Fete Timeline Checklist

Here is a simple, easy-to-follow example of a School's Fete Checklist. This may assist in ensuring all bases are covered leading up to your big day. As each school varies in their repective fundraising procedures and formats, not all of these steps will necessarily apply to your particular event.

12 MONTHS PRIOR

Inform Principal and P and C / P and F of possible Fete dates
Research other events in the area to avoid a clash
Check ride availability
Confirm date, theme and time
Form Committee - Convenor/s, Secretary, Treasurer
Book amusement rides - confirm access and area requirements
Offer previous Stall/Activity co-ordinators same or similar tasks
Recruit coordinators for vacant Stalls/Activities via newsletter.
Confirm event covered by school insurance
Book marquees and shade shelters.
Inform other schools in the area of the event and date
Develop Fundraising Plan - how much to be raised...and spent where?
Research previous Fete records and start/update Fete File
Visit other fetes in your area - what's new? What's successful? What's not?
Source other school Fete Flyers for Sponsor lists. Source equipment contacts - marquees, entertainment, stalls etc
Start Promoting the fete within school via newsletter
Update Fete website and Facebook page
Schedule Fete meeting to canvass convenors and brainstorm if needed.
Apply for Council signage/banners permits

9 MONTHS PRIOR

Change Fete Banner details
Advertise in the school newsletter for "in-house" stall/food operators
Hold meeting to check with co-ordinators, discuss needs and canvass for remaining co-ordinators
If necessary advertise in local newspaper for External Stall and Food operators
Form Wet Weather Plan
Consider Free Dress Day in lieu of donations

6 MONTHS PRIOR

Donation letters to go out and start canvassing local business for financial and or prize support.
* If you can cover the cost of equipment and get donations for food and prizes you will save big $SSSSSS's.
* If letters do not go out now, the success rate will be lower as other schools will get in ahead of you and bleed the community dry of donations
* When writing letters for assistance, try to focus on a need for the school that the general community sees achievable and of benefit to the children. Generalized letters do not have the same effect.
* Offer sponsorship - gold, silver and bronze in return for extra advertising thru school newsletters, Fete Flyers, Fete website, and on the day. Works well at private schools.
Start putting together prizes for raffle ie: prize wheel/multi draw.
In newsletter, start asking for class donations of goods & services for the stalls
Book radio and newspaper ads
Advertise fete in online Special Event Directories

Auction

Review previous Fete Auction Donor List
Divide Donor List for phoning
Print out letters to donors and send
Contact Auctioneer
Organise pick up of donations and purchased memorabilia
Allocate Lot Numbers to items
Prepare Auction Program

3 MONTHS PRIOR

Confirm External Stall/Food operators and check insurance
Book all other requirements necessary (Generators, St John's, sound people, stage, equipment hire etc)
School based performances commit students. The more outside groups booked, the more people from the community you draw into the fete
Years prep - year 4 usually perform on the day - make these perform early in the fete as younger children may go home after lunch.
The school choir usually opens the fete. The school band then performs and then the children can go enjoy themselves.
Form MC Running Sheet
Send out regular notes to the school community about the fete - via Newsletter, Facebook and website.
Schedule other fundraising away from this time, else parents will feel overloaded.
Ask Stall/Activity convenors to return their stall requirement list.
Always economise (buy in bulk etc) - the more spent on a stall, the lower the profits!
Order all equipment/resources/supplies/consumables required
If supplies cannot be sourced via donations. Bulk buy where possible
Fete hop and check out prices. Work out individual costs of food to be sold, to ensure maximum profit.
Confirm advertising plan - banners, flyers, radio and newspaper, website & Facebook
Sufficient parking available? Sufficient power available?
Sufficient Rubbish Bins available? Skip Bin required?
Order Stall/Convenor ID Badges

1-2 MONTHS PRIOR

Allocate classes to stalls and involve the class parent reps to help send out notes to parents and organise rosters.
Apply for liquor licence and laminate for display on stall on day.
Ride Pass promotion notes should start going home now to all the children.
Draw up Site Plan. Consider which stalls need power, which have danger concerns (hot oil, etc) and place these nearest a wall or building.
Consider stage location and place Coffee/alcohol tents, and public seating in this area.
Complete a Risk Assessment.
Forward Declaration of Activity Statement to the school's Insurer with WH&S documentation.
Confirm St Johns Ambulance - do they require power?
Make the stalls flow around the area - there is nothing worse than going to a fete and everything is miles apart or mixed around.
A flyer for the fete should be developed about now. Include Auction list, Sponsors and Site Plan/Layout
A street map in the office can be left with the flyers in bundles of 100. The parents mark off which streets they are doing to avoid double up.
Send out Fete letters to other schools in the area about 2 weeks before. These can be put in their school newsletters. Include all feeder high schools, as lots of past students come back each time.
Invite other schools, churches, clubs, kindys
For the multi draw raffle, now is the time to send tickets home to be presold. Keep a record of all families receiving tickets, and those returned.
Prepare a 'run' sheet for pick up of necessary marquees and tents for the Friday before the fete and the return run early the following week.
Make sure all equipment booked is confirmed, and that stall convenors are on track.
Keep sending out fete notes in the newsletter and updating the website. Try to build excitement at parades etc. In the newsletter, ask for a couple of Fathers to volunteer as security, to stay over night at the school on Fete eve.

LAST TWO WEEKS LEADING UP TO FETE DAY

Make sure that all helpers get a roster well before the Fair, and a roster is in each stall on the day
There should also be a sign on/ off sheet for every stall on the day of the fete re insurance purposes. Please stress the importance of signing this to all convenors!!!!
The week before the fete, ask for parents to help deliver flyers to local streets and also local schools, churches, and kindys.
Keep pushing ride passes - the more Passes pre-sold, the more children are committed to attending on the day
Do float run. Treasurer should be involved in this.
All invoices to be batched.
Create a Central Station for all food drop offs - cakes, sweets, consumables etc
Pick up items from Consumable Wholesaler (Serviettes, Cutlery, etc) and store. Sort into stall boxes. Ask convenors to collect their items on the Friday before the fete.
All co-ordinators should have their sign on lists, rosters, badges and float run sheets by now.
Final meeting to make sure all is ready the week before.
Make sure 2 dads sleep over for security the night before. Perhaps reward them with Pizza and a few beers. Rides company will normally will arrive night before. Ensure toilets/showers are left open.
Organise Garbage Collection during the event
Arrange Hire Equipment pick up
Arrange Set Up/Pack Up Roster
Book electrician for Fete Day

TWO DAYS BEFORE

Students to take chairs to oval.
Organise walkie talkies - need 4. One for MC, two for fete convenors, one for money room.
Pick Up Gate Keys and Master Key
Schedule all Stall money collections
All automatic sprinklers must be turned off.

FETE EVE

Mark Stall locations on oval
Make sure there's a map of stalls for all the female Stall Co-Ordinators out there - don't let men override your plans!
Marquees erected - tables/chairs in place
Stall co-ordinators can come set up after 4pm
Hand out all Coordinator ID Badges
Cover all trestle tables
Put out street signs on local street corners - remember to collect them the next afternoon.
Ensure Bar / alcohol area is roped off
Breathe and relax - it will come together!!!!

FETE DAY

Try to get there early to make sure bread delivered etc and also for final check
Stall Co-ordinators should arrive 3-4 hours before commencement.
All vehicles must be off the oval, one hour before commencement!!
Food Vouchers to volunteers?
Start the BBQ early, and get the smell out there to the local community!
Advise the electrician as to where power is required.
Make sure all areas in the school are locked and toilets are open.
2 sets of master keys should be available. One left with a food store (BBQ?)
Distribute walkie talkies to necessary people. Check spare batteries charged.
All participants (rides, entertainers, St Johns etc) should be greeted as they arrive and instructed where to set up.
Float may go to 2nd hand store early but other stalls to receive floats one hour prior to opening
Stalls should not start selling until the fete is officially opened by the Principal.
Check each stall throughout the day and make sure all is running smoothly. Trouble-shoot as necessary.
Make sure MC has a copy of the Running Sheet and also list of sponsors you want mentioned.

END OF FETE

Ask all convenors to clean up their areas and stack tables chairs etc in centre of oval. Pack Up crew collect.
Reward volunteers with BBQ'd leftover meat and drinks
Make sure all security and gates locked at end of day.
Ensure the treasurer available with the cheque book for those that require payment on the day. Keep invoices.

WEEK AFTER FETE

Finalise all accounts with Profit and Loss summary
Inform Stall Conveners of their respective takings
Thank you letters to all sponsors, stall/activity coordinators
Stall/Activity Evaluation Forms distributed to all Coordinators
Thank all volunteers, sponsors, and co-ordinators, in the "wrap up" section of the school newsletter and on the school website
Inform the school community how much was raised and what it will be used for

TWO WEEKS AFTER FETE

Hold Wrap Up/de-briefing meeting.
Request all Stall Co-ordinators folders are returned with updated information including suppliers, quantities, helpers & sales
Update the Fete File; leave one copy with the Principal; another copy in theP&F/P&C File, with the remaining copy staying with you for the next fete!