Talent show
Students, members or staff perform; families buy tickets and vote with gold coins.
Typically raises
$1,500
$500–4,000 per eventest.
About $38 per organiser hour
Is it right for us?
- Money
- $500–2,000
- Work
- Weeks, part-time
- Helpers
- 7–15 people
- Lead time
- 1–2 months
- Red tape
- Some
Fairly common: school talent quests are familiar but occasional
- People
- 8-15
- Organiser time
- 30-50 (estimate)
- Lead time
- 6-8 weeks
- Up-front cost
- $0–$500. Sound and lighting.
- Risk
- Low.
How it works
The money, as an example sum
Take about $1,800, pay about $300 of costs, and you keep about $1,500 per event: the typical result.
From the typical figure on this page. Your result will differ.
Where the money figure comes from
Estimate. No NZ benchmark found.
Last checked October 2026. Ran this? Tell us what you raised and we’ll use real results to improve the figures.
Step by step
- Call for acts and audition.
- Book the hall and sound.
- Sell tickets.
- Rehearse and run a tight programme.
- Run gold-coin voting.
- Announce winners and the total.
Getting the word out
Even a well-run plan fails if nobody hears about it. There are two asks, and the first one goes out first.
- Ask for help
- Helpers for the day or night, and local businesses for prizes.
- Ask people to buy
- People to book tickets or tables, and turn up.
- When to start
- Ask for helpers first, as soon as the date is set. Start the public ask about 3–4 weeks out, and book newsletter and paper notices before that: small newsletters close early.
Where to put it
- School, club and church newslettersYour own newsletter is free and read by the families most likely to say yes. Check when it closes.
- PostersPosters at the school gate, the clubrooms and shop windows, with the date, place, price and how to pay.
- Local Facebook pages and community groupsPost in your town’s community page and local groups (check their rules), and share from your group’s own page.
- Email lists and group chatsYour members’ email list and the class, team or church group chats. Short, with one date or one link.
The full guide to getting the word out: every channel from flyers to the evening news, with lead times and costs.
What you’ll need
- Place
- NeededYour own grounds or hall
- Landowner’s permission
- Not needed
- Council permit
- Not needed
- Food rules
- CheckNo registration if you sell food to fundraise for a good cause up to 20 times a calendar year. It must still be safe and suitable, and your council may need a stall permit
- Alcohol
- Not neededNo alcohol sold
- Gambling rules
- NeededClass 2: prizes up to $5,000 and all tickets printed worth up to $25,000. Run by a club or society, with the money going to community or charitable purposes. Prizes at least 20% of ticket value; sold in person only, every ticket numbered (our rule: on paper). Prizes over $5,000 need a Class 3 licence
- Health and safety
- CheckA simple risk check and briefing
- First aid
- NeededA first aider and kit on site (recommended)
- Insurance
- CheckCheck your cover
Food sold at the show is covered by the Food Act fundraising exemption (fewer than 20 times a year). A hired hall may need the hirer's own public liability cover.
Make more from it
often $300-1,500 (estimate)
the crowd is already there with cash or cards out
Gold-coin audience vote
often $200-600 (estimate)
families vote repeatedly for their own child
Supper and drinks stall at interval
often $200-500 (estimate)
an evening crowd buys food at interval
Stack it: on its own, about $1,500. With the 3 priced add-ons above, roughly
$3,200est.
What you can get donated
Hall, sound gear, judges, supper.
Tips
- Keep acts to three minutes.
Watch out for
- A programme that runs past the children's bedtime.
Talent show: checklist
0 of 18 done
Before
On the day
After
Food sold at the show is covered by the Food Act fundraising exemption (fewer than 20 times a year). A hired hall may need the hirer's own public liability cover.
Also pairs with: Gold-coin people's choice vote, Supper, Raffle
* 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