Graduation ceremonies at university are very proud moments for those receiving their degree and the parents or friends who accompany them. Working towards a degree will bring you the chance to have a successful career, brighter job prospects and a life changing time away from home. The ceremony should celebrate the achievements of the attendees, and well chosen keynote speakers are one of the best ways that this can be done.

I do not think that a university life is for everyone, and I do not mean to sound like a snob, but picking a keynote speaker who has not been to university is the wrong decision for ceremony organisers to make. Going straight into a job after leaving school is a life completely different than if you choose to go to university for three or four years, and keynote speakers will not be able to relate with their audience if they have not gone through the same experiences.

There is an independence that comes with university. You live far away from home; have to live with people you might not like, become financially smart as soon as you start working out how much money you need to earn on top of your loan if you want to have a full social and academic life. These are things that you do not deal with when you stay at home.

For most people who go into work after school, they live with their parents for a number of months if not years, they choose friends to move in with when they do decide to leave home, and the security of a job contract leaves less financial worries than when you rely on student loans and part time work. And contrary to most people’s beliefs, those who do go to university mostly pay for the experience themselves by getting a part time job. Working through the holidays and paying of their loan once they have left.

And so when graduation ceremonies are being planned, the keynote speakers should be chosen on their experiences, including attending university themselves. If they have not been they will not be able to give a speech that targets their audience.

After a number of years studying at university, when you attend your graduation ceremony both the graduates and their parents will be full of pride. The work put in to achieving a degree means walking into a successful career, job prospects that a non-graduate could have or a life changing experience at the very least. The keynote speakers that are chosen to talk at the event should thus be chosen to reflect this achievement.

Whilst I fully support those people who decide not to go to university, choosing a keynote speaker who has not experienced a university life is sheer foolishness on the part of graduation organisers. Without knowing what it is like to be at university, keynote speakers cannot relate to their audience because life at university is completely different to life when you choose to go into a job straight from leaving school.

You become a more independent person faster when you go to university. You are faced with situation where you might be forced to live with people you do not get along with, you have to make new sets of friends and you have to be financially organised to be able to budget your loan or get a part time job to help with living costs. These are things that you do not deal with when you stay at home.

For most people who go into work after school, they live with their parents for a number of months if not years, they choose friends to move in with when they do decide to leave home, and the security of a job contract leaves less financial worries than when you rely on student loans and part time work. And contrary to most people’s beliefs, those who do go to university mostly pay for the experience themselves by getting a part time job. Working through the holidays and paying of their loan once they have left.

And so when graduation ceremonies are being planned, the keynote speakers should be chosen on their experiences, including attending university themselves. Otherwise their audience will be given a speech that has not resonance with their own lives for the past three years.

Graduation ceremonies at university are very proud moments for those receiving their degree and the parents or friends who accompany them. What that works means could be a new career with bright prospects, an opportunity to get into a job that would never have been possible had they not held a degree, or simply a life changing experience that widens your social horizons and life’s possibilities. The keynote speakers that are chosen to talk at the event should thus be chosen to reflect this achievement.

Now this may sound like snobbery, but I do not believe that a keynote speaker should be invited to speak at a graduation ceremony if they have not experienced the same academic life as those receiving their degree. Going straight into a job after leaving school is a life completely different than if you choose to go to university for three or four years, and keynote speakers will not be able to relate with their audience if they have not gone through the same experiences.

There is an independence that comes with university. You often move far from home with no one that you know, have to budget your loan and get a part time job on top of your studies to help with living costs and deal with people that you might not get along with. These are things that you do not deal with when you stay at home.

When working straight out of school you often live with your parents for a few months or even years until you are earning enough to pay for rent, you choose your flatmates when you do move, and so long as you are earning a big enough wage, you do not have the financial worries of students at university. Because unlike the many preconceptions about university students, the majority do not have financial help from their parents, they do it by themselves.

So when it comes to the time when graduation organisers are planning the day, the keynote speakers should be checked to see if they have been to university. If they have not been they will not be able to give a speech that targets their audience.

Donations and support are the two things that all fundraising and charitable events are organised for. The organisers are looking to recruit volunteers, more donations or contacts that can help them to increase awareness of their cause in the long run.

An after dinner speaker can help in this endeavour in many ways. They attract more publicity for your event, especially if they have a celebrity factor, they can influence more people to attend your event, and they can help to raise funds through auctions.

Publicity
If the after dinner speaker you choose is famous or enjoys notoriety among the general public then you are sure to have increased publicity for your event. more people will find out about the event if a person of notoriety speaks out about it in the media or on the internet.

Increase Attendance
When it becomes public knowledge that a person with celebrity value will be speaking at your event, the number of attendees will increase. Fans of the speaker, anyone that thinks they will be entertaining and people with a general interest will want to attend. You will also receive more attendees who have a genuine interest in your cause but who only came to know about the event through the publicity of the speaker.

Boost Donations
Some of the best after dinner speakers will bring an item to your event that can be auctioned off to raise even more money for your cause. If the speaker is a sports star then signed pieces of their uniform or signed balls are a popular auction prize as are signed photos or CDs/DVDs if they are in the entertainment industry. Concert/gig tickets and even dates with the speakers are some of the more special auction prizes that have been bid on at previous charity events.

Getting as many people as possible to your event and then having them donate their time and money is the sole reason why most charities put on events. Most events charge a set price for tickets or per plate if it is an event with dinner unless it is being held as a thank you to the organisation’s members. So if you are having a dinner and dance evening, you could charge

In order for charities to be able to do their work, they need support in monetary and physical forms. Whilst many people pick a handful of causes to support on a regular basis, many people are prepared to donate their time and money to a one off, worthwhile cause. Charitable events have been organised for centuries and a variety of people attend them. The royal family are probably the largest benefactor family in Great Britain, raising millions of pounds for various charities and causes, the Prince’s Trust being one of the most notable. But people with less money also give to charity, every level of society has members who donate.

When compiling an invitation list, make sure people from your target audience are included. Women are the biggest benefactresses of breast cancer research, men for testicular and prostrate cancer. Wealthier people tend to sponsor charities working with animals and there are people who focus their charitable giving on local causes. If you know people already donating to your cause, invite them and you will raise more money at your event.

After dinner speakers are a good way to increase the guests at your event. If you choose a celebrity from the world of sport, music or politics, they are sure to attract more guests and many bring items to auction which can raise large and unexpected amounts of money.

Through funny speeches and exciting anecdotes, an after dinner speaker will make your event memorable. This will hopefully create future donations from guests that had not previously donated but now remember your cause and want to support it.

To raise a lot of money in little time, events prove the best forum. They can take a long time to plan and can be expensive but try to use caterers that offer discount for charitable events or use food suppliers from the local region who are more likely to donate food and drink for the event. Make your event a success by hosting it at as little cost as possible, and raising as much as you can.