Spring & Summer Fundraising Ideas – Car Boot Sales

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Spring & Summer Fundraising Ideas – Car Boot Sales

Spring and summer are ideal seasons to hit your fundraising goals by hosting fun, outdoor events. The warmer weather and longer days naturally encourage more visitors, increasing participation and raising valuable funds for your school. One of the most reliable and popular fundraising events during these seasons is undoubtedly the spring and summer fundraising car boot sales. This event can help raise funds for your school for equipment like computers, new sports equipment, or a school canopy.

Why Car Boot Sales?

Car boot sales are a tried-and-true fundraising classic. They’re straightforward to organise, highly flexible, and can attract significant crowds if advertised effectively. As long as the weather cooperates, car boot sales offer an excellent opportunity for your school community to come together and raise much needed funds.

Maximising Fundraising from Car Boot Sales

Car boot sales can be as simple or as elaborate as you’d like:

For a straightforward event, you could simply charge stallholders a fee for their pitch and visitors a small entrance fee.
Alternatively, to maximise funds, ask your school community to donate unwanted items beforehand so your school can run its own stall. While this approach boosts fundraising potential, it does require extra volunteers.
Adding refreshment stalls, lucky dips, or raffles can also increase your fundraising total while providing visitors with additional entertainment.

Top Tips for Running a Successful Car Boot Sale

To make your car boot sale a great success, consider these key points:

Advertising:

Effective promotion is vital for attracting both stallholders and visitors. Ask local businesses to display your posters, send newsletters home with students, and post the event on your school website. Don’t forget local magazines, community newsletters, and online event listing sites—many allow free listings!

Licences:

Always check if your local council requires you to obtain a licence for running a car boot sale on school grounds. Licensing costs vary between councils, typically ranging from around £15 to £60, so it’s worth checking well in advance to avoid surprises.

Guidelines:

It’s a good practice to provide clear guidelines for stallholders. Make sure they understand they participate at their own risk and inform them of any trading standards or copyright regulations that apply.

Facilities:

Ensure toilets are available and easily accessible for stallholders and visitors. Consider assigning volunteers to help visitors navigate facilities, especially if toilets are located inside school buildings.

Refreshments:

If refreshments won’t be available, inform participants and stallholders in advance so they can come prepared with their own food and drinks—car boot sales can last several hours, especially in good weather.

We hope you find these tips helpful in planning your Spring & Summer Fundraising Car Boot Sales. Now, let’s get organising and make your fundraising event a sunny success!

Able Canopies Ltd. design, manufacture and install commercial grade canopies, shade sails,
awnings and shelters across the UK. We specialise in servicing the education, leisure,
healthcare and retail sectors and have extensive experience working with
schools, councils, architects and contracting firms.
For more information on our products and services please contact us

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