A few things to think about to ensure your events are as
successful as possible.
There are a wide variety of
tried and tested fundraising events
that PTAs have found to be successful. Some are more profitable
than others, but raising money is not always the only objective.
Running social events that bring together your school and local
community can be equally important and rewarding.
When considering which events you'd like to offer it can be
useful to hear from other PTAs which have run similar events, in
particular so you can hear first hand about potential pitfalls and
things that work well. Post your questions on our
Facebook page or use the
Forum.
Some events, particularly major fundraising projects, can
involve an initial financial layout, which you may not be able to
fully recover if attendance is lower than expected or the weather
is inclement. It is very important to do as much research as
possible before deciding to run a particular event, as the
Committee could be held responsible for any loss. Some of the
more popular PTA fundraisers include:
- fetes and fairs
- discos
- quiz evenings
- auctions
- international evening
- film nights
- bingo
- cake sales
- treasure hunts
- barn dances and balls
Ask your school community what they want and at the same time,
see if you can encourage more volunteers to step forward. Use our
Parents'
Questionnaire, which you can modify to suit your own
needs.
Make sure you have adequate
insurance cover in place. PTA-UK
members automatically have public liability insurance cover in
places as part of their annual membership. PTAs should not be
running events without insurance - if their is an incident you and
your committee colleagues may be held liable.
You also need to think about any
licences you may need for your event. If you
have live or recorded music (including school discos) are selling
or supplying alcohol and have a raffle where you are selling
tickets in advance of the event, then you will need a
licence.
And finally - the success of your event will depend on how you
promote it, so make sure you give yourself plenty of lead time to
advertise the event through as many channels as possible:
- PTA and school newsletters
- PTA and school noticeboards
- PTA and school websites
- Facebook and Twitter
- Local promotion through community halls / shops / libraries /
supermarket community boards
- Local radio and press
- Word of mouth - class representatives
- Pupil post / school book bags
Good luck and remember to tell us about your PTA successes.