Planning A School Carnival? Step Right Up!

Planning a large scale fundraiser for a school can be complicated.  I've planned more Jog-A-Thon's and school carnivals and fundraisers for my kid's schools than I can count over the last 15 years.  It's tough - but doable with plenty of planning - and hopefully - a little help from other parents!  Here's

dunk tank

some little tips that I've picked up along the way!

* Ask for HELP! And more importantly, TAKE THE HELP!  I get that sometimes you are running so hard that it's hard to stop long enough to really ask for help - but you should!  There are other parents that want to help - they just don't know what to do.  If you plan in advance and break down some manageable steps for people, when someone says "I can help!", you can answer "Awesome - do THIS thing!".

*Make COMMITTEES!  People really are intimidated by the whole process, and mostly just want to avoid looking like a fool!  If you have an outline made up explaining the job and the steps - people are more likely to say "Yeah - I can do that!"  Put it in a BINDER - so that future PTO's or planners don't have to recreate the wheel!

Rock Walls and Bungee Jumps

*Have a THEME! It may sound silly - but having a specific theme really does help focus you in term of planning.

*Concessions are a BIG MONEY MAKER! Need volunteers? Call your local teen organizations - they often times have access to kids that need community service hours (check how to make sure that you are qualified to GIVE those hours too!)



*Put your MOST popular pieces towards the back of the event - it will pull people through!  Have MAPS where things are - it's crowded!  Have more than one ticket booth and consider selling them in advance for a discount! (Armbands will save you a lot of hassle!)

Obstacle Course 

*Involve the staff - but NOT TOO MUCH!  They already have so much on their plate, think about how you can benefit the classrooms (or your charity) without adding to their load!  Delivering flyers to classrooms? Sure! Calling on the Class Parent to stuff envelopes for their class or assign volunteers for their booth? Why not!

*Have a AFTER THE EVENT meeting!  What was awesome - what was terrible - what can we do better next year.  This often overlooked step can save alot of heartache for the next years committee!

Want some expert help planning your next event? Call Michelle at Party Jumpers for help from Jousting Arenas -  Obstacle Courses - Rock Walls - Bungee Jumps - Bouncehouse - Giant Slides - Interactive Sports Games - to Cotton Candy - Sno Cones - Hot Dog Warmers - and Popcorn - one call does it all! Party Jumpers - (941) 343-0370 in the Sarasota and Bradenton Area!

We have 2 giant obstacle courses!