Getting the word out

Even a well-organised fundraiser fails if nobody hears about it. Here is every way to tell people, from a flyer in the letterbox to the evening news: how to do each one, how early to start, and what it costs.

Two asks, in this order

Most fundraisers need two different asks. First, people to bring, bake, give or help: bakers, sellers, prize donors, a shift on the stall. Then people to come and buy, order or pay. Send the first one before the second, so you know what you’re selling before you advertise it.

Start earlier than you think

Your own newsletter might close a few days before it goes out, but small community newsletters and local papers often close weeks ahead. Lead times vary, so check with each one. As a rule of thumb: book the slow channels (papers, community newsletters, other groups) first, then the quick ones (posters, Facebook, group chats) two to three weeks out, then remind everyone a few days before and on the day.

For every fundraiser

Free or nearly free, and enough on their own for a bake sale, a disco or a pre-order.

Asking people yourself

Most yeses come from someone asking directly. Give every member a short message they can send to family and workmates.

Suits: Every idea, every size. For small ones it’s often all you need.
Lead time: Start when the date is set; ask again a few days before.
Cost: Free.

Write one short message members can copy: what it is, the date, the price, and how to pay or order.
Ask each member, player or family to send it to five people they know: family, neighbours, workmates.
Ask face to face at pick-up, training or church. A quick “Can I put you down for one?” works better than a flyer.
Follow up a few days before the date or the order cut-off. Most people mean to, then forget.

Flyers in letterboxes, shop windows and noticeboards

A simple A5 flyer in local letterboxes, shop windows and community noticeboards reaches neighbours who aren’t on your lists.

Suits: Local events and stalls people can walk or drive to: a gala, a car boot sale, a movie night, a firewood or Christmas tree sale.
Lead time: Deliver about 1–2 weeks before. Earlier and people forget; later and their weekend is planned.
Cost: Printing only. Black and white on coloured paper is cheapest; ask a local print shop for a community-group price.

Put the what, when, where and price at the top in big type. Add how to pay (cash, card, bank transfer) and a contact.
Print A5 (two to an A4 page) to halve the cost.
Split the streets near you between a few families. Kids can deliver with an adult.
Leave out letterboxes with a “No junk mail” or “No circulars” sign.
Ask the dairy, café, library, vet and hairdresser if you can put one in the window or on the counter.
Pin one on community noticeboards (library, supermarket, community centre). Many clear old notices weekly, so put up a fresh one.

Posters

Posters at the school gate, the clubrooms and shop windows, with the date, place, price and how to pay.

Suits: Anything with a date and a place. A poster with a photo of the prize sells raffle tickets.
Lead time: Put them up 2–3 weeks before.
Cost: Printing only. A3 colour costs more at a print shop; A4 at home or school is fine for most.

One message, readable from across the room: the name of the event, the date, the place.
Then the price, how to pay, and who it’s for (“families welcome”, “18+”).
Use a photo: the prize, last year’s crowd, the food. Get permission before using a photo of a child; follow your school’s or club’s photo policy.
Ask before putting a poster in a shop or business. Don’t stick posters on power poles or council property unless your council allows it; many don’t.
Take them down after the event. Shops remember the groups that do.

Email lists and group chats

Your members’ email list and the class, team or church group chats. Short, with one date or one link.

Suits: Anything where your own people are the buyers: pre-orders, raffles, quiz tables, sponsorship forms.
Lead time: First message about 2–3 weeks before, a reminder a week out and another the day before the cut-off.
Cost: Free.

Use the lists you already have: members, families, and past supporters who said you could contact them. Give people a way to say “no more emails”.
Keep it short: what, when, price, how to order or pay. One link or one phone number.
When you email a group, put the addresses in BCC so you don’t share everyone’s email.
Ask class or team reps to post it in their group chats. A message from someone people know gets read.
Send a reminder before the cut-off and a thank-you with the total afterwards.

When you need people beyond your own families

For events open to the public and targets from about $2,000.

Local Facebook pages and community groups

Post in your town’s community page and local groups (check their rules), and share from your group’s own page.

Suits: Most ideas. It’s where many towns now look for what’s on this weekend.
Lead time: Post about 2–3 weeks before, again a few days before, and on the morning.
Cost: Free. Paid boosting is optional; most groups don’t need it.

Post from your school’s or club’s page first, so others can share one post.
Find the local community groups (search your town’s name plus “community” or “noticeboard”). Read the rules: some only allow event posts on certain days, and many buy-and-sell groups don’t allow them at all.
Use a photo and put the date, place and price in the first line. People scroll fast.
Ask members to share the post, not copy it, so the comments stay in one place.
Raffles: posts can say where to buy tickets, but sell the tickets in person, not through comments or messages.
Reply to questions quickly; a question left unanswered looks like nobody’s running it.

Facebook events and what’s-on listings

Make a Facebook event people can say they’re going to, and list it on your council’s or town’s what’s-on page.

Suits: Events with a date and a place, open to the public.
Lead time: Set the event up 4–6 weeks before; listings that need approval can take a week or more.
Cost: Free on Facebook and on most council and town what’s-on pages; check any paid listing site before you pay.

Create a Facebook event from your group’s page with the date, time, place, price and a cover photo.
Invite your members and ask them to invite friends; “interested” shows up in their friends’ feeds.
Check your council’s website, the i-SITE, local radio and town websites for a what’s-on or events calendar, and submit it.
Post updates in the event (“10 tables left”, “the prizes are in”) so people get reminded.

Other groups sharing it

Ask the school, kindy, church, sports club or marae down the road to share it in their newsletter or page. Offer to share theirs back.

Suits: Medium and bigger events that need more people than your own families.
Lead time: Ask 3–4 weeks before, so it makes their newsletter before it closes.
Cost: Free.

List the groups whose families might come: nearby schools and kindies, sports clubs, churches, Rotary or Lions, the playcentre.
Send each a short notice they can paste as it is, with a picture.
Ask a member who belongs to that group to pass it on; it works better than a cold email.
Offer to share their next event in your newsletter. Groups that swap help each other every year.

Billboards and roadside signs

Your school’s or club’s own sign by the road, a banner on the fence, or a sandwich board on the day for passers-by.

Suits: Events on your own grounds on a road people drive past: a gala, a fair, a car boot sale, a Christmas tree sale.
Lead time: Up about 2–3 weeks before. A paid billboard is booked weeks or months ahead.
Cost: Free on your own sign. A printed vinyl banner costs more, but you can reuse it every year if you leave the date off. Paid billboards are usually out of reach for small groups.

Use the sign board you already have: the school or club board facing the road.
Print a banner without the date (“Gala day: see you there”) and add the date on a separate strip, so it lasts for years.
Get permission before putting a banner on someone else’s fence. Signs on the roadside or council land often need council permission; check with your council.
On the day, a sandwich board at the gate brings in passers-by. Keep it off the footpath and out of drivers’ sightlines, and check with the landowner or council before putting one at a corner.
For paid billboards, ask the owner whether they ever give unsold space to community groups. Some do.

For the big ones

Galas, concerts and campaigns with a story. Start these earliest.

Free notices in local papers

Many local papers print some community notices free: ask what they offer. Not every town still has one, so check what comes to your letterbox, and book early.

Suits: Public events and bigger fundraisers: a gala, a concert, a quiz night open to the town.
Lead time: Check with them. A free notice can close a week or more before the paper comes out, and some papers want a month or two for an events page or feature.
Cost: Community notices are often free; display ads cost money. Ask what’s free before you book an ad.

Find out which local paper (print or online) your town still has. Look at the letterbox, the library and the supermarket.
Look for a community noticeboard, what’s-on or events column, and how to send to it (often an email address or a web form).
Send the notice well before the deadline: name, date, time, place, price, contact. Keep to their word limit.
If they run event photos, offer a good photo and a name to contact.

Writing a press release

A one-page story the paper can use: what’s happening, why, a quote and a photo. Coverage is up to them, not you.

Suits: Big fundraisers and anything with a story: a big target, a first-time event, a team going to nationals.
Lead time: Send about 1–2 weeks before an event for a preview, or the day after with the result. Weekly papers need it earlier; ask when they go to print.
Cost: Free.

Headline: what’s happening, in under ten words.
First paragraph: who, what, when, where and why. Most people read only this.
One quote from a real person: the organiser, a kid, the coach.
The money: what it’s for and the target. Then the details: times, price, how to buy.
A good photo, sent as an attachment, with names. A contact name and phone at the bottom.
Email it to the newsroom in the body of the email, not only as an attachment. If you hear nothing, follow up once.

Getting into the newspaper

A reporter writes about you when there’s a story: a person, a first, a big number, a good picture.

Suits: Big events and campaigns, and anything unusual. A story before the date brings people; one after thanks sponsors.
Lead time: Contact the reporter 2–3 weeks before. They plan photos days ahead.
Cost: Free.

Find the story: who benefits, what’s new or unusual, what the money will change.
Find the right person: the local reporter who covers your area or community news. Their name is on similar stories.
Email a short pitch (three or four lines) and offer a time and place for a photo with people in it.
Have one person ready to talk and to check facts. Answer calls the same day.
Afterwards, send the result. Papers like a follow-up, and sponsors like being named.

Getting on the news

Local radio often reads community notices, and a strong story with pictures can make regional TV or online news.

Suits: Big public events and causes with a strong story. Rare for small fundraisers, but local radio is worth a try for any public event.
Lead time: Community notices on local radio: check with the station, often a week or two. For a news story, contact the newsroom a week ahead and again on the morning.
Cost: Free.

Start with local radio: many stations read community notices free. Find the form or email on their website.
For news, think pictures and people: what will a camera see? A head shave, a hāngī coming out, 300 kids running.
Send a short note to the newsroom with the time, place and a contact who will answer the phone.
Ring on the morning to remind them. Breaking news can bump you, so don’t count on it.
If they come, have one calm speaker and the key line ready: what it is, what it’s for, how people can help.

Written October 2026. Deadlines and prices change: check with each newsletter, paper or station.

* General fundraising information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Money figures are examples and estimates, not promises. Check current official requirements before you commit. About this guide