Sample Event: Walk of the Dead – Halloween Fun Run
- We held a fun run on Halloween weekend in the school stadium
- We publicized on Facebook and around the school
- The event was geared for high school students but was open to others
- People were encouraged to come in costume
- We charged admission to enter the stadium
- We sold Halloween candy and played music
- We had the high school hip hop dance team provide entertainment
- We handed out brochures explaining the cause
- We had signs about our cause in the fun run area
- We made announcements about our cause during the event over the PA system
Who helped at our event:
- The high school hip hop dance club provided entertainment
- The high school donated field time
- ACE Hardware donated supplies
- People and businesses who donated concession items
- Everyone who attended the event
- The group members who worked the event
- The group members who put up posters and publicized the event on Facebook
Blueprint
- Choose a venue for the fun run: park, street, etc.
- Get permission from the city or whoever owns the venue
- Figure out how you plan to raise money: do you want to charge for admission, have people sponsor the run, etc.
- Pick a theme
- Publicize the location, time, date, and cause around school, on Facebook, in local newspapers and magazines, on local interest websites, and in local parenting magazines (if you want to gear the event for families)
- Barricade off the area in which the run will occur
- Decorate the area
- Play music
- Provide Entertainment
- Sell snacks and trinkets
- Give a speech about the cause and hand out brochures
- Thank everyone who participates
Good Luck with your Fun Run!
What worked at our event:
- Because all the supplies & concessions were donated, all the proceeds went to our cause
- Club members got practice publicizing and working events
- The people at the event had fun
- We used the high school track field which was perfect because even with fewer people, it felt like a good crowd and provided opportunity for people to socialize.
- It was also a location with plenty of parking, could location recognition, and a few people joined in after leaving other school events when they saw what was going on.
- Because it was Halloween, people came in costume and were ready to have fun
- A cross-section of people came, including high school kids, families, and older people
- The people who attended learned more about our cause
- We raised money through the admission fees and concession sales
- The hip hop dance team provided fun entertainment and brought along friends and family to participate in the run
What didn’t work at our event:
- We decided to have the event at the last minute and therefore did not plan far enough in advance
- We didn’t publicize the event enough
- The turn-out was less than we hoped
Tips:
- Decorate well – themed or seasonal decorations add festivity
- Encouraging some type of themed costume brings publicity to the event
- Have music playing if possible
- Get as many of the supplies donated as possible – explain that the event is for a good cause
- Publicize well; spread the word online, in school, and throughout the community
- Take as many opportunities as possible to make money – sell various items and snacks, have donations jars, etc.
- Use the event as a platform to spread awareness about your cause
- Make a brief speech
- Put up banners or posters
- Distribute flyers or brochures
- Plan far in advance