Contact Your Local Newspaper

The best way to convince your friends and family and any other potential donaters that this charity bar crawl is legitimate is to advertise it in your local paper.Write a letter to the "community" or "local" section editor of your newspaper about a month before the date of your charity event. Here are the things you should stress in your letter:

• You've chosen a local charity. Provide any information you have regarding your charity including phone numbers and web sites in case the editor wants to do independent research. For example, if you've chosen to raise money for a local child going through chemotherapy, you can provide the editor with a photo of the child, his/her family's story and a web site that explains the type of cancer.
• All proceeds will go directly to the family (or charity) in need. Remind the editor that you will not gain anything personally from organizing this charity and neither will the participants. This is strictly for do-gooders hoping to make a difference.
• Offer to do a 700 - 1,000 word mock write-up. Show the editor how important this is to you by offering to take a stab at the story yourself. Don't be surprised when some of your very own well-written paragraphs end up published in the paper.
• Encourage the editor to send the newspaper's photographer to your actual charity event. If the editor sees a wonderful photo op, which will ultimately benefit the paper and the community, he will be more likely to cover your story. Give the photographer a complimentary t-shirt!