inclusion – a blameless culture where employees are encouraged to push further, where it is OK to take risks as long as they are well thought through and understood, and mistakes are learnt from and not repeated.
  3. A culture of development with recognition of high performance – strong company values that are driven from the top down and lived every day are important here.
  4. Staff are not just numbers – a company that cares. For instance, in the recent spate of terrorist attacks, a company that ensures that staff are safe and issues communications offering advice to ensure staff remain safe will more likely engender an environment where staff feel like they are treated as individuals and that the company truly cares about them as people.
  5. Wellbeing and Diversity programs driving Health, Welfare and inclusion.
  6. Social activities outside of the work environment to drive a closer community within it.

Point 6 is always the challenging topic mainly due to the costs of funding such an event, however there are a number of things that can be done to avoid a huge outlay, and sometimes bring in money to fund other internal events…

Corporate or Staff Parties

These can be a great way for staff to meet outside of the work environment and get to know their colleagues on a personal level.  A fun event creates a talking point back in the workplace which improves camaraderie and teamwork. Many teams, departments and organisations will raise funds internally (from the likes of a cake bake or samosa sale in order to part-fund a summer or Christmas party).  Alternatively, by selling tickets at an affordable rate, funding for food and events can be gathered that way.

We recently ran an incredibly popular campaign called “Fundraising through fireworks” where organisations sold tickets for a works event with a huge firework display at the end.   The promise of a really spectacular firework display helped sell the tickets which drove the funding. The events were typically held at a local pub with land, or a community centre. The display was linked to the corporate brand (Eg, the companies name in firewriting, corporate colours for the finale), and with the money raised through ticket sales they were able to put on food, plus things like bouncy castles for the children, inflatable games for the adults (Eg, bucking broncos, bungee runs) as well as pay for the display.  They also put on free games like rounders, space hopper races, sports days etc.  Staff were happy to pay for their own drinks and by inviting a local ice cream van they were more than covered for a very successful night.  The display at the end of the night tops off the event, creating a celebratory atmosphere and the wow factor that keeps everyone talking about what a great night it was for months to come.

We’ve had some really positive feedback from organisations that have done this, and we are seeing an unprecedented repeat booking level as events grow in size. Many organisations that have rebooked with us year after year have told us that ticket sales grow YoY, it becomes more inclusive and they have enough money left over from ticket sales allowing them to fund other purchases such as new coffee machines, games tables and in one instance a refit to their staff kitchen!

Our corporate firework displays don’t cost as much as you would think, and we do all the hard work around the display planning, insurance and the health & safety assessments.

Bespoke fireworks displays for your party or celebration.

Fundraising through Fireworks – how Electrify can help your organisation generate funds

Bonfire Night Fireworks Single Shots Bonfire Night Fireworks Fire

November may seem a long way away however as we rapidly approach the end of the first quarter of the year many small organisations, charity groups and local community groups are already planning their years’ fundraising events. It can be a real headache for the Fundraising Committee and the Treasurer – how do we generate enough funding to do the activities we want to do for the rest of the year, or to keep the building in good repair?

As it becomes increasingly difficult to generate funds, a large number of those groups are turning to larger fundraising events in order to generate money for their organisations. Over the last 5 years we have seen a huge surge in the number of groups that are running Bonfire Night parties in order to generate funding.

Bonfire Night and Summer Fete’s have always been a popular way of bringing in funding however over the last few years we have been increasingly invited to fire professional displays for organisations and groups who had previously put on displays themselves with shop-purchased consumer fireworks or had just not considered a Bonfire Night event before at all.

It costs less than you think…and can generate a lot more than you think!

With an Electrify Bonfire Night Fireworks display not only are you giving your audience a larger, choreographed display with professional category fireworks that will really amaze your audience, you no longer have the worry of safety and insurance. At Electrify we take care of everything from coming out to do a site visit and risk assessment to the £10 Million liability insurance we carry as standard. That leaves the organising committees free to look at other revenue streams from the night. We often see extra revenue brought in at the event through:

  • Hot food sales
  • Glow toys
  • Competition stands
  • Small fair ride pitches

And whilst many think a professional firework display would be out of their budget – they’d be wrong. Our Bonfire Night display packages (some of which, like the “Gunpowder Display” package, have been designed especially for smaller Groups, Community Groups, Schools and PTAs) start from as little as just £1800, and that’s really impressive display too! Some of our customers share the cost of the event with other local community groups such as the school and local Scouting Association, joining up to fund and reap the rewards. Most organisations, with the right advertising amongst its’ patrons and the local community, see a return on that investment at that first event and then see revenues grow year on year as word spreads and footfall increases.   We’ve had a 100% re-book rate with all our school Bonfire Nights such are the revenue generating opportunities.

“I organise a fireworks night as a fundraiser at my childrens school and everyone always says it is truly the best display they have seen, our crowds have trebled over the last 3 years as has our profit.Value for money with the most fantastic service…… everything is taken care of so all you need to do is sell tickets!                                                                                   Could not recommend enough”                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Jane Lee – Forestdale Primary School PTA

So in terms of fundraising, the sky really is the limit this Bonfire Night, and people are booking now. So why not see how Electrify Pyrotechnics can help your organisation to exceed its’ fundraising target in 2017. To find out more or to book a Bonfire Night display call our professional and friendly team on 01332 650770 or visit https://www.electrifypyrotechnics.co.uk/bonfire-night-fireworks/

Bonfire Fireworks

Corporate Social Responsibility and the Local Community

Here at Electrify we have our own chosen charities that we support.  We have local community events that we support in order to generate revenue for our friends in the local community such as Bonsall Carnival.  By providing fireworks it brings in a larger footfall which in turn generates larger revenues for the community and their chosen charity.  The funds raised through the Bonsall Carnival go to the local children providing facilities and activities for the coming year. In addition, funds are also raised for the Chernobyl Children’s Lifeline charity and each year children affected by the Chernobyl disaster come over to the UK and visit Bonsall in the Peak District.  This gives them the opportunity to take part in the carnival, the lantern parade after dark and to watch the fireworks.

The Chernobyl Children’s Lifeline charity was established in 1992 by Victor Mizzi O.B.E. to support the children (and their families) from Belarus and Ukraine forever affected by the world’s worst nuclear disaster.  Belarus, where most of their work is focused, received over 70% of the radioactive fallout from the Chernobyl nuclear explosion in April 1986 and as a result, thousands are born every year with, or go on to develop thyroid cancer, bone cancer and leukaemia.

 We also do work for Help the Heroes which is an organisation very close to our heart, with ex-servicemen working as firers for our company.

Last Friday saw another of our charity events – Comic Relief.  Each year we provide lighting, speakers, sound equipment and our own time absolutely free of charge for this wonderful cause. The lighting and sound adds to the atmosphere, and by donating our own time volunteering to work in the official Comic Relief Call Centre to take donations from the public.  Charity and the local community is incredibly important to us at Electrify, we love giving back to the community and it made our #feelgoodfriday feel even better!

 #RedNoseDay2017 #rednoseday charity event #RedNoseDay2017 Lighting #RedNoseDay Team Photo

What are your charities of choice? Let us know below.

piggy bank with money

Fundraising for Cash-Strapped Schools

I read an interesting article this week on the state of our schools and the funding situation that many schools currently face.  The article said that almost half (49%) of parents of children at state schools had been asked for an extra financial donation to their school in the last year. 31% of those stated that  they feared there would be negative consequences for their child if they did not pay up.  This was coupled with a comment by Geoff Barton, the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, who said “Requests for voluntary contributions have increased because schools are so cash-strapped. This is a sign of the severity of the funding crisis caused by the government’s under-investment in schools”.

If you’re reading this then hopefully you are a parent, teacher, headteacher, or PTA member interested in how you can assure further funds for your school. In this article, I’m looking at why fundraising is so challenging, and how we might be able to help.

Fundraising is a headache…

As we all know it can be a real headache for the Fundraising Committee and the Treasurer. How do you generate enough funding to do the activities you want to do for the rest of the year? Examples are; keeping the building in good repair, sending the children to worthwhile events and activities, providing the equipment the children need in order to obtain the best education?

As it becomes increasingly difficult to generate funds, a large number of those groups are turning to larger fundraising events in order to generate money for their organisations. Over the last 5 years we have seen a huge surge in the number of groups that are running Bonfire Night events in order to generate funding.

Bonfire Night, Summer Fete’s and New Years’ Eve parties have always been a popular way of bringing in funding. However, over the last few years we have been increasingly invited to fire professional displays for organisations and groups who had previously put on displays or had just not considered a Firework event before at all.   What’s more, many new clients have already come back to us and upgraded to even bigger displays next year in order to generate even more funds.

It costs less than you think…and can generate a lot more than you think!

With an Electrify Bonfire Night Fireworks display not only are you giving your audience a larger, choreographed display with professional category fireworks that will really amaze your guests, you no longer have the worry of safety and insurance. At Electrify we take care of everything from coming out to do a site visit and risk assessment to the £10 Million liability insurance we carry as standard. That leaves the organising committees free to look at other revenue streams from the night such as hot food, sales, glow toys, competition stands and small fair ride pitches.

Don’t take our word for it, this is what our clients had to say about our displays this year:

“I organise a fireworks night as a fundraiser at my children’s school and everyone always says it is truly the best display they have seen, our crowds have trebled over the last 3 years as has our profit.  Value for money with the most fantastic service… everything is taken care of so all you need to do is sell tickets! Could not recommend enough” Jane Lee – Forestdale Primary School PTA

Tops Tips

  1. Our existing school clients started off small, made a good profit in year 1 however have grown year on year
  2. We advise on the best place to have your display, where to keep your audience and ensuring the display is safe for all involved
  3. We carry £10 million public liability insurance, and do risk assessments and organise the display set up, firing and clear up
  4. Attendance tends to be high as people are looking for firework displays to go to at that time of year, and are more likely to attend their own schools display if it doesn’t clash with a large public event. A small entrance fee will make a big difference to your fundraising efforts
  5. You can blow them away with our amazing professional displays. Recently we held a display at a school who had previously done fireworks themselves – they were blown away by the difference between a professional display and their hand-fired retail bought fireworks.   Their crowds have grown year on year ever since – 2018 will be year 5 for them (and us!)
  6. Your customers come with money and spend at stalls until the fireworks are done. This allows you to put on additional stalls to raise further funds:
    1. Competition stalls (hook a duck, basketball throwing)
    2. Hot food stalls
    3. small fair ride pitches
  7. Ever see glow sticks and flashing toys at firework displays? That’s because kids buy them by the bucket-load, and we can provide them for you at a low cost giving you an extra revenue stream on the night
  8. Prices for our firework display include VAT, so many organisations can claim that back, making it even cheaper to hold the event
We also have some amazing deals for those days before and after Bonfire weekend. It really is that simple – if you would like further details or just to chat about what it might involve, how we help you and what you could achieve give Electrify Pyrotechnics a call on 01332 650770.