5 Tips For School Fundraisers/Gala's/Fair's/Market's

Raising funds for schools a lot of the times falls to the shoulders of the school board or to the parents, there seems to be a lot of red tape that follows what you can and can't do by the Ministry of Education.

You have two market customers that you want to appeal to - School Community - Kids/Parents/Teachers, Local Community - Resistance in the area around your school, local stores/shops, local community groups, local markets, other local schools.

You want these two sets of market customers talking about your fundraiser/gala/fair or market as this brings word of mouth and if these groups are spread the word to check out the what your school is doing it makes it easier on marketing efforts.
You'll find that just relying on the school community to donate goods and a White Elephant wont get these two sets of community's excited about what your school has to offer.
You need to get every single one of these community's involved in some way in your market, even if its offering stalls where others can sell their goods or being able to mingle and hand out flyers, have workshops, the school could charge for stall spaces.

How does this help your market, you'll find that many people will say to their regular customers, hey we are having a stall also at this market come check us out, or they may do some flyers up and leave them at their front customer area.

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Ask your parents what ideas do they have, try and put them in the fundraiser, if all the ideas can't be put in this fundraiser use them another time. When you use parents ideas they will be more willing to help out more.
Which means it wont fall to just a few parents that only takes their clicks ideas.

You may have parents that run businesses/ or parents that know people that do, that may want to set up a stall for the day.
You may have parents that want to donate goods, but others that may want to sell stuff themselves, everyone is in a different financial place, kids may want to sell their toys.
Having these two options will bring more parents to get involved.

Tip 1 - Planning

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• Research what the Ministry of Education rules of what you can and can't do, so that people sharing ideas can give ideas in those areas.
• When picking dates check what days local markets are on, what activities are on in the area so you can pick a day that those aren't on.
• Have a back up date in case the weather is bad.
• What are the marketing strategy's
• What is the schools budget for putting this all together, supplies will need to be brought.
• How much is the fundraising goal
• How many volunteers will be needed
• Check out local markets/school gala's/fairs, events for ideas, talk to market holders and goers for ideas - what they like out of markets etc.

Tip 2 - Atmosphere

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• The atmosphere on the day will come from the atmosphere surrounding the planning of the event also.
• You want a happy and excited atmosphere to create that you want to include all the market customers in someway.
• You want to include some free activities, low cost activities and products, higher prices - cover all budgets. When people are happy and see things they like they will spend.
• Raffles - an idea could be asking the school community if they have or know anyone that has large ticket items for sale - like cars, boats, jet skis etc - there are rules to this also, In New Zealand here are the rules. The product an not exceed the value of $5,000 in value, the funds raised can not exceed $25,000, you can only do one type of class in one day, unless you register as a society, best to read the rules for more in-depth out line.

Tip 3 - School Kids

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• Get the schools kids involved in the fundraiser - by letting each class make a product that will be sold on the day
• Let each class have a budget, even if it's $20 a class, some do food, some do drinks, some make foam picture frames, head bands, snow globes, puppets - anything that people will use or give as gifts.
• Ask the older kids of the school who would like to man the stalls to sell this products - have one parent at each stall or covering a couple of stalls, just to be there if the kids need help.
• This brings excitement thru the school as the kids will be proud about what they are doing and that's what they will be talking about for the next week, make surer this doesn't get done too early as the buzz will wear off, maybe 1 or 2 weeks before the fundraiser get the kids to start making things. As that's what they will talk about at school, at home, to any one that will listen, they will want to come and see on the day, bringing friends and family that they have talked to about this coming event.
• You could also have an auction on art work, that is available for everyone to bid on- have heard a story when a school did this a member of the public out bidded a few of the family's on the art work as they loved the work so much.

Tip 4 - School Parents

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• Listen to there ideas, include them - ask them what they are able to gift to the fundraiser - time, product, ideas, marketing - flyers in letter boxes/ signs, leads to others that maybe able to help.
• You want happy parents as they are like the kids going to be a big part of work of mouth of your event
• Parents like to show there family and friends there kids are going to a good school, let them be proud to show of your school event, if they aren't happy they wont say a word to friends and family, and mostly not turn up themselves with the kids.

Tip 5 - Community

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• Visit local events to see how they are ran and marketed, you may be able to ask some of the vender's if they would be interested in turning up to your school event - see what the going price in your area is for stalls, food stalls, and charge that or lower to your vender's, let them know how many family's attend your school, how your marketing, what stalls are coming.
• Visit your local kids market - they might let there venders and customers know about your event, to either rent a stall space or to visit the event.
• Visit local council groups - Ambury Farm day is a big annual event ran in Auckland every year by the council, they have over 10,000 people each year visiting this event, they gift out prizes on the day, they may have some spare prizes, offer advise, may even turn up on the day with some stalls of their own, or let you know of some venders to contact.
• Visit local animal farms, rabbit, horse farms they might like to turn up on the day and charge out to the customers for a ride or a pat. Or they may just come to give out information.
• Visit local restaurants, stores they may want a stall for the day or hand out flyers or coupons.
• Visit or ring other local schools they might be able to give ideas, or might be able to advertise in their news letter your event, if you will do the same for them.
• Visit local church or charity groups that have second hand stores, they might want a stall to sell some products on the day also.
• Visit community groups, like play schools, kindergartens, your local community house/hub they might like to offer some quick classes on the day of the event or sell products also.
• Some of these groups may like to just help out with getting the word out of your event, or may like to donate, tell them about your event and ask how you are both able to help each other out.

What makes a great fundraiser for you?

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