Church fall festival fundraiser checklist

A church fall festival fundraiser checklist exists so the parish afternoon is built from named booths and shifts — not from a group text the week before. Fundraiser coordinators use fall festivals when the church wants a visible, family-friendly day with food, games, and a raffle, and when there are enough ministry captains to own pieces of the map.

This page is checklist-first: timeline, booths, food, raffle, and volunteers. It does not cover contracted rides or carnival vendors — that is a different playbook and a different risk profile. Check local permit, health, and raffle rules; this is practical planning, not legal advice.

Start-to-finish fundraisers. Ready to run.

When a fall festival is the right call

Choose a festival when:

• You have 10–12 weeks of runway
• Multiple ministries will each own a booth or shift block
• The grounds or hall can handle crowd flow, power, and restrooms
• You already know how to run at least one simple table (bake, pie, or candle)

If the parish has not staffed a food table recently, practice with a free Bake Sale first. Candle and pie tables make excellent festival booths later — see Candle Sale and Pie Sale. When the full day is on the calendar, use the paid Fall Festival playbook for your next event.

Master checklist

Grounds, date, and permissions

• Lock date and rain backup (indoor hall vs. cancel vs. postpone)
• Confirm grounds / parking / restroom plan with church facilities
• Ask about local permits for outdoor food, tents, or amplified sound
• Map booth footprint: food, games, raffle, info / first aid, trash
• Power and water needs listed per booth

Booths and captains

• Every booth has a named captain and a backup
• Booth list capped — better six strong booths than fifteen empty ones
• Games priced in whole dollars or ticket strips
• Food booths follow local health expectations and allergen labels
• One info table with schedule, restrooms, and lost-child plan

Food

• Kitchen or food-truck plan decided early (do not invent day-of)
• Homemade bake / pie table only if rules allow — label allergens
• Drink station separate from hot-food line
• Ice, gloves, hand-wash or sanitizer plan
• Leftover and discard plan written down

Raffle and money

• Confirm raffle is allowed and what paperwork your area requires
• Ticket price, prize list, and draw time posted
• Cash leads per money point; digital pay where helpful
• Central count-out with two people after close
• Sponsor thank-you list ready before promo goes out

Volunteers and safety

• Shift grid in 2-hour blocks with overlaps at rush times
• First-aid contact and lost-child meeting point
• Trash / recycling runs every hour
• Setup crew morning-of; teardown crew stays until grounds are reset

Named roles

10–12 week timeline

Weeks 10–12 Confirm date and grounds. Recruit coordinator team (food, booths, money, facilities). Draft booth map. Decide whether raffle is in scope under local rules. Open the free Bake Sale if you need a practice table before festival scale.

Weeks 8–9 Assign booth captains. Lock food concept. Start sponsor asks. Draft shift grid. Order long-lead supplies (tents, tickets, signage).

Weeks 6–7 Promo live: bulletin, social, yard signs. Confirm power/water per booth. Finalize raffle prizes and ticket price. Recruit teardown crew explicitly.

Weeks 4–5 Fill remaining shifts. Print maps and price sheets. Walk the grounds once with facilities and food leads. Confirm rain backup in writing.

Weeks 2–3 Captain meeting (30 minutes): flow, money, emergency point. Shop non-perishables. Test payment QR codes. Publish final schedule.

Week of Perishables on a storage-smart schedule. Booth supply bins labeled. Morning-of setup call sheet. Day-of radio or group text for captains only.

Day of Setup early. Open on time. Mid-event trash and restock. Raffle draw at posted time. Count-out and teardown before anyone celebrates too hard.

Week after Thank sponsors and captains publicly. Note what sold out and what sat. File the checklist for next year.

Booth ideas that fit a parish crew

Keep the first festival simple:

• Bake or cookie table (Bake Sale)
• Pie slice or whole-pie booth (Pie Sale)
• Candle or gift table (Candle Sale)
• Kids’ games with ticket strips
• Soft drinks and water
• Parish info / ministry signup (not a sales booth — still needs a captain)

Skip contracted rides on this checklist. If you want rides later, treat that as a separate planning track with its own insurance and vendor work.

FAQ: What should be on a church fall festival fundraiser checklist?

What should be on a church fall festival fundraiser checklist? At minimum: date and rain plan, booth map with named captains, food and allergen plan under local rules, raffle compliance if you run one, shift grid with overlaps, money count-out, and a teardown crew. Add first-aid contact and a lost-child meeting point before you promote to families. Practice a smaller table with a free bake or candle playbook if your parish has not staffed food sales recently.

Soft next step

Practice a single table with the free Bake Sale playbook — add Candle Sale or Pie Sale if those booths are on your map. When the parish is ready for the full afternoon, use the Fall Festival playbook for your next event. More formats: playbooks.