Fundraising can be a tough task for anyone because families seem to have such busy lifestyles and it can be hard enough trying to support the family as well as trying their best to support their school and community.If you have any good ideas that you would like to share with us, please email admin@flossysfairyfloss.com.au. We would love to hear from you.
Fundraising Tips for your School Fete
The best advice I can give anyone about to plan for a school fete is to visit fetes at other schools around you and get ideas from them. Make sure when you hire rides that you go with a company that has been recommended, or that you have seen in action. Ask about their public liability cover and how often they maintain their equipment. You are paying for their services, and safety is extremely important, so don't be frightened to ask.
The second best piece of advice I can offer you is don't plan beyond your school's electrical power capabilities. If you try and use more power than you have then everything stops and it can be a nightmare fixing the problem. Try and distribute power for the fete evenly by running equipment off different circuits. It is also a good idea to hire a large commercial generator from a company such as Southern Generators in Moorabbin. Having that extra power gives piece of mind and also allows a few extra rides or food items to be added to your list.
Most people look forward to a good meal when they're out having fun so organising a good food court is crucial for a successful fete. A lot of fetes go from 10.00 - 4.00 pm but the twilight fete is a popular one too (midday to 7-8.00 pm).
Food items to consider:
Fairy floss Popcorn Hot Chips Hot Jam Donuts Hots Dogs BBQ - sausages, hamburgers, egg & bacon rolls, satays Souvlaki Coffee machine Milk shakes Drinks Snow cones Ice cream
Planning a few activities for children to do can be fun and the ideas are endless.
I have compiled a list below and I am sure you could add to it:
1.
Coin Toss for chocolates - Vary the chocolates in size and $1.00 a throw.
2.
Mosaic Art - Get the families to donate old tiles.
3.
Plate Smashing - This is always a popular one. Get families to donate their old crockery $2.00 for 3 balls.
4.
Bowling - An easy Game for all to play and if the littlies strike or spare, have a few small gifts to hand out. $3.00 a game
5.
Plaster Casts - Nurses come in handy for this one and they are always popular $5.00 a cast. Get the nurses to make them loose so they can be removed for the rides. Some rides will not allow sharp casts to enter.
6.
Sand Pictures & Bottles - Keeps the kids busy while you rest. $3.00 a picture, $5 a bottle.
7.
Lucky dips - Keeps the little kids happy at $1.50 a dip.
8.
Silent Auction - Hold in a room and place a bidding sheet down in front of each item.
9.
Lucky number - Graph on a large piece of board the numbers 1 to 100 so that people can pay and write their name and telephone in a numbered grid. $2.00 a number and the price is $100.00 for the winner.
10.
Face Painting and Body Art - Grab someone who is artistic or experienced to paint faces, apply temp tattoos and spray on hair colours. $2.00 - $4.00.
11.
Plaster Painting - You can purchase plaster moulds already made up or if you have a talented mother she could make some up for you.
12.
Glow Sticks, bands, torches - Great for twilight fetes.
13.
Tile Art - I have seen a school produce a great wall of art from children buying a white tile and drawing on it with permanent markers. $5.00
14.
Auctions - I have seen some schools raise thousands of dollars with Auctions prizes collected over the year. Ask your local Estate Agent if he could MC at your Auction if no one else fits the bill.
15.
Kids talent show
16.
Clubs to put on a performance:
- Line dancing clubs, belly dancing etc.
- Martial arts clubs - karate etc.
- Sporting Clubs - football, soccer, tennis etc.
My final piece of advice is to organise and run your cash collection professionally. Two people should collect the money from stalls together and a clipboard needs to be placed at each stall and the amounts taken to the counting room should be written down and checked and signed for.
Some schools operate with a ticketing system where you purchase all your foods via a ticket from a ticket booth and then go to the stall and trade the ticket for the food. This system has its good points and bad points. I personally get frustrated when I line up for food and find out I have to go half way down the school to buy a ticket. A lot of people buy on impulse and it stops the impulse buying in turn reducing the amount of money you bring in.
Well I hope this information has helped you and if you would like to add to our fundraising tips we would love to hear from you.
There are many opportunities for clubs out there and a few ideas are below:
