3 Things Carnival Planners Must Do Before September 1st
3 Things Fall Carnival (and Festival) Planners Must Do BEFORE September 1st
Want to stay a step ahead of your fall carnival this year? Whether you’re representing a school, church, or other nonprofit, chances are your fall carnival is the big time fundraising moneymaker. Not only do fall carnivals require a TON of parent and community support, but the sheer organization and planning time practically make them their own full-time job.
If you want to save time, boost profits, and stress less planning the fall carnival this year, do these 3 things BEFORE school starts!
1. Make Sure Your Team Is In Place! 
Would you try and organize a simple party for 300 people by yourself?
We didn’t think so :) Definitely don’t try organizing a fall carnival by yourself! From supplies to prizes, games, volunteers, concessions, tickets, you name it, the details of fall carnival planning are numerous.
Any fall carnival organizer knows they are just as good as the team they put together, so before school starts, make sure your team is in place!
What does this mean?
In addition to recruiting helpful and skilled team members to help with planning, outreach, and volunteer coordination for the fall carnival, you’ll want to gather and share contact info for everyone in one place and let folks know where you’ll be aggregating materials (dropbox, google docs, etc). Going ahead and scheduling planning meetings for before and after school starts is a good idea too!
Who should join your team?
Although we have seen some very small carnival teams (as small as 3 persons for 500 child school) we know that puts so much work on a few folks. We recommend having at least these positions:
- Carnival Chair
- Games & Activities Chair
- Purchasing Chair
- Food & Drink Chair
- Donations Chair
- Silent Auction Chair
- Volunteer Coordinator
2. Choose Your Carnival Games & Activities
Carnival games and activities play THE most important role at your event, so picking and choosing the right ones is critical. When choosing carnival games and activities, keep these tips in mind:
- First time carnival planners: Go easy! Start with simpler, inexpensive games and booths that look great and set a baseline for how much money your group can bring in based on attendance.
A few of our favorite easy setup and very popular carnival style games are:
1. 2 Liter Ring Toss (kids love it - expect long lines!)
2. Monster Knock Down (costs less than $15)
3. Hoop a Toy (looks BIG - takes minutes to set up!)
- Veteran carnival planners: Ditch those “meh” carnival games that simply didn’t do as well last year, and swap them out for new, fresh fall carnival games kids have never seen, like these or some new unique carnival games can be fun too!
3. Brainstorm for Donation Ideas Now! 
If you are incorporating a raffle or silent auction into your fall carnival this year, or you just want to boost your school carnival profits, the time to start brainstorming for donations from community businesses isn’t in September or October, IT’S NOW!
Why? For 2 reasons.
A) Helps you get ahead of the game. Not only are other area non-profits less likely to be doing research and outreach right now, but it gives your school or church the upper leg on locking in great discounts, promos, and items that you won’t have to worry about snagging later.
A little research now goes a long way later, and the more great items you can bring in for your raffle or auction, the BIGGER your profits this fall!
B) AWESOME donations take time!
For example, did you know Disney Park will donate up to 4 passes for your fundraiser? The catch is, you have to apply at least 8 weeks prior to your event. Learn more about this amazing opportunity here.
By having some research done early and a general idea list of who you will be reaching out to, getting the ball rolling with letters, emails, and phone calls when the kids head back to school will be much easier!
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Once school begins, you’ll be down to the wire for ordering supplies, coordinating volunteers, dotting all those i’s and . . . you get the rest :)
By bringing your team together early, wrangling donations during the lull of summer, and going ahead and choosing your carnival games and booths before school starts, you’ll set yourself up for the BEST fall carnival ever!
