Determine the cause for the music benefit concert. The cause can be anything for which you have a strong desire to help, such as animals or environmental causes, illness prevention and/or cures, and charity organizations or religious programs.
Form a group of people to help run this event. Use your group members' strengths, knowledge of certain areas, and weaknesses in other areas to delegate tasks; for example, those with fund-raising experience, connections to venue(s) or bands and advertising (see Resources).
Set a theme and budget for the benefit concert, along with the fund-raising goals. Think about design and possible promotional products for the event.
Find money to host the concert. Offer local businesses the opportunity to advertise in the benefit concert program. Many small businesses are interested in getting some publicity in conjunction with a charity event.
Set a date and find musicians you'd like to book. Discuss with them the length of the benefit concert, pay and any extra help or equipment the musicians may need.
Choose a venue/location. Many churches, banquet halls and clubhouses will typically rent out spaces inexpensively or sometimes free with charity help (see Resources).
Print fliers with the basic information: the cause, the date and time of the benefit concert, who will be performing and any relevant contact information. Put out as much advertising as possible. Use word-of-mouth, bulletins both locally and online (try social networking sites such as Facebook or LinkedIn), invitations and local businesses to advertise the event.
Launch the concert and monitor throughout the event for any glitches that could occur (weather, sound and lighting, refreshments).