Giving your pre-loved items a new home is great for the planet AND a fun way to fundraise for CoppaFeel! and help spread the chest checking message.
When: Give yourself a couple of months to get everything organised. You will need to find a venue, advertise your event, and factor in time for people to go through their closet and select what items they’re ready to part with. A pre-loved shop normally lasts 3-4 hours; enough time for people to drop off their clothes and have a good browse.
Where: You will need a sizable space so you can set up clothes rails and other ways to display your items, making it easy for people to choose their new favourites. If your home isn’t big enough, local businesses, town halls or school assembly halls could also do the trick. Just make sure to get permission from the owner of the venue. You will also need to consider where you’ll store any clothes that people may donate before your event.
How:
- Fundraising – A great way to get started with your fundraising is by setting up a JustGiving page. You can also set up a QR code to make donating to your fundraiser even simpler.
- Logistics – There are a couple of different ways you can arrange your event
– Jumble sale – Think of it like a pop up charity shop. You can either charge an entry fee or price up each item. Be sure to set a realistic price – going too high will discourage people. Charity shop prices are a good starting point.
– Clothes swap – Ask people to bring along their pre-loved items. They receive a token for each piece of clothing they donate, which they can redeem against their new wares. If people don’t have enough tokens, they can purchase more in exchange for a donation. It’s a good idea to have the first hour of your clothes swap dedicated to dropping off items, so you can build up plenty of stock.
- Gather your stock! Get your friend and family to declutter their wardrobe and donate any pre-loved items towards your event. Be clear about what kinds of items you can accept. Are you swapping clothes only, or are homeware items okay to bring too? What about children’s clothing? Accessories? Books?
- Volunteers – You’ll need a few extra pairs of hands to run your pre-loved shop. Ask friends and family to donate their time towards your event (they can have first dibs on items as an incentive for volunteering).
- Materials – Be sure to let us know about your plans so we can send you some decorations and fundraising materials. Just fill out this form and we’ll get the goodies to you asap.
- Take any leftover clothes to your local Asda, where these will be re-sold, reused or recycled, and turned into further donations to CoppaFeel! and Breast Cancer Now. Before you go, double check if your local branch does clothes recycling.
Rags to (more) riches!
- Games are a great way to boost your fundraising. People can participate in exchange for a small donation. If you’re stuck for game ideas, here are some of our favourites:
– Guess the number of sweets in a jar
– Pin the nipple to the boob
– Guess the weight of melons in a bra
– Guess the number of chests or cherries
- Create a cosy atmosphere by selling cakes and drinks – your customers are guaranteed to stay longer!
- Get small businesses involved! Advertise stall spaces in exchange for a donation or a percentage of profits. You could sell your own handmade goodies too.
- Do you know someone who’s handy with a sewing machine? Ask them to set up a repair station and charge a small fee for each item they mend. Just be sure to let your guests know in advance so they can bring items in need of some TLC.
Inspire more sales by getting people to fill in these tags before parting with their clothes, telling buyers why they loved their item.
