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How to run a successful
Mother’s Day stall
Mother’s Day is a day for
celebrating and honouring mothers
and their vital contribution to families
and society and a Mother’s Day
stall is a great way to raise funds by
providing affordable gifts for children
to purchase for their mums.
The Mother’s Day stall is a staple
at some schools, but for others it
can be a bit of a burden because
parents can be too busy to create gifts
for donation. However, with a little
planning it’s possible to set up, stock
and run a stall that offers quality gifts
without straining your team.
Busy P&C committees can easily
set up a stall using one of three
approaches; they can create their own
gifts, purchase gift products from
suppliers, or use a combination of the
two.
If the decision is to create
your own gifts for the stall, then a
straightforward approach involves
the committee organising a tea-party
style event or workshop for parents to
attend where they can help to create a
range of handmade craft gifts for the
stall.
To get this up and running, the
committee simply needs to decide on
what gifts to create, then estimate
the amount of raw materials required.
At this point one person is tasked
with sourcing the raw materials and
another sets up the workshop and
sends out invitations to parents.
However, if resources are scarce,
then the other option is to get in
contact with the wide range of small
businesses that offer a range of
affordable products to replace the
handmade gifts parents used to
supply. All the organiser then needs to
do is decide on what products to offer
and estimate the quantity to order.
Here are five tips to get the most
out of your Mother’s Day stall;
• Order your stock so it arrives at
least a week ahead of schedule,
preferably two. Be careful not to over
order, as many places will not accept
returns.
• Promote the day well ahead of time
– get up at assembly, send a note
home and also put it in the newsletter.
• Think about holding the stall at
lunchtime, but consider bringing the
littlies down earlier during class time
to avoid the stampede.
• Get the older kids to hold a giftwrapping
stall, then donate the
proceeds to a charity (or add it to your
fundraising total). Go to a florist or gift
wholesaler to purchase bulk quantities
of wrapping paper. You may wish to
offer free gift-wrapping, but ask for a
donation of, say, 50 cents.
• Set up a stall with gifts ranging
in price from $2 to $10. Each class
will be given a chance to visit the
stall throughout the day. A number
of parents will be serving on the stall
so they can help the younger children
through the ‘money’ dilemma.
When it’s all over, prepare a report
card on the activity, so you can have
a better idea of how to run it next
year. This will be particularly important
with gift quantities. The Fundraising
Directory has a free report card
template that will make your handover
much easier. You can download it by
visiting FundraisingDirectory.com.au/
report-card •
About our columnist
Mandy Stevens, known to friends as Miss
Fundraising, heads up a great website
called FetesandFestivals.com.au where
she and her team present a FREE guide
to organising fetes, offering up checklists,
templates and downloads! Visit the site or
follow Mandy on Twitter - Mandy Stevens
‘Miss Fundraising’.
Order stock early & don’t over order
Promote the day ahead of time
Hold the stall at lunchtime
Have a gift wrapping stall
Set up a stall with gifts ranging in
price from $2 to $10.
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