Fundraising Directory

Name of School: Norfolk Village State School P&C Association
Date and start-end time: 29^th May 2011 – 11.00am – 6.00pm
Theme or Title: Grand Fete & Auction
Any ‘drawcard’?
We held an auction in the afternoon and we also ran in conjunction with a community car rally which was in the morning 9am-11am.  We also held a major raffle. Plus had lots of displays programmed throughout the day by local dance, karate, cheerleading etc.  PLUS fireworks
Number of students and families Approx 750 students
Estimated number in attendance
Between 2500 and 3000.  With several entrances it was very difficult to keep track.
Turnover and Profit from the day GROSS $41,300 approx   NETT $ 19,300
How many did you have on your committee and what were their roles?
14 on committee – all were delegated to a particular area whereby they were in charge of setup, costs, volunteers etc etc… Took the pressure off just one person
Did you have a lot of support from volunteers?  Why do you think this was so, and what helped?
ABSOLUTELY!!!!   We had in excess of 90 volunteers on the day plus heaps that just jumped in on the day, and each and everyone of them was AWESOME!!!  We have tried to develop a really strong community feel whereby everyone is welcome and treasured and obviously we are doing something right!!!  And by having approx 20 on our P&C it has opened up the access to other parents as we all know different parents so that was a huge help PLUS lots of family members also assisted (or were bribed! Hehehe)
Number and type of rides
7 rides – Hurricane, Giant Slide, Rockwall, Mini Jeeps, Lost Temple Castle, Cup n Saucer + Animal Farm
Number of stalls, and examples
45 stalls – everything from games, homemade items, local businesses, book stalls, trash n treasure…  Each school year level also had a stall to run on the day – we had carnival games, sponge throw the teacher, cupcakes and goodies, facepainting, lucky dips, bake stalls, raffles etc

Price of ride passes and rides PREPAID ride bracelet $25 or buy on the day for $30, individual rides $5 each
Did you have a major raffle?  If so, what was the prize?
Yes, a weeks holiday at a choice of 4 destinations valued at $2000.  The aim of the raffle was to pay for the holiday and part of the rides bill, which we chose to pay for instead of doing a profit share.
Did you have an auction?  If so, what were some example auction items?
Yes, we had over 60 lots ranging from Tupperware, local business donations and events to tennis racquets, books, passes etc
Did you have handover notes from the previous organizer?  If so, how did they help?
NO – we had nothing other than what we could remember and had to go blind, basically this was developed from a vague idea to the finished product
Did you prepare handover notes for the next organizer?  If so, what key information did you include?
Absolutely, we have a full file split into each different category of the fete detailing the how, why, where and when and how much, which included templates to use for everything pertaining to the fete on USB.  We also sent out three separate surveys, one to parents, one to businesses who participated and one to school staff – from the survey results we were able to ascertain where we could improve on and what worked which was a VERY valuable tool.  These results are currently being formulated into a response for all three entities, reasoning behind this is to provide feedback and assure all that their voices have been heard and valued.
How did you promote the event?
Flyers, school website, school facebook site, emails, school newsletter, local paper, word of mouth (kids were great at this one!) handing out flyers at school gates.
What were 5 highlights from the day?

1. The fantastic community feel to the entire day
2. The joy and excitement on the childrens faces
3. The excitement generated by all volunteers and staff and families
4. The gross amount of money raised on the day – AWESOME!
5. The firework finale was outstanding and a huge drawcard.

What were 5 things you wish you had done differently?
Our hot chips didn’t quite work as we didn’t have enough cookers and they weren’t quick enough

1. Having our fete mudmap and program of events at EVERY gate of the school instead of just the front gate as a lot of people didn’t realize what was going on at what time and what was available.
2. Worked the auction quicker as it dragged on a little.
3. Had heaps more cheap games/activities for the kids.

Do you have any other advice for fete organisers?
Ensure you have a great team of people prepared to work together and ensure your fete convenor can and will delegate….  Even though this fete was a lot of work, hours and commitment we know that next one will be even bigger and better as we have really nailed down the process and done everything possible to research and develop further which will make the next fete so much easier and less work involved.
Treat the fete like a business, TAKE lots of notes and keep everyone posted at every step of the way – COMMUNICATION regularly with your community is vital.  I had a lot of our stall holders tell me that the communication was the best they had ever experienced from any fete they had participated in and the general feedback from staff and parents was that our fete was the best ever!  Cant do better than that considering our school is only 3 years old.