Fundraising with Craft Fairs
How to Host a Craft Fair Fundraiser.
Are you looking for an idea for a fundraiser for your organization, cause or charity? A craft fair fundraiser has tremendous potential to raise hundreds, even thousands of dollars and it’s relatively simple to organize an event.
Firstly, there’s a matter of selecting a date and location. Generally, you want to plan the event at least 12-16 weeks in advance in order to pull in as many attendees and crafters as possible. You’ll need to select a primary date and a rain date.
Ideally, you’ll want to select a date that does not coincide with another large craft fair in the local area. What’s more, you should aim to pick a location that has lots of passing foot traffic and/or vehicle traffic, such as a town green or a church in a central location.
Schools, churches, function halls and town greens are all popular locations for craft fairs. Some are associated with a rental fee; others may simply require a reservation. Outdoor craft fairs tend to pull in more visitors, but they’re also subject to rain-outs.
Most craft fairs are held on Saturdays from around 10:00 a.m. through 4:00 p.m. Some are also held late in the afternoon through the evening on Friday. On rare occasion, craft festivals may take place from Friday through Sunday.
You’ll need to determine how many spaces you have available, so you’ll need to measure the venue. A single space is typically 8×8 feet; double spaces are typically around 16×16 feet. You’ll also need room for walkways.
Next, you must determine how much you wish to charge per space. The amount of money charged per space varies dramatically depending on how large the event will be, the amount spent on the venue and whether it’s a one-day event or a multiple-day event. The fee generally ranges anywhere from $35 to $125 per day. The fee must be submitted with the craft fair application, typically due at least 2 weeks before the date of the event. (Though you may opt to accept last minute crafters if space allows).
If your organization happens to have 6-foot folding tables, you may opt to rent them to crafters, though generally, most crafters own their own tables, chairs and tents.
Next, there’s a matter of attracting crafters and artisans! Visit area craft fairs and festivals and hand out flyers about your upcoming event. It’s best to do this at least 2-3 months in advance, as craft fair enthusiasts tend to book their schedules well in advance.
There are also a wide array of websites dedicated to providing information on local craft fairs. Craftlister.com is the most popular, but there are many others and Craigslist is also rising up as another popular source of craft fair listing information.
Beware that you may receive many more applications than you have available spaces. It’s best to select a wide variety of different craft types. The application should ask for a name, contact information, types of crafts to be sold, and a website URL so you can evaluate each crafter. It’s also best to implement a ‘handcrafted items only’ policy to avoid lots of flea market-type resellers.
Also beware that you may need to limit the number of jewelry crafters at your event. Jewelry is by far the most popular crafting niche and you may end up with a jewelry fair instead of a craft fair!
In the week or two leading up to the craft fair, you’ll want to announce it via local flyers, Craigslist listings, press releases in your local newspaper and so forth. On the day of the event, you’ll want to put up plenty of signage directing motorists from the center of town and other major high-traffic areas to your event. Add helium balloons to attract extra attention (but remember that you’ll need to get them inflated on the morning of the event, as they deflate within 18 hours.)
What’s more, during the craft fair, your organization or charity can set up a booth to distribute literature and collect donations.
You can also host an array of mini-fundraisers during the craft fair, including:
– A bake sale — Supporters or organizers can bake goodies that can be sold during the event.
– Face painting — This is an easy way to pull in lots of money, especially if you expect there will be lots of families and children in attendance! All you need is a bit of non-toxic face paint, some brushes, a poster board with examples of face painting options, and a moderately artistic face painter! Airbrush face painting can pull in even more revenue!
– A craft and yard sale table — Crafty supporters and organizers can donate their crafts and miscellaneous yard sale-type donations for sale during the event at a table hosted by the organization/charity.
– An auction — Ask each crafter to donate an item to your silent auction. If you opt to solicit donations from the crafters in attendance, it’s best to mention this in your event listing so crafters and artists are clear about this expectation.
A craft fair fundraiser can be a tremendously successful and fun event for your organization, with plenty of opportunities to pull in donations and profits!
Category: Fundraising Tips, Ideas and Strategies
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