·
3 min read
· by Sarah Came
How to run a Christmas Fair that actually makes money.
Sarah gives us her thoughts on running a profitable Christmas Fair.
Set the date well ahead of time, keeping an eye on what other events are happening
that weekend in your area. Tell your school parents to save the date!
Start advertising locally for stall holders – this is a great source of income which will add to the atmosphere of the fair without requiring your own volunteers to staff. Make sure you don’t take on external stalls that will compete with what your own committee is planning (i.e. don’t have two wreath-making stalls for example).
Get your raffle sorted. If you are planning to sell tickets in advance of the event,
make sure you have registered as a small society lottery with your local council. Get
your raffle tickets printed and approach local businesses for donated prizes. You only
need a couple of great prizes to make it a really appealing raffle. Once your tickets
are printed, sell them in the weeks before the fair at the school gate and send them
home with parents to sell to their friends and family. Closer to the time, get parents to donate smaller items for making up luxury hampers, and ask local garden centres
and therapists for vouchers.
Start getting your rota filled. Upfayre makes this really easy as volunteers can see
which shifts need filling and they don’t need an account to sign up to one.
Be clear in your mind which stalls or activities make money and which ones just add
to the festive vibes. Cake stalls are always a winner. Just remember to list all
ingredients and have an allergy warning sign. Edibles sell. This could be lunches,
mince pies, mulled wine or spiced apple juice. Gingerbread decorating – just watch
out that little Jimmy doesn’t load all the available sweets onto one gingerbread man.
Local supermarkets will often donate items like sweets/toppings.
Consider having a produce stall: get donations of chutneys, jams, juices, homemade granolas, biscuits and whole cakes – even bread. Make them look pretty and people will buy them for gifts etc.
If you’re doing a grotto, set this up with time slots and sell tickets in advance, maybe
even with early bird prices. This helps people spread the cost of a day out and
means they may have more to spend on the day. It also helps you to know how
many gifts to buy or make. Have you thought about parent volunteers crafting gifts
for the grotto? Obviously this depends on how keen your volunteers are, but it can
definitely reduce costs.
If parents are unable to help out on the day, invite them to donate items for the
raffle/cake stall/resources for activities or hard cash to help cover costs. Try to create
a culture where everybody is expected to contribute in one way or another and not
leave it to the same handful of committee members. Don’t forget to advertise. Social
media and printed flyers for local notice boards, shops and cafes.
Do spend time making your venue look magical and inviting, it will help people enjoy
the day and want to spend longer there. Invite a local choir to come and sing some
carols. Make the event beautiful and festive and as long as there is good food and a
few activities, people will come and spend their money.
that weekend in your area. Tell your school parents to save the date!
Start advertising locally for stall holders – this is a great source of income which will add to the atmosphere of the fair without requiring your own volunteers to staff. Make sure you don’t take on external stalls that will compete with what your own committee is planning (i.e. don’t have two wreath-making stalls for example).
Get your raffle sorted. If you are planning to sell tickets in advance of the event,
make sure you have registered as a small society lottery with your local council. Get
your raffle tickets printed and approach local businesses for donated prizes. You only
need a couple of great prizes to make it a really appealing raffle. Once your tickets
are printed, sell them in the weeks before the fair at the school gate and send them
home with parents to sell to their friends and family. Closer to the time, get parents to donate smaller items for making up luxury hampers, and ask local garden centres
and therapists for vouchers.
Start getting your rota filled. Upfayre makes this really easy as volunteers can see
which shifts need filling and they don’t need an account to sign up to one.
Be clear in your mind which stalls or activities make money and which ones just add
to the festive vibes. Cake stalls are always a winner. Just remember to list all
ingredients and have an allergy warning sign. Edibles sell. This could be lunches,
mince pies, mulled wine or spiced apple juice. Gingerbread decorating – just watch
out that little Jimmy doesn’t load all the available sweets onto one gingerbread man.
Local supermarkets will often donate items like sweets/toppings.
Consider having a produce stall: get donations of chutneys, jams, juices, homemade granolas, biscuits and whole cakes – even bread. Make them look pretty and people will buy them for gifts etc.
If you’re doing a grotto, set this up with time slots and sell tickets in advance, maybe
even with early bird prices. This helps people spread the cost of a day out and
means they may have more to spend on the day. It also helps you to know how
many gifts to buy or make. Have you thought about parent volunteers crafting gifts
for the grotto? Obviously this depends on how keen your volunteers are, but it can
definitely reduce costs.
If parents are unable to help out on the day, invite them to donate items for the
raffle/cake stall/resources for activities or hard cash to help cover costs. Try to create
a culture where everybody is expected to contribute in one way or another and not
leave it to the same handful of committee members. Don’t forget to advertise. Social
media and printed flyers for local notice boards, shops and cafes.
Do spend time making your venue look magical and inviting, it will help people enjoy
the day and want to spend longer there. Invite a local choir to come and sing some
carols. Make the event beautiful and festive and as long as there is good food and a
few activities, people will come and spend their money.