Marketing and Publicity

Fete Program

For something that is a MUST, the fete program is often overlooked or left until the last minute.

A program provides the who, what, when and where of activities, entertainment, feature events and stalls. As well as a map showing the specific location of stalls and a timetable of the day’s entertainment, the program serves to publicly recognise sponsors.

Tip: With a map and program, no-one misses out on seeing something and everyone knows where to go. Make a big red cross for First Aid so that in an emergency, there is no question about finding the right person.

The fete program deserves to be eye-catching and well-designed. Attempt to find a graphic designer within your community and try to offset the cost of production by asking your local printer to produce the program in exchange for being a sponsor, with their name in print.

Fete Flyers

Flyers can be handed out on the day as people come through the gates as well as pre-publicising your event in the surrounding neighbourhood with a letter-box drop.

Include a QR code on your flyer with links to your online auction (or simply pictures of your silent auction items) and any other helpful information.

An alternative is to print a large map and schedule for display at every entrance and encourage people to take a photo to have with them. Place QR codes to the map and schedule around the place as well.

Fete Guides

When your event is spread out across the school grounds, it might not be immediately apparent to visitors the full extent of what’s available. Fete Guides are a way of targeting particular groups of visitors, to make sure they know of all the stalls and activities that might be of interest specifically to them.

Fete Guides can be printed into posters and left in strategic places around your event, displayed at your entry points, included in your fete program or promoted in advance on your social media channels.

For example, a Kid’s Guide will list all the stalls, activities, games and food that kids might like: ‘Inflatable, Pat-a-Koala, Crazy Hair, Tombola, Temporary Tattoos, Lucky Dip, Gingerbread Decorating, Slime Stall, Box Playground, Sausage Sizzle, Lolly Stall, Slushies.’

A Shopping Guide will include all the stalls for visitors who plan on shopping up a storm, the type who bring armfuls of bags in anticipation: ‘Christmas puddings, Craft Stall, Gourmet Hampers, Pet Stall, Jams & Chutneys, Original Artworks and Prints, Succulents, Pre-loved Books.’

Other guides might include:

• Free Free Free - time and location of demonstrations and performances, free craft activities, best places to sit and listen to music, sponsor stalls giving balloons and other items away
• Mums and Bubs - market stalls selling maternity or baby clothes, child-friendly games and activities, change facilities and breastfeeding areas, petting zoo, bouncy castle
• Chill-Out - Silent Disco, Teen Chill Out Zone, shaded music performances
• Gourmet Lovers - market stalls, food stalls, bar, chutneys & jams, cake stall, chef or cooking demonstration, raffles or auctions where the prizes are restaurant vouchers or food hampers, fresh produce stalls
• Bargain Hunters - a list of all the stalls where prices are kept low including secondhand books, White Elephant, free craft activities, food stalls
• Thrill Seekers - exciting rides and games, market stalls selling interesting items, raffle/auctions where the prizes might be exciting like paintballing or rock climbing
• Eco-Friendly - food stalls with low food miles, local produce, stalls selling sustainable or upcycled products, displays or demonstrations such as worm farms or wax food wraps, second-hand and handmade market stalls.
• Don’t forget to include raffle or auction prizes which might be relevant on each Fete Guide.

Tip: You can use the checklists as a passport-style competition – i.e. each stand will have a little stamp, and full passports go into the draw to win a lucky door prize.

Appoint a publicity officer

Ideally a member of your school community or group with some experience in public relations, journalism or marketing is best for your fundraising publicity role. At the very least, choose someone whose passion for your cause/event is contagious, who loves to schmooze, who can absorb facts and deliver a clear message. If you have more than one person who is keen, why not have a publicity team!

Develop a communications plan which identifies who will be contacted and when, which platform will be targeted and what the message or angle is. The message might change in the months leading up to the event (for example from ‘our school is raising money for a wheelchair accessible play area’ to ‘we have some special Paralympian guests who will be coming to the fete’) which allows for repeat promotion while not boring people with the same message over and over.

Remember to stay timely. Your communication needs to be appropriate - start big (date, goal, theme) and work your way to specifics as the date draws closer (stalls and prizes, parking details).

Allow at least a month’s notice for the media and always follow it up. Keep in mind with certain publications you may need a few months’ lead-time for community service announcements.

Marketing the Fete

Marketing is about getting your message out so as many people as possible know that your fete is on. But with a little creative thinking, you can make your event become the hottest ticket in the social calendar.

• As soon as your date is set, contact your local council for permission to place promotional banners on major roads near your event site. Councils usually limit promotional banners and it is often a case of ‘the early bird catches the worm’.
• Branding is a great way to stand out. Create a logo or theme that can be used on all promotional material which includes the date, time and location
• Ask local shops and businesses to display your event poster in their window. If they are a major sponsor, make sure the poster acknowledges that.
• Send a personal invite to other schools, kindergartens, child care centres, churches and clubs in your area (and then ask if they will hang some flyers and posters up). 
• Don’t forget the graduates from the past few years - it’s likely that an email list still exists so it’s easy to send an invite to ex-students and their families. Invite the local high school to have a stall (they can donate their profits to their favourite charity or a drama/music program) or offer a free raffle ticket for ex-students who ‘come and say hi’ at the main information booth.
• Offer a major lucky door prize to be drawn at the fete, and stipulate that the winner must be present to receive the prize. Number the programs handed out on the day and keep drawing out a number until a winner comes forward.
• Start a Facebook event page and post a ‘save the date.’
• Ask your Fete and P&C committees to individually promote the event to their networks.
• If you are selling tickets, offer sellers’ prizes.
• Design A4 posters that people can put in their car windows - think of all the foot traffic when your car is parked at work and the local shops.   
• Have members of your group wear promotional t-shirts at assemblies and school events in the lead up to the fete.  
• Hang corflute posters (similar to real estate boards) on the front (and rear) fence at your school, anywhere there is foot traffic. If you have a real estate agent as a sponsor, they may be able to include a sign as part of their sponsorship, as they will have contacts with signmakers.
• Banners at local shopping centres, community centres or on fences in high traffic spaces are another way to raise the profile of your event. If banners are out of the question, colourful posters on the community boards will also be effective.
• Letter drop the surrounding area with an invitation to the event.
• Email a poster PDF to local community groups, playgroups, toy libraries, aged-care homes and ask them to share it with their members.
• Register your event with local papers as well as online directories or better still, arrange for a reporter from the paper to come to school and do an interview that will focus on something unique about your event.
• If your target market is online, use Facebook (consider facebook competitions, posting promotional posts in local suburb grapevines or noticeboards getting your community to share promotional posts) and Twitter. 
  Contact your local member of parliament and ask them to share your event on social media and newsletters.

Local Newspapers 

Local newspapers can be tough to get into. A ‘hook’ or a gimmick that sets you aside from other fetes is needed. It could be an attraction, the theme, the goal you are fundraising for or a unique prize on offer.    

Either way, don’t count on the local paper to be your sole source of publicity. That’s where our media release templates come in handy!

Publicity Channels

The good old letterbox drop is still a good way to get noticed. Team up with one of your sponsors to get great signs and colour printing or if you are after black and white on coloured paper – your local councillor’s office or member of parliament’s office are usually happy to print a ream or two of leaflets. Get a price for having them printed AND dropped - you may be surprised at how cost effective it is.

The benefits of a local letterbox drop is two-fold: firstly, neighbours will appreciate the courtesy of plenty of warning before the local streets are potentially crowded with cars. It will give them time to perhaps put ‘no parking’ signs on their verge or protect their reticulation with little flags. It might also help them decide not to hold their own event that day because their guests might have difficulty parking.

Secondly, anyone within walking distance of the school is likely to come along, especially with a friendly ‘dear neighbour’ invitation and perhaps a special 2 for 1 offer on coffee and cake or a free raffle ticket. If you do a ‘dear neighbour’ courtesy letter drop early enough in your planning cycle (with links to your Facebook page or website) you might find that neighbours have plenty of items they might donate to your White Elephant or Secondhand Book stalls.

10 Free Publicity Channels

• A link on your school or group’s website homepage that you can include in all newsletter and emails.
• E-blasts - Email everyone and anyone you know with details of your event and ask them to pass the details on.
• Facebook/ Instagram is particularly good for reaching parents of children who like to go to fetes and other fundraising events. Set it up as a
• Facebook event and update it regularly. Share your event on your local community groups.Create a Facebook competition (make sure you’re up to date with the latest Facebook rules for competition). Try a Facebook video to maximise reach. 
• Community newsletters - Ask other clubs, schools, churches and politicians in your locality to place details of your event in their newsletters.
• Local radio stations’ community calendars (AM and FM) - Send details of your event to your local community radio stations —and the bigger stations too, if you have that ‘hook’. Who knows, you might even get an offer for an interview.
• Online ‘What’s On’ columns and websites - Brainstorm for different sites and organisations that have ‘what’s on’ sections on their website, such as kids magazines, local members of parliament, your Council, and online parent groups.
• Local television news - If your event included a world record attempt,  or there is some other newsworthy aspect to your event, then a call to your local news station might be worth a shot.
• Local Area Exposure - Don’t forget good old fashioned paper signs positioned at high traffic areas around the local suburb. In the digital age these may seem a bit old school but if they are eye catching and easy to read they are still a great way to raise awareness for your event. If members of your committee live in a high foot traffic area near a train station or bus stop, a laminated sign on their front wall/letterbox is great free advertising to people outside of your local area who will be happy to use public transport to visit on the day.
• Local Business Partners - If  you’ve nurtured some great relationships with local businesses they may be willing to actively promote your event. Give them a stack of small flyers to hand out to customers. One of  the Fundraising Directory team had a bakery agree to do that for her school fete, not only did they hand out the flyers, they also asked for the key messages that the school wanted to get out about their fete so they could work it into conversation. They were amazing ambassadors for the event!
• Email signatures - you might find that members of your committee, your Brains Trust, school admin or P&C might be willing to alter their email signatures to include a small promotional picture or link to your event. It’s set and forget, easy advertising that will work for free all year (just don’t forget to remind them to take it down after the event). 
• You’re ready to put your fundraising publicity into action, but before you start contacting The Project or Oprah, you need to fine tune your news hook or angle. Think:
  • Does your fete or goal have wider significance? Is it likely to attract the attention of a politician, celebrity or influencer?
  • Are you attempting to break or set a World Record, such as the Dwellingup Primary Pumpkin Festival in 2017 where a local man broke the world record for the number of pumpkins smashed in a minute, or when Wembley Primary School set a new record for the most people dressed as Harry Potter.

Other Great Publicity Ideas

Build momentum with a countdown

A countdown to a fundraising event is a great way to build momentum and interest. This can be done in a number of ways, including using your signage (if you have an electronic sign, you’re laughing here – it’s so easy!) which works well if you’re in a busy location.

They’re also easy to add to your website and social media pages. Tools like Canva offer plenty of free countdown options or for a more static countdown, it would only take ten minutes to design and schedule weekly (then daily) countdown posts for your Facebook page.

Photography

‘Fete great’ Karen swears by the value of a roving photographer to catch the highlights of the day. She has used the images for subsequent sponsorship pitches, in newsletters, accompanying media releases; even as a slideshow for the wrap-up party.

Photographs taken during the set-up, kept in the fete file, also serve as a useful resource for the following year’s organisers. After all, a picture tells a thousand words.

Make certain you photograph all sponsor banners to include in your ‘thank you’ message.

TIP: Consider your money shot - a vast panorama of your fete in action, with happy visitors filling the scene. Think about the location of this money shot in advance and where you might have a vantage point such as a balcony or tall piece of play equipment to take it from. When setting up your marquees and tents, make sure that any borrowed structures - which might have the name of other schools and businesses printed across the front - are positioned so it’s not another school’s name that is front and centre of your promotional picture. I speak from experience. Shannon, fete first-timer
 

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