Fundraisers are one of my favorite types of events to plan -- I get to have full creative control and I’m supporting a good cause along the way! I recently had the privilege of helping Redeemer Christian Foundation put together a Christmas event and it was a blast! 

The first step is to come up with a concept

The idea: a magical afternoon of festive family fun, complete with hot cocoa bar, ornament decorating, letters to Santa, and of course, a killer Christmas concert by local band Matthew Bell & the Next of Kin. 

Next, find the perfect venue and line up any necessary vendors

We needed a low-cost, versatile space so we rented a local church, using their sanctuary and fellowship hall. It proved to be the perfect location for all the festivities!

Hammer out the details and make it come to life

We brought in all the decorations, cobbling together fun centerpieces and adding tablecloths for a nicer overall feel -- even the dingiest tables can look elegant with the right linens!

To keep the children entertained, we put out letters to Santa and set up an ornament decorating station. This was a HUGE hit with the kiddos! I bought paint pens and ornaments on Amazon and let the kids go crazy.

The star of the show was definitely the hot cocoa bar and it was so easy to pull off. We used the kitchen bar, but could have easily set it up on a table. First we put down a roll of Kraft paper, then staggered serving dishes and bowls of different heights. The key here to a pleasing design is providing visual interest by varying texture and size. We kept it simple and let guests make their own hot chocolate, with packets and hot water. For a smaller group, you could easily pre-make the cocoa!

After everyone had a chance to enjoy a cup of cocoa and enter the raffle, MBNOK rocked the house with some fun twists on Classic Christmas songs. 

We wrapped up with a short video explaining the organization and a call-to-action, listing the current needs of the school and how our guests could make a difference in the lives of the children Redeemer serves.

I had so much fun putting this together and I’d love to help you do the same! If you’d like help planning an event like this for yourself, feel free to contact me here.