Planning an accessible fundraising event

What do we mean by accessibility?

Macmillan Cancer Support is here for everyone who needs us. This is why making our Macmillan fundraising events as accessible as possible is very important.

People with different needs or who have different circumstances should be able to access and take part in activities that they want to. When organising events, accessibility considers the physical environment and communications.

For example:

You will need to check if a building, room, location, or layout of an event is accessible. Such as: it will consider people who use a wheelchair, mobility scooter, or who are deaf.
Making sure written and verbal communications are clear. This includes joining instructions and event signage. We should use accessible language and visuals which are easy to understand and available in different formats.

We should remember that making events accessible and open to all is not only the right thing to do, it is often a legal requirement.

Not every event will need to consider everything below. This guide is to help you to understand what accessibility concerns you may need to consider.

Before your event

You should consider accessibility and inclusion from the very start of your event planning.

There are some adjustments or considerations that may take time to organise. Some may require a budget like hiring a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter, or volunteers who can help you and attendees during the event.

Picking a date

Try to pick a date that does not exclude people. You may want to avoid hosting the event during:

a religious holiday
during school
on bank holidays.

Helpful resources:

Picking a location

It is important to try to pick an accessible location and venue so guests can attend your event.

Your venue should have:

Step free access or an alternative step free route that is close by
Accessible lifts that are suitable for wheelchair users
Accessible toilets
Fire evacuation plan for everyone including people who may need extra help
Parking and accessible parking at the venue or nearby.

Other things you may want to consider:

A location or venue with accessible transport options such as step-free stations.
Creating an accessible route map that includes information on how to get to the event from the car park and local transport.
A venue that has space for everyone to move around comfortably.
Providing a quiet space or a prayer or faith room.
A venue or supplier who can provide additional equipment such as hearing loops or information in different formats or languages. You may also want to check if the venue is deaf sound sensitive (for those who experience everyday sounds much louder to than they should).
Check if the venue allows service dogs.

Create an inclusive agenda and content

When creating an agenda or activities for your event, consider if they are inclusive and accessible for everyone.

You should also allow plenty of time for all items on the programme as well as time for breaks in-between.

If you have speakers at your event, you should feature diverse speakers and perspectives.

Inviting people to your event

All communications about your event need to be clear and simple to understand. It should include things like:

how to attend the event
the location and venue
parking and transport options
what accessibility measures are in place, such as step free access and accessible lifts
how people can contact you to find out more.

You should also consider providing attendees with different ways of registering for the event. This could be including a way to register by email, over the phone or through a form.

You may also want to let attendees know they can request additional adjustments or extra support.

If you are having food at your event, you should also ask for dietary requirements.

During your event

Create an accessibility support plan

If you have attendees at your event who may need additional support, you may want to create a support plan. A support plan details:

what additional support is required
which attendees will need this support
information on accessibility at the event
who is responsible for helping provide this support.

It can be helpful to have a designated person or group on the day who can be the point of contact for people who made need additional support.

They should be introduced to attendees when they arrive so they know who they can go to for help or if they have any questions.

Other things to consider

Have seating reserved for people who may have accessibility needs, such as people who need a BSL interpreter
Inform speakers or entertainers they are also responsible for ensuring accessibility and inclusion
Change the floor plan layouts to facilitate wheelchair and mobility scooter access
Check for and create accessible signage to the facility and around it
Provide items that can provide extra support or comfort for attendees such as ear plugs or defenders, especially if the environment is particularly noisy
Plan for the unexpected and adapt as needed.

After your event

It can be helpful to get feedback from attendees and people involved in the event like volunteers and speakers.

You could ask for the feedback during and after the event. Consider providing different ways people can share feedback. For example: via email, through a form (online or in-person) or over the phone.

Hosting a virtual event

There are some things to consider if you are hosting a virtual fundraising event and want to make it accessible:

using software that has auto-captioning and a transcript
providing a BSL interpretation
provide the transcript, presentation slides if you used them, or video recording after the event
have speakers blur their background and use headphones and a microphone that is clear
consider switching off the chat feature as this can be distracting for attendees. You could instead using a Q&A option
scheduling in regular breaks for participants.

Further resources and support

If you have questions about improving accessibility and inclusion at your fundraising event, get in touch with Supporter Care team by email fundraising@macmillan.org.uk or call 0300 1000 200.

Related pages

Support and information from other organisations:

About our information

The web guide was produced by the Digital Content team at Macmillan and was reviewed by Macmillan's Neurodiversity network. It was created in align with Macmillan's Inclusive and Accessible Events Policy which was developed by Macmillan and the Business Disability Forum.

The guide will be updated as we receive more feedback.