Thank you so much for the ideas! We don't use this as a funraiser either but the last few years we haven't been happy with the companies we've used and are trying to find alternatives. I like the craft ideas tho...I'm going to start asking around this weekend.
We have done a Holiday Gift Shop at our school for years. We don't do it as a fundraiser , but, the companyy we use gives us a percentage of our sales...It works out great. The first few years we used Reindeer Lane and the past few years we have used a company called Concord Holiday Gift Shop out of Worcester MA because they are closer to our school. Their products are very good quality. The way we run it is we do it at our schools for a full week. We schedule the classes to come in every half-hour and the kids do their shopping. It works better to have the kids do thier shopping without their parents around. The compny we use now also provides us with cash reigsters that are color coded and the items are color coded as well. It's so easy and the kids just love it!!
We have a North Pole craft fair in the gym for the first Friday and Saturday of December. It's open to anyone. The crafters are required to have a minumum of 50 items that cost 25 cents at each booth. They are very creative with it. The kids get to shop, parents get to shop and the school gets a table fee plus 10%. The crafters put price tags on the items with their id on it and customers pay at one table run by the PTSA.
We recieved almost $2000 this year.
I think one thing that makes this successful is that we do it every year, so it's a tradition for the crafters and for the community.
The crafters are wonderful. The items are high quality.
This year we had:
a photographer who had prints as well as little notebooks with her photos on them.
A jewelry maker
parents who make blown glass ornaments in their basement
Afgans and scarves
a variety of ornaments, stockings and Christmas crafts
A seamstress who did monograms on the spot (she sold towels and such)
Homemade food & candy items
home decor
candles
A metalworking artist
PTSA had a bake sale, of course
Everything had to be handmade so the majority of items were below $5 - Even the blown glass. Everything was appropriate for gifts.
I would start now if you want to find people for December. Go to craft fairs, crafting stores and sewing stores and ask around to see who would like to rent a table. Flyers work only to a point. Talking face to face generates more interest.
One thing that is good about our fair is that we charge a small fee for the table and then a percentage of the sales. Year-round craft fairs cost so much that some crafters don't break even. This is something you may want to point out. But you need to charge something for the table. Many districts will charge YOU for use of the building since someone out side the school is making money.
It's like a rocket taking off. It'll take a bit of fuel and work to get it up, but once it's up it's easy to keep going because everyone comes back. [img]smile.gif[/img]
I really recomend trying it.
Hi Tina,
What we do at our elementary school is to do the shopping ourselves at the local dollar stores and discount places. We don't do Santa's Secret Shop for profit. Last year we didn't buy anything that cost more than one dollar and the PTA paid the tax. Some stores won't have you pay the tax when you explain who you are and what you are doing. We also found some great deals on some really nice looking stuff. We had gifts from .25 to a $1. People were amazed at the good stuff we found. It was a lot of work but well worth it. It's all for the kids. Good Luck!
