Planning a Carnival fundraiser can be a fun rewarding opportunity with a little research and effort. One of the key factors in your carnivals success is a good support team with strong team leaders for each of the separate committees. This will allow each person to devote their full attention to the area they are in charge of giving you the best result and keeping your carnival day running smoothly from set up to tear down. The main positions are food, Games, Interactive activities, Ticket sales, Advertising, Volunteer coordination, and Donations.
When you consider food think of the atmosphere you are trying to create and the crowd you are appealing to. Sno-cones, popcorn, and cotton candy are staples of carnival food but we can not live on junk food alone. Find someone to man a grill and serve up the hot dogs, burgers, and sausage on a stick they are all crowd pleasing options with low overhead cost. Get plenty of drinks to keep your guests cool and refreshed. Its also important that the Food team leader also take care of the paper products that will be needed to serve the refreshments.
Games is a great position for a very energetic creative person to take charge and kick the carnival up a notch. Everyone loves the classic midway style games and should be a buffer between the food and the interactive. Some popular games are ring toss, bean bad toss, duck races, and a balloon pop. Plan ahead and decide how many prizes will be needed at each booth, offer candy as an alternative prize while keeping in mind if you order in bulk you will save money.
Rock walls, obstacle courses, and moonwalks are popular carnival interactive, having a variety assures that you can appeal to all ages and will keep lines down. It is always a good idea to shop around for the best price to make your budget stretch and your profits rise. Don’t be afraid to call and get a price quote on any and all items you are interested in from several vendors before you settle on one. You don’t have to order everything you received a quote on but this will help you decide what’s best for your budget. Often you will get discounts when ordering multiple items.
Ticket sales is a Key component to success. You need to decide what the value of each ticket will be and the number of tickets required at each booth prior to the date of your event. If at all possible have a presale on tickets to allow your guests to avoid the lines and jump straight to the festivities. Another bonus to this method is if someone purchases tickets ahead they are more likely to purchase additional tickets the day of your event.
Silent auctions can he a fun addition also. Ask members of your local community to donate items to each basket and set up a booth to show the baskets during the duration of the carnival. Designate someone to supervise bids and announce the winner 30 minutes prior to your event’s end.
To maximize your income invite your surrounding communities. Advertise in local magazines, papers, send flyers home with children and distribute signs in the community announcing your event in advance. You will depend on volunteers to keep your event running smoothly so solicit friends family and local high schools for anyone in need of volunteer hours. Make sure to have them sign in, assign stations, responsibilities, and work durations.
You can offset the cost of the carnival by appealing to local merchants, allow them to sponsor items in your carnival. Most places of business have a budget set aside for advertising and will be more than willing to help. Display a sign in front of the item they sponsored. As an added bonus donations made to school are tax deductible and you can present them with a tax receipt and a certificate thanking them for the donation. When you are prepared you will have a successful and rewarding fundraiser
