A swap shop is a great way to raise money for charity whilst emptying your wardrobe of those unwanted items. It is essentially an event where you invite friends to trade their unwanted clothes in exchange for a charitable donation. It can be great fun and is the perfect ways to refresh your wardrobe without breaking the bank!
Pick a charity
The first step when planning your swap shop event is to decide which charity you'd like to support. You should contact them and let them know that you're running a fundraising event, they might even be able to help by providing essential fundraising tools, such as posters, leaflets and branded items.
Find a venue
The great thing about this type of event is that it can be held in almost any type of venue. The venue that you choose very much depends on if you want it to be a large public event or more of an intimate night in with friends. If you would like to make it a big fundraiser then you should speak to local cafes and bars as they are often happy to hold charity events for free during their quieter times of day as it may mean extra business.
Send out the invites early
If you want to ensure a great turn out for your event then let people know about the swap shop well in advance. Send out an email at least a month ahead as this gives people plenty of time to spread the word and invite extra friends. Also try to invite people that are a range of shapes and sizes, this gives everyone a chance to find an item that fits them.
Make sure that people know the rules
It is important to explain exactly how the event works before people attend so there is no confusion. You should set an entry price, such as £5, and ask everyone to bring a minimum of 2 items. You need to emphasise that clothes cannot be stained or damaged, and no-one should bring underwear or swimming costumes as they are unhygienic to swap.
You then need to set a maximum number of items that a person can take home from the event, normally it would be the same as the minimum number of items. If you think you'll have an excess amount of clothing then you could allow people to pay extra to take additional items of clothing.
Get organised!
Running the event will be a lot easier if you plan to receive the clothes prior to the big day, so ask people to provide their offerings as far in advance as possible. If people do want to bring items on the day then ask them to arrive an hour earlier as this gives you extra time to arrange the clothes into size categories.
Also, make sure that you have plenty of bags to hand so that people have a way to carry their new clothes home, plus it gives the event an extra fun shopping feel. If you do decide to hold the swap shop at your home then you could even make fun signs to put up and turn one of your rooms into a dressing room.
When it's all over
You're probably going to have some clothes left over after the event, so make sure that you donate them to your local charity shop. If the charity that the event is supporting has a shop near you, even better!
Also remember to send everyone that attended a thank you e-mail or card. This is a great time to let them know how much money was raised and to make them feel appreciated, after all you never know when you may need their help for another fundraising event!
