Do you ever find yourself figuring out details at the last minute for an event? Sometimes even with the best intentions, plans can slip through the cracks. It is so crucial to plan out events like concerts, socials, special events, trips, contests, and even pep rallies! With the right systems in place, event planning becomes more manageable, something you can use year after year, and with less stress!
Set up your Calendar for the Year in the Spring
As you go through your year, planning events should take place in late spring. This can allow you to meet with others on your campus or in your community to ensure facilities are going to be available for those events. This is also crucial if you plan to have any events off campus, like a cluster concert or 8th grade Night for a football game. Be sure to only host events that truly serve a purpose for your group, whether that be educational, social, or recruiting. As your calendar starts coming together, it is important to communicate about every factor with those in charge so no mistakes or surprises pop up later.
Plan Early and with Details
After you have a calendar for the year, you can begin backwards planning. If you have events that are festivals or contests that require you to pay a registration fee and register, it’s critical to get that payment ready and to ensure you know about the day you can begin registering. If you have concerts or socials that are on your campus, you can begin getting requests for air, custodial services, and facilities reserved. Use a check list to ensure you don’t miss any events! This will save you stress later on down the road!
If you are planning any trips off campus, be sure to order buses if you will use transportation! You can use your calendar to ensure you don’t forget any events that would require this. Share your completed calendar with parents so they have all dates for the school year early on in July or August! If possible, put dates into a Google Calendar as well in case event details change so it will automatically update in devices.
As you are planning those logistics early on, be sure to also factor in that you will need parent chaperones for some of the events. Create a sign up for those parents in advance so you already know how many parents and time lines for each event. The earlier you can share this, the better!
I have a sign up for every event, along with the date, location, who is involved, and how many volunteers I need, available at our August Parent Meeting. This allows for parents to check their calendars and sign up for at least 1 event during the year. This ensures early on in the year that you have an essential part of any trip taken care of ahead of time! It’s also helpful to be able to look ahead a month out and see if you don’t have anyone signed up so you can actively ask for volunteers. You can have seasoned volunteers help explain events and get them signed up as well. Don’t forget to also have them fill out necessary paperwork for the district!
Communication is Key!
When you are planning ahead on any event, be sure to have great communication. You can include all vital information, including times, locations, what to wear, pick up times, and anything else in your weekly newsletter. Be sure to include the information at least 3 weeks in advance. You can also include a “Coming Up” section with dates as far out as 2 months to ensure nothing blindsides parents when they are planning. If parents are going to be required to purchase something for the event, like black dress clothes or a snack to share at a social event, be sure to give them at least 2 weeks notice for budgeting. If your program is going to need booster funds for an event, be sure to get approval early on so it’s not an afterthought on the day of the event.
Day of Event Non-Negotiables
Arrive early and take care of any prior planning or lining up of equipment so you can be less stressed. Email parent volunteers at least 2 days in advance so they know what to do on the day of the event. Send a message or email to families the night before reminding them about anything they need to wear, time and location details, and anything else pertinent. As needed, delegate any tasks that can help you run the event more efficiently. Be sure to include your staff, boosters, volunteers or student leaders. The best advice I have received, but that is VERY difficult for me, is to stay flexible and know that it won’t all go according to plan. The more you plan ahead of time though, the less likely snafus will pop up.
After the Event Wraps
After an event, be sure to post about it on social media! This helps engage your parents, the community, and help recruit for the future. As the event is happening, try to take some pictures so you can have material for the post. I tend to post directly after the event so that I don’t forget and the parents can enjoy seeing their child in action!
Reflect on the event and write down anything that could have been better for the next year. I keep a running “To Do” list for each event year after year so I can always ensure I don’t miss any steps. If something didn’t work well, change the list so the next year can go better. Keep track of what you purchase for the event as well so you don’t have the guess as much the following year. An example would be when you feed students pizza for a social event, keep track of how many attended and how much pizza was sufficient so you can order the right amount in the future. Be sure to send a “thank you” email to all parent volunteers in a timely manner and be sure to clean up and put all equipment away so it’s not a mess for the next time.
Planning Saves your Sanity!
The more you can plan ahead and have a strategy, the less stressed you and your colleagues will be around the timing of the event. This also allows for you to be happy and in the moment with families and parents present, creating such a warm community and safe environment for all. Students (and parents!) love structure and planning, so the more you can do in advance, the better for all!