Community Event Plan

Who this is for

A whole community event on two pages. What it is for and who it is for at the top, then who is doing what and the running order; overleaf, a budget with estimate against actual and the things that could go wrong with what you have decided to do about each.

Village halls, residents' associations, parish and community groups, school friends' associations and anyone putting on a fete, a street party, a festival day or a public meeting with volunteers rather than staff.

What this helps you track

• What the event is for and who it is for, written where everyone can read it
• Who is responsible for each part, with a way to reach them
• What happens when, in order
• What it will cost, estimated and actual, with the totals worked out
• What could go wrong and what you will do, in your own words

How to use it

1. Fill in the event, the date, the place, the purpose and who it is for at the top. The purpose line is what you will quote when someone asks why you are doing it.
2. List the roles — organiser, money, first aid, stewards, setup, publicity — with a name and a phone number against each. A role with no name is a gap.
3. Write the running order with a time, what happens and who is looking after it. Include setup and pack-down as lines.
4. List the costs with an estimate, and fill in the actual as invoices arrive. The difference, the totals and the summary are worked out in the browser and the workbook.
5. In the risks table, write what could go wrong in plain words — rain, a no-show, a crowd bigger than expected — and what you have decided to do about each.
6. Print the finished plan for the committee, the venue and anyone who asks to see it.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser
• Excel / Google Sheets workbook

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The workbook uses plain formulas only — SUM, IF, COUNTIF and the like — so it opens in Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets without anything breaking, and every calculated cell is grey so you can see which figures it worked out.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

Is the risks table a risk assessment?

It is your own list of what could go wrong and what you will do, in your words. Whether a formal risk assessment, insurance, a permit or a licence is required for your event is set where you are; check what is required and who issues it. Nothing here quotes a standard or a rule.

Who should be on the roles list?

Everyone who has agreed to do something, with a way to reach them on the day. If the same person appears on every line, that is worth noticing before the day rather than during it.

Where does the income go?

This plan is costs only, because many community events are free to attend. If yours has to raise money, the fundraiser event planner puts income beside costs and works out the net.

Can the plan be shared with the venue or the council?

Yes — download it as a PDF from the browser version or print it. A venue or a local authority may ask for something of this shape, though what they require is for them to say.