WAG Anyone done a "parents' night out" as a fundraiser?

[kayjaybe]

Has anyone tried a parents' night out --- watching kids at the gym --- for a fundraiser? If so, was it profitable? How much did you make? What did you charge?

Share all the details you can! Thanks!

PS - personally I don't think it would be worth it as a fundraiser but our parents' association is considering it.

 

[gymdoc]

We did a Halloween themed open gym on a Friday night from 6-9pm. We had games, a haunted house, and a short performance. Parents donated pizza and snacks and supervised. Team girls ran the games. We charged $2o for non members and $15 for members. We made about $2000. The biggest time commitment was decorations and manning the haunted house

We are planning a similar open gym in April, but with less decorations. We are going to charge $1 per pizza slice and $0.50 for snacks as we had a LOT of wasted food at the Halloween event. We are going to have an organized game/contest every 30 minutes with prizes.

We also had an Egg Hunt open gym 2 weekends ago on a Saturday. Parents donated candy, coins and plastic eggs and the team girls helped stuff and hide them. We charged $10, and had a ton of little kids and rec kids come. We made about $500 for a quick 2 hours event.

 

[kayjaybe]

Interesting. More profitable than I thought.

Did you need to have any special insurance to hold the event?

 

[gymdoc]

No, we had them sign the general gym waiver. The other thing that helped was having everyone pay in cash. That way it was separate from the gym coffers.

 

[ayyyrial]

My gym usually makes $1000 per parent's night out. We separate the funds - our system allows them to pay online (which we prefer) or in cash/check.

We charge $20 for one kid and $35 for two. The only expenses for us are labor and pizza - we usually have 6-8 coaches and 40-60 kids.

We calculate 1.5 slices of a medium pizza per child.
Also we get the coaches a nice special pizza (eg Hawaiian or something) as a reward for coming in on a weekend night

 

[tortuga]

We've never supported a PNO fundraiser. The price point is always too high. If we can hire a teen sitter for $10/h for two kids, I'm not paying twice (or more) than that for a time-limited PNO where the kids will be in a melee. If the price were closer to our babysitting rate, I'd consider.

 

[Canadian_gym_mom]

We've never supported a PNO fundraiser. The price point is always too high. If we can hire a teen sitter for $10/h for two kids, I'm not paying twice (or more) than that for a time-limited PNO where the kids will be in a melee. If the price were closer to our babysitting rate, I'd consider.

But the point is that its a fundraiser. Of course you pay a bit more. Just like you buy $3'chocolate bars and $8 wrapping paper.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

But the point is that its a fundraiser. Of course you pay a bit more. Just like you buy $3'chocolate bars and $8 wrapping paper.

Yes and the upside is the kid has a night out too, making her feel special.

 

[raenndrops]

But the point is that its a fundraiser. Of course you pay a bit more. Just like you buy $3'chocolate bars and $8 wrapping paper.

We don't buy $3 chocolate bars or $8 wrapping paper. The chocolate bars are only $1 and nobody sells wrapping paper.

 

[coachmolly]

It was a huge money-maker for a gym I used to work at, they did them weekly. It probably helped that it was at a larger sports complex so parents could schedule tennis matches or fitness classes for that time each week, have their kids doing something fun, and not have to worry about getting stuck in traffic or back late to get their kid. It was basically an open gym, sometimes the coaches would set up games or an obstacle course, and a slice of pizza was provided. I can't remember cost for sure, but I think $10-15/child for 3 hours. The gym was also right in town and very convenient to lots of restaurants, a movie theater, and the mall which I imagine contributed to its success.
I've suggested it for my current gym, but we are in a much more rural area with the next town about 20-25 minutes away. So if parents want to do something beyond getting dinner at a little local place or hanging out at home for 3 hours, they might have a bit of a time crunch to get back on time. Though I think lots of folks would still eat it up. It's comparable in price to a sitter and the kid is doing something fun/different and will likely be exhausted when parents come back for them. It's also pretty minimal in terms of planning & set-up, and if you do it just a few times a year I think the novelty factor would be huge. I think, like anything, it's about how you sell it, but I do know they can be hugely successful.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

Just a suggestion, what works well here with our school. Shopping time during the holiday season. Drop the kids and go shop.

 

[Gymmonkeymomma]

Yes and the upside is the kid has a night out too, making her feel special.

We definitely "advertise" more as a kid function (open gym, holiday fun at gym, etc) rather than PNO. We make about $1000 each. We do pay our coaches though.

 

[looly]

Our gym does them twice a month for three hours on Friday nights - I have no idea if it's a team fundraiser or just a way the gym brings in extra money. None of the team participates, it's all rec kids, most in the 6-8 age range though they take kids 4-12. Most of the smallest have an older sibling attending too. They warm up, play a few games, and have open gym time, then whee in a tv and the kids bring blankets or pillows to watch a movie for the last hour.

 

[MILgymFAM]

My girls old gym did them about once a month. They were cheaper than a sitter ($20 per kid for 4 hrs) and the girls loved them. My ODDs new gym doesn't have them but my YDDs does them once or twice a month. Really at her gym they are just open gym with food included. Team parents at her gym have unlimited open gym, so we don't pay extra for it. I wouldn't send her if we did though- she's celiac and can't eat the pizza they serve anyway.