Charity Event Sponsored Magician
Sometimes, all a charity event needs to raise that extra bit of money is a little spark of magic. Hiring a professional magician is the perfect way to inject this into an event. However, very often, charity organisers seem to be caught between a rock and a hard place - they're trying to raise money, not spend it on hiring entertainment! It is not really fair to ask magicians to perform for free; they have bills to pay, just like any other self-employed person. The quality of a magic performance is the same at any event, regardless of the setting, so any charity event will still be getting a top-class service. For this reason, regrettably, most professional magicians will have to turn down requests to perform free-of-charge at charity events.
However, there are a few ways to keep everybody happy. Charity events can still have performances from professional magicians, without spending money - and without the magician having to compromise his income. Here are my tips on how to pull it off!
Rest assured, I'm insured
I have public liability insurance, which means that charity event organisers can sit easy, knowing that I'm covered should anything go wrong on the day. Having this insurance is an important part of being a professional magician, but it does come at quite a cost. Don't cut corners and hire a cheap, amateur magician - chances are they won't have any insurance, so won't be able to guarantee the quality of their performance. Having a mediocre performance will leave people less likely to donate at charity events, which is why hiring a properly insured magician is so important.
Of course, this means that professional magicians do charge more than amateurs, as their performances are of a far higher quality. This doesn't mean that the charity has to fork out a lot, though - there's one genius way around it.
Get local businesses involved
For charity event organisers who are organising a local event, it's worth approaching local businesses and asking for their involvement. They may just want to make a charity contribution to cover costs, or you may find some who would be willing to sponsor a professional magic act. Not only will the charity look good for having the community's support (leading to bigger donations from the public), but it'll raise the company's reputation as well, as they'll be associated with charity work. As a professional magician, I can even incorporate company logos and charity information into the act, which would raise the profile of both. For example, playing cards can feature a company's logo on one side and details about the charity on the reverse, including telephone numbers and website addresses. These can then be given to the guests at the end of the performance as a 'take home gift', to remind them of the day! 10 years' worth of experience I have performed at a range of different charity events around the world, so I can draw on those experiences and help you to create a magic-filled experience at your charity event. In the past, a few examples of the large, well known charitable organisations which I have worked with are Barnardo’s and the Royal British Legion, as well as Jessie May which is a smaller charity closer to home. I really enjoy working at charity events, so if you're an organiser, then get in touch to discuss what I can do for you!