How to Plan a Craft Stall at your Christmas Event

Christmas is a wonderful time to do some fundraising as people hunt for gifts for their friends and families and also think of those people less fortunate than them.

If you are crafty, it is a great opportunity to make some Christmas goodies, take a table at a Christmas Fair, and make lots of money for Walk the Walk! Some Christmas ideas:

• Christmas decorations
• Christmas food eg Christmas cakes, mince pies, sweets, Christmas puddings.
• Christmas cards and tags
• Christmas gifts

First decide what you would like to create and try making one or two to see how easy they are to put together. Cost out the ingredients and decide how much to charge. As a rough guide you should be able to charge 3 times the cost of the ingredients. Check out what others are charging for similar items to see if your charge is competitive. If it all works out – great! If it doesn’t, you need to switch to making something else more profitable.

Research all the Christmas Fairs in your area (Google Fairs in your county) and consider these points before deciding:

• Date of the event
• Location (plus, is it inside or outside?)
• Cost of the table
• If the Organisers limit the number of type of craft
• Marketing
• How long the Fair has been going for

Choose the best Fair for you and book it.

Then get busy making varied items for your stall! There should be enough to fill a table and for some reserve stock as well.

Before the event

• If the event is outside, borrow a gazebo if you don’t have one.
• Find a tablecloth or sheet that will cover the table and touch the floor at the front so that you can store reserve stock underneath the table.
• Find a friend to help! You will have more fun and you will be able to have a break/lunch etc without leaving the stall unmanned.
• Organise a cash float. It’s a good idea to keep the pricing simple so that you don’t have to have too much change! Get a bumbag to wear for the change. 
• Gather a few carrier bags together. People often have their own now but not always.
• Collect a few things to make the stall more interesting and to display your goods well. Eg decorated cardboard boxes – you could disguise them as Christmas presents, or perhaps a necklace tree, display stands, bookends etc.
• Make a notice saying you are supporting Walk the Walk.
• Why not get in touch with [email protected] for leaflets and posters, also visit our website here for collection tubs, balloons and other fundraising items.

On the day 

Make sure you get there in plenty of time so that you will be able to prepare properly. If your stock is heavy, you may like to have some help to carry it in from the car park.

Do take in a flask of tea and a packed lunch and make sure you have gloves etc if it is outside. You may need to take a chair although they are usually provided, best to check. Do wear a bra T-Shirt if you have one and something jolly, like an elf hat, as customers are more likely to notice you! 

Finally, have lots of fun... and why not take a look at our extra bits and pieces blog to help you even further.

Still have questions? Feel free to get in touch with our friendly fundraising Team, we'd love to hear from you.

Raise money, Raise awareness, Get fit and Have the best fun Walking the Walk! 

Jan, Polla and Elisabeth