Craft/Vendor Sales
 
Craft Sales, Vendor Sales, and Holiday Craft Fairs can range from a simple event planned in a month's time to a much more extensive, involved fundraiser. The size of your school and the timeframe available for planning will decide which is appropriate for your school.
Planning a Craft/Vendor Sale
Craft/Vendor sales are a perfect time for vendors to market a small home business to sell their products, for local merchants to set up food stations, for your school to have a bake sale, or for anyone wishing to try their hand at making and selling a homemade craft.
RECRUIT THE VENDORS
To locate vendors with small home businesses just ask! Send home a flyer with the students seeking vendors. Those who sell products from their home or are in a business where they have home parties are always seeking new ways to sell their products to an established audience. And, chances are someone in your school has a Tupperware or Pampered Chef (kitchen products), MaryKay or Arbornne (cosmetics), Silpada (jewelry), book, or crafts business. Or simply search the web (i.e. Tupperware.com) to find a local vendor.
To recruit even more vendors, advertise in the following ways:
- Local Newspaper
- School Website
- School Newsletter
- Email: See our Increase Participation page for information on emailing.
- Church Bulletins
- Banner Signs - place an A-frame or banner sign in front of the school for passing traffic to see. Or ask the town hall if you can place one at the main intersection in town. Hang a banner from a chain link fence or place an A-frame sign on the common or at the town hall entrance.
Also, encourage those who have never sold before to try it! See our Simple Craft Ideas that anyone can do.
SET THE DATE, TIME & PRICE
We've found that craft/vendor sales are most successful when planned for a Saturday or Sunday morning in the late fall (around the holidays) or spring from 9:00am-2:00pm. Spaces can be sold in different ways. A space can be purchased for $20-$35 each to those wishing to sell items. Or, a vendor can opt to give the school 10% of its proceeds taken in that day.
Since you are selling a space at your sale, it is not necessary that you provide a table. But be sure let sellers know, in advance, so they can bring their own table and chairs. Generally, if you are having your sale outdoors, it's easier for vendors to bring their own tables. However, if your sale is inside and you have access to tables and chairs through your school, it's a good idea to provide the tables.
VENDOR AGREEMENT
Ask each vendor to sign a Vendor Agreement so they know exactly what to expect and what their table space fee is buying.
Be very specific as to the size of the space you are selling (10'x 10', maximum of one 6-fot table, etc.). If you do not do this, some sellers will arrive with just a few items, while others will arrive with what seems like enough to fill an entire store!
Mark off the spaces (using rope, chalk, or tape if outdoors; using sheets of paper lightly taped to the wall or floor in the center of the space) prior to the sellers arriving on location. Be careful how you mark spaces if indoors so as to not make any permanent markings on the floor or walls.
See below for a Sample Vendor Agreement.
ADVERTISE
The success of your sale will depend not only on the number of table spaces you can sell to vendors, but also on the volume of traffic you can drive to your sale on that day. The more you advertise, the greater the chance of both and the greater the chance that your vendors will want to return again next year. Advertising recommendations include:
- Flyers distributed to each student in your school as well as other schools in your town. To distribute through schools other than your own, you'll need to obtain approval from their head of school or PTO President. Remember that other schools may be planning a similar event. If so, you may want to combine efforts and have a craft/vendor sale together.
- Flyers distributed through local merchants. Ask your local grocery store to place a flyer in the grocery bag of every customer for 1 week. Ask banks, dry cleaners, or convenient stores to post a flyer in their store.
- Local newspaper advertisement
- Flyers distributed to your local senior and youth centers.
- Ask your local churches to put an announcement in their bulletin.
- Email parents, family members, teachers, and school faculty. See our Increase Participation page for information on emailing.
- Post an ad on the school webpage.
For more information on advertising, Sign up as a PTO Ideas member and receive immediate access to Fundraising: Success is in the Details, a Free online guide from PTO Ideas featuring 8 essential steps to creating successful fundraisers. And yes, it's Free.
ADD VALUE TO YOUR EVENT
A more extensive craft/vendor sale can generate money for your school in other ways as well. Since parents are likely to attend the sale with their children, plan to have a bake sale, sell popcorn, cotton candy, water, soda, coffee, hotdogs, or balloons.
If you decide to sell popcorn, cotton candy, or hotdogs contact a local vendor or party supply store. These carts can be rented for a small fee and in many cases the vendor may be willing to donate the cart and/or supplies to support your school fundraising efforts. These types of carts generally require electricity to run so it's important that you confirm with your school whether or not you will be able to run extension cords from power outlets.
Ask your local coffee shop to donate coffee & supplies. Soda and water can be purchased at any grocery store or wholesale warehouse (i.e. BJ's Wholesale, Costco, Sams Club) and resold for a premium. A case of water (24 count, 16oz) runs approximately $5.00/case ($0.21/bottle). These can resold for $1.00/bottle; a profit of $18.96/case for your school.
PERMITS & APPROVALS
Be sure to ask the required approvals from your head of school and perhaps even your town to run the sale on school property. A one-day permit from your town may be required. Access to your school may be needed which may require hiring a custodian for the day.
THANK YOUR SPONSORS & VOLUNTEERS
Please remember to always send a thank you note to any company that contributed a to your event. It shows your appreciation and will help maintain a good working relationship with the vendor. Specify the value of their donation and that they did not receive anything in return for their charitable contribution for their tax records. Let them know how much money you were able to raise for your school due to their support.
A letter can also be written to your school newsletter and local newspaper, along with photos, thanking everyone for a successful fundraiser. This will serve as additional publicity for your corporate sponsors as well as publicity for your event. Remember to take pictures throughout the day.
As always, let your committee members and volunteers know how much you appreciate their hard work. Following the event, ask each of them for their feedback and suggestions to improve on the event for next year.
THINGS TO REMEMBER
- Tables and chairs per space (if needed)
- "Craft/Vendor Sale" signs posted on the main streets leading to your school.
- School and town approvals and permits as needed.
- Work schedule to distribute to volunteers
- If a food cart or helium tank is donated, be sure to purchase the food, paper goods, and balloons & ribbon needed.
- Extension cords for food carts as needed.
Please view our sample flyers to make advertising even easier:
- Craft/Vendor Sale Announcement, distribute 2-3 weeks prior to event.
- Craft/Vendor Sale Volunteer Request Form, distribute 2-3 weeks prior to event.
- Craft/Vendor Sale Sign
- Craft/Vendor Sale Reminder Notice, distribute to parents the day before event.
- Sample Vendor Agreement
SAMPLE ANNOUNCEMENT
The School Name will be hosting a Craft/Vendor Sale Fundraiser
Saturday, May 15th
at the School Name
Street Address, City
9:00 am - 2:00 pm
Raindate, Sunday, May 16th
Please support our efforts by purchasing a space to sell your crafts and products. All are welcome - craft vendors, small home businesses, retaurants, and more.
All proceeds go to the School Name.
The cost is a non-refundable $25.00 per space or 10% of vendor proceeds, payable via cash or check made payable to the School Name PTO. If you have questions, contact:____________________________________
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Please return this portion to the School Name.
_____ YES, I would like to reserve a sale space (cost: $25/space or 10% of vendor proceeds)
Name:_____________________________ Phone:_______ - ____________
Address:__________________________ E-mail:_____________________
SAMPLE VOLUNTEER REQUEST FORM
The School Name will be hosting a Craft/Vendor Sale Fundraiser
Saturday, May 15th
at the School Name
Street Address, City
9:00 am - 2:00 pm
Raindate, Sunday, May 16th
Please support our efforts by volunteering. We will need assistance with set-up, clean-up, donating baked goods, water and juice, and working our bake sale table.
All proceeds go to the School Name.
Also, for information on purchasing a table space, please contact:_____________________
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Please return this portion to the School Name.
_____ YES, I would like to reserve a sale space (cost: $25/space or 10% of vendor proceeds)
_____ YES, I can help with set-up, 7:00 am to 9:00 am
_____ YES, I can help with clean-up, 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm
_____ YES, I can supply bake goods_____, water bottles_____, or juice boxes_____ for the bake sale table
Name:_____________________________ Phone:_______ - ____________
Address:__________________________ E-mail:_____________________
SAMPLE SALE SIGN
Craft/Vendor
SALE
Fundraiser
Saturday, May 15th
at the
School Name
Street Address, City
9:00 am - 2:00 pm
Raindate, Sunday, May 16th
SAMPLE REMINDER NOTICE
Reminder Notice
Please come to the
Craft/Vendor Sale Fundraiser
to support the School Name
Street Address, City
Saturday, May 15th
9:00 am - 2:00 pm
Raindate Sunday May 16th
Volunteers still needed
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Please return this portion to the School Name.
_____ YES, I would like to reserve a sale space (cost: $25/space or 10% of vendor proceeds)
_____ YES, I can help with set-up, 7:00 am to 9:00 am
_____ YES, I can help with clean-up, 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm
_____ YES, I can work the Kennedy tables: 9am-11am____, 11am-1pm____, 1pm-3pm____
_____ YES, I can supply bake goods_____, water bottles_____, or juice boxes_____ for the bake sale table
Name:_____________________________ Phone:_______ - ____________
Address:__________________________ E-mail:_____________________
SAMPLE VENDOR AGREEMENT
Date
Thank you for being part of our Annual Craft Fair.
Please be advised of the following:
- Vendors will be unable to enter the school before 7:30 A.M.
- No vendor will be allowed to set up their table without their table space fee paid ($30/table space fee) and this signed Agreement. All fees are due on or before (date).
- Vendors must bring their own table. Your table CANNOT be larger than 6 feet long by 3 feet wide. If your table is located in our school's gym, tennis balls MUST be placed on bottoms of table legs. The PTO will provide the tennis balls. Also, there are NO chairs allowed in our gym. This prevents damage to the floor. You will be notified of which room you will be located in prior to the fair.
- Vendors are responsible for set up and break down of their own table and merchandise.
- We are asking each vendor for a raffle donation to enter in our raffle drawing.
- The (school name) School Parent-Teacher Organization will not be held liable for lost, stolen, or damaged merchandise.
- Table space fees are non-refundable. Table space fees are $30 and should be made payable to: The (school name )School PTO
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Please sign, if in agreement to the above:
Detach, Fill in the below information, and Mail (with your $30 Table Space Fee) to: (contact name and address)
Vendor's name, table contents, phone #, and e-mail:
PTO Ideas has provided you with ideas for planning an event. This information should not be used as a legal reference and may not be all-inclusive. We suggest consulting with the head of your school or any other essential professional.
The dates, times, and dollar amounts shown here are general guidelines and can vary depending upon your area.
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