Raising money for school PTA’s will be more challenging this year. Everyone wants a safe, outdoor event that can include the whole school. As the weather cools off this fall, outdoor events will be a little more difficult. That’s why a Trunk or Treat is a great fall fundraising event. It provides a fun event for families and their students, yet keeps everyone distanced and outside.

So how does it work? Families fund the event by donating candy, prizes, and baskets for raffles or rent a space to park their decorated car.

Trunk or Treat is a fun alternative to traditional trick-or-treating. A school or church parking lot is divided into larger parking spaces where car owners decorate their open trunks and pass out candy. Trunk or Treats can be held at your block party, school or church and is often used as a fundraiser. A typical fee for renting a parking space is $25 for each car entered.

Find a space – Churches or school parking lots can section off space. You can contact your local municipality to block off side streets to traffic so you can park trunk or treat vehicles on the street. Cars should pull in with their trunks facing out to walk space and a parking space should be left empty between each car. This gives you plenty of room for displays, trick-or-treaters or photo opportunities. 

Establish Sponsors – If you are planning a large event, it is wise to look for donations. For churches and schools, ask every family who is participating to donate bags of candy. Contact local stores and restaurants to see if they are willing to make a donation in the form of candy, raffle items or monetary donations in exchange for advertising.

Get the Parents Involved – Nothing says fall like a chili cook-off. Encourage the parents to bring their favorite chili recipe and have everyone vote for their favorite. Not a chili fan? How about a mac & cheese tasting? For fundraising events, charge a small entrance fee, such as $5, to help defer the cost of the plates, utensils and napkins.

Concessions – While the kids would enjoy a dinner of just candy, the adults may prefer something more substantial. Hot dogs, sandwiches or pizza by the slice are simple crowd pleasers at a Trunk or Treat event. If you are hosting a chili cook-off, sell baked potatoes and make it a meal. Popcorn is an inexpensive fundraising food and the smell of melted butter is hard to pass up. Be sure to provide plenty of water bottles and offer fall drinks such as apple cider and hot chocolate.

Bake Sale – Who can resist freshly baked treats? Fall is a great time to overindulge in pumpkin flavored everything. Start a Sign Up! Genius and have people sign up for what they are baking so you don’t have 50 batches of chocolate chip cookies. Be sure to think about the families with allergies and offer a recipe or ingredients list to go along with the item so everyone can find something they can enjoy.

Volunteers – Get the teens involved. A Trunk or Treat is a fun way for teens to get community service hours and still be a part of trick-or-treating. Teens can run the concessions, bounce house, craft stations or even dress up in costume to pose with the trick-or-treaters.

Finishing Touches – Let’s keep this party going! Set up simple craft tables or stations with coloring sheets for the little ones who are tired of walking. Dress up your pets for a simple parade around the parking lot. Rent a bounce house or ask the fire department if they can bring a truck out for touring. Contact a local farmer to bring out animals for a petting zoo.

Raffles and Prizes – Offer prizes for best trunk theme, best costume for kids and adults (or pets). Offer $1 raffles for donated prize baskets for children or adults. Choose themes such as coffee, baking, pasta, pampering, crafts, sports, science or movie night. If you get enough donations, offer a raffle for a larger prize like a tablet or gift certificate for a family night out.