Ideas for Church Craft Fairs

Put together a reliable committee to plan a craft fair well in advance.

A craft fair not only provides your church with a way to raise funds, but is an event that can bring the community together to enjoy. Whether a vendor or a shopper, a fair can draw many new visitors to your church and give existing members the opportunity to come together for a good cause.

Seasonal Themes

Plan your fair around a seasonal theme. Having a theme is not only a marketing strategy that will serve vendors and attract shoppers, but it gives you focus for all of the decorations and activities. You can use a season of the year for the fair, such as a spring garden theme or a fall harvest theme. Take advantage of major holidays as well, with a Christmas or Easter craft fair, or a patriotic 4th of July fair.

Advertise Heavily

The more you spread the word, the more you increase your chance of a successful fundraiser. Advertising in major newspapers can be expensive, but there is a trick to saving that money. Instead of advertising in the classified section for a fee, submit a notice to the arts and leisure section for "upcoming events." Call or email local radio shows to see if they announce local upcoming events and see if you can submit your notice. These notices are usually a free public service. You can then use your advertising budget for smaller local papers. Some free places to advertise are Craigslist.org, the classifieds at yahoo.com and your own church website. Print up postcards to advertise the event and send them to everyone on your church mailing list, hang signs around the neighborhood, and be sure to remind the congregation to spread the news by word of mouth.

Offer Prizes

Raffles have two major benefits. The first is that they are a low-cost, low-manpower way to raise even more money at a church craft fair. All you need is a roll of tickets, a pen and a person or two willing to sit at the table. The second benefit is that they can draw bigger crowds because people love to win prizes. You don't even have to purchase any items for the raffle; ask some local businesses to donate items for raffle prizes, such as small gift packages or gift certificates for services. In exchange, offer to let the businesses advertise at the craft fair by putting out their fliers or business cards, which lets the fair attendees know the businesses donated the raffle item. If you still find yourself in need of a raffle item, try holding a 50/50 raffle at $1 per ticket. The winner at the end of the day gets half of the money the raffle takes in; the church keeps the other half of the proceeds.

Have a Kid's Corner

If a small child is growing bored of wandering through endless tables of vendors selling things that are of no interest to the child, he may become too impatient or fussy for the parent to enjoy browsing. Rather than shopping, the parent's focus is on the child. Have a kids' corner with crayons, coloring pages, craft supplies, toys and snacks. When kids get fussy, parents can bring the child there to relax and recharge a bit as she works off some energy. If your church offers child care, you might consider offering shoppers this service so they can enjoy the event while their child has fun with other kids in a safe, supervised environment.

References

• Share Faith: Craft Fair Fund Raiser
• Step By Step Fundraising: How to Organize a Raffle Fundraiser