December has arrived and with it all the festive fun that this season brings! 

This week we’ve got a brilliant idea for a festive fundraiser to get your whole community involved! This is a fantastic one for a church, school PTA or community centre. 

A Christmas Tree Festival is the perfect way to bring your community together, celebrate some festive cheer and raise some vital funds for those worthy causes. 

So let’s get started!

Why a Christmas Tree Festival?

There are various reasons why a Christmas Tree Festival would work for your organisation. It could be:

• A Christian celebration
• A community event
• A fundraiser
• A PR/Marketing exercise
• A combination of all the above!

Not only does it raise awareness for your community organisation or cause, but it also gives you the opportunity to forge relationships with other groups and businesses in your community, as well as all your supporters. 

Plus, who doesn’t love gazing at thousands of twinkly lights adorning trees full of different decorations? It’s bound to draw in lots of people. 

Logistics

There are a few logistical elements to get sorted before you can begin the fun of decorating! 

• Set a Date – Choose a date for when the trees need to be finished by. Some time in the first week of December would be good, to give people plenty of time to visit the festival.
  
• Venue – Decide on the venue. If you are a church, then make sure the decorated trees won’t disrupt any services taking place throughout December. If you are a community centre or school, where could you put the trees so that visitors can come and enjoy the festival without interfering with the day to day? If they can’t be on show for the whole of December, then choose a date or a couple of dates for people to come and enjoy them.
  
• Secure Volunteers – Think about when the trees will be viewable to the public, and how many volunteers you will need to steward and facilitate this. Perhaps consider a rule of entry to be that each organisation that decorates a tree provides a volunteer steward for a set number of hours.
  
• Trees – Provide the trees for a charge so that they are all roughly the same size and shape. Make sure how much you charge for the tree and pitch covers all costs so you can keep all proceeds for your cause. If you use faux trees, you can use them again each year, meaning more money goes into the fundraising pot. You could even approach local tree sellers to see if they would be willing to donate the trees to your cause, or give you a discount for buying in bulk.
  
• Lights – Provide battery powered lights to go along with the pitch and tree (with costs covered, of course)
  
• Rules – Think about any rules you might like to make in regards to the decorations. They should be child-friendly, appropriate and non-offensive. All trees should be vetted before going on display. 

Seasonal Refreshments 

Offer a range of festive refreshments for visitors to enjoy. A mince pie whilst admiring the trees? Don’t mind if we do! 

• Tea, coffee and hot chocolate
• Mulled wine and mulled cider, if the venue allows
• Mince pies
• Gingerbread men

Refreshments always make a great fundraising opportunity. 

PR and Marketing

A Christmas Tree Festival isn’t just good publicity for you as the host of the festival, it’s also great marketing for all the organisations that take part. 

Being a part of the festival and decorating a tree lets organisations and businesses connect with people they might not otherwise have the chance to. Not only does it get their name out there, but it also shows that they are community minded and willing to get involved in things in their locale. 

It’s a fantastic opportunity to get those creative juices flowing for those decorating a tree – And intriguing for those visiting to see all the different themes and colours. 

Fundraising and Donations

And so we arrive at the most important part – The fundraising and donations! The whole point of this Christmas Tree Festival is to raise vital funds for your cause. So how are you going to get those donations coming in? 

Here’s where the fundraising opportunities are coming from:

• Charging a fee for the tree – Tally up the costs of the tree, the lights (plus batteries) and a ‘pitch’ fee. This is what you will ask those wishing to enter a decorated tree into the festival to pay. Make sure all costs are covered, and add a little more on to put in the fundraising pot.
  
• Refreshments – Provide refreshments as above and charge a small fee. You’ll be surprised how much can be raised from cups of tea and coffee! If you are a school PTA, rally the parents and ask for baked donations for you to sell alongside the beverages – The more seasonal the better!
  
• Entry Fee – Charge a small entry fee for people coming to visit the Christmas Tree Festival. Perhaps as little as 50p or £1.
  
• Vote for the Favourite – Charge a small fee in return for visitors voting for their favourite tree. This could be done via QR code under each tree, so visitors can just scan the QR code on their smartphone and donate using Google Pay or Apple Pay. 
  
• Donation Opportunities – Have plenty of opportunities for visitors to make a donation, both in cash and online. Use Donater fundraising technology to make donating accessible to all – Not everyone carries cash these days.

Can Donater Help your Christmas Tree Festival Raise Money for Your Cause?

Here at Donater we have a suite of fundraising tools specifically designed to make giving easier. Easier for the donor to make a donation, and easier for charitable organisations to receive that all-important fundraising.

Our suite of online fundraising tools include:

• A dedicated online fundraising page, personalised to your charity or good cause. Supporters will immediately recognise your branding and thus, trust that they are in the right place to make a donation. Online fundraising pages are easy to share online via a handy link, and can be easily linked to your website with a ‘Donate Now’ button.
• QR codes. We’ve all become more accustomed to QR codes with the NHS Covid app, so you’ll know how quick and easy it is to scan one with your smartphone. QR codes can be just as handy for taking donations. All your supporter has to do is scan the QR code with their smartphone, and it will take them to an online donation page. Once there, they can choose to donate with a tap via Google Pay or Apple Pay, or pay with their bank details. QR codes are a great addition to any physical marketing about your event, such as posters or newsletters.
• NFC Tags. Our NFC tags take the above QR code concept a step further, and enable any supporter of yours with an NFC enabled smartphone to merely tap the tag or sticker. They will then be taken to an online donation page where they can make their donation quickly and simply. These work better with in-person events, but could easily be placed at the entrance to your charity or on collection boxes so visitors can donate to your cause if they wish.

You might also be interested in our previous blog – How To Make Donater Work For you. 

There are so many opportunities to raise money during the festive season. Get in touch if you think Donater could help boost your donations digitally.