Hi everyone, I’m Melanie! I handle Marketing for Penguin Patch Holiday Shop. I think we can all get behind anything that makes parenting easier, more fun, and lets us focus on what’s really worthwhile…so, let’s do this!
School Holiday Shops – Shopping on your own vs. using a company
And just like that, summer is over and we are heading back to school! Many of you are crying and hugging your munchkins, while some are leaving skid marks in the drop off lane. I’m a “glad we are getting back in a routine” kind of mom. Well, if I am being totally honest…”where are the celebratory mimosas” kind of mom too. Needless to say, things are about to get real. Schedules will be jam packed with activities, volunteer opportunities, parties and even Halloween events are already being discussed among parents. So, lets all just all agree that we are going to make 2019-2020 the year of “Easy” and let someone else do the work, so you can enjoy making memories with all the kiddos.
In this blog post we are going to do a quick rundown of the pros and cons of using a vendor vs. shopping on your own for a holiday shop. It’s just a good way to see what you are really getting yourself into. You know your parent group and volunteers best, so set them up for success. We all have the best intentions, but our schedules are busy and things do come up at the last minute. If you have a plan mapped out of what you want to for your schools service project now, you will certainly achieve your goals. The entire purpose of a holiday shop is to have fun, teach students the joy of giving and get everyone involved.
Ok gang, shopping on your own can be great! You get to pick out the items you want and maybe even get a few hours alone at target….score! Shopping on your own can also be done all year, so that you can take advantage of sales and clearance items. The biggest advantage with doing it on your own is that you can run it anyway you see fit including setting the prices. However, just be realistic about all the work that goes into that. Shopping on your own is fun, but you have to have the man power to pull it off. Just make sure you have volunteers that are willing to run around town trying to find the best prices.
Using a vendor for school service projects/fundraiser is the epitome of keeping things simple. Companies like Penguin Patch do all the work and you can lean on them throughout the entire process. Vendors like us supply all the gifts, pricing is flexible according to your goals and they ship everything right to you for free. Penguin Patch even gives you all the parent letters, posters, budget envelopes, gift bags and much more to save you time. Using a vendor means that you and your parent group can concentrate on the fun stuff….like how you will decorate the room like a winter wonderland or combine it with a holiday movie event.
Now is the time to really start planning your schools service project/fundraiser. You want to make sure you have plenty of time to prepare, think about logistics and start getting the word out. Oh and did I mention our cute social media graphics? More on that later, but that is a great way to keep parents informed. Like I said this is just a quick post to get you thinking about the big picture. I will dive into more details next week, so come back for a printable checklist!
