Trunk-or-Treat Festival
Families decorate car trunks in the parking lot, kids trick-or-treat car to car, and the team sells family tickets, sponsor spots, and concessions.
Why it works
Parents pay for safe, contained Halloween. The venue is a parking lot you already have, the decorators are volunteers who love showing off, and sponsors get their logo in front of every family in town.
How to run it
- 1
Get written venue and insurance approval for a 2-3 hour early evening, then map one-way vehicle flow, pedestrian-only aisles, emergency access, lighting, and a weather backup.
- 2
Create the event with family tickets ($10-$20 per carload) and free trunk-host registration, aim for 20-30 decorated trunks.
- 3
Sell 'Trunk Sponsor' spots to local businesses: their banner on a trunk, their team handing out the candy, $100-$250 each.
- 4
Set trunk-host rules for vehicle shutoff, lighting, adult supervision, candy or allergy alternatives, and arrival cutoff. Layer approved concessions and an optional compliant raffle only after safety is covered.
- 5
Push the share link + QR through school newsletters and neighborhood groups, and print the QR poster for the entrance table.
- 6
Run a trunk-decorating contest judged by the head coach, post the winners, and watch next year's trunk count double.
- 7
Load your contact list and let the built-in email + text sequence do the reminding (Write with AI drafts the messages), most gifts arrive on the second or third touch.
- 8
Boost it: a ~$20 Facebook & Instagram ad from the campaign's Ads tab reaches thousands of local people an organic post never will.
Responsibilities
Who does what, and when, so nothing slips.
- Book the lot, recruit trunk hosts, and sell the sponsor spots.
- Run day-of flow: entrance QR table, contest judging, concessions.
- Host a trunk (decorations optional, candy mandatory).
- Share the event in neighborhood and daycare groups.
Example messages
Sample outreach for this play, to spark your own.
Trunk-or-Treat with your team! 25+ decorated trunks, cocoa + donuts, costume contest. Sat 10/24, $15 per carload: {link}
We're hosting Trunk-or-Treat for hundreds of local families and have 10 trunk sponsorships left, your banner on a trunk, your team handing out candy, $150. Interested?
These are just examples. You'll write and send your own messages when you set up your campaign.
Boost it. Plays that pair well
Fan Pack Sale
Bundle small spirit items (pom, decal, button, rally towel) into a $15-20 fan pack sold at games and online.
Team Donation Campaign
A single shared donation page for the whole program, the simplest possible campaign, plus its game-day activation: QR signs at the gate and concessions with an announcer ask. Great as a permanent 'support the team' link.