Join an existing event instead of running your own (stall, float or collection) checklist: before, on the day and after

Before

Get council permission to use the public space.The rules
Read the food-safety rules for fundraising sales and plan safe handling.The rules
Write a one-page safety plan: hazards, who is in charge, first aid, what to do if it rains.
Check your group’s insurance covers this.
List events in your area for the next 12 months: Christmas and Anzac parades, Matariki and summer festivals, A&P shows, school galas, Santa parades and weekend markets. Note who runs each and when applications close.
Pick events whose crowd fits what you sell: families for food and kids' games, gardeners for plants, an evening crowd for hot food.
Ask the host for the stallholder pack: fee, size, power, food rules, raffle rules, cancellation and refund policy, and whether a not-for-profit rate applies.
Do the maths before applying: stall fee plus stock against realistic sales; walk away from high-fee stalls (thousands at large city festivals) unless volume is proven.
Apply early with your group's name, charity or society number, and food exemption details; for a float, return the entry form and indemnity by the closing date.
For a float: build on a road-legal truck or trailer, recruit safety walkers, fit handholds, and add your group's name and a QR code for donations (within the host's branding rules).
Ask the host whether you can collect along the route or at the gate; if so, check whether a council street appeal permit is needed and who holds it.
Plan the stall: simple menu or product, card and cash, gazebo with weights, signage saying what the money is for.
Roster 2-3 shifts with clear roles and brief everyone on the host's safety and food rules.

On the day

Brief the helpers: who does what, when, and where the cash box and first aid kit are.
On the day, arrive at the set-up time, follow the marshals, keep the stall clean, and take all rubbish if the host asks.

After

Count takings in pairs, bank them, and record results per event so next year you only go back to the ones that paid.
Thank the host publicly and ask to be on next year's list early.

Join an existing event instead of running your own (stall, float or collection): checklist

Before

On the day

After

Watch out for

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