4. Train your staff.
Take a few minutes before you open the doors to communicate your vision for the event. Let your staff know this may be the one time families come to church this year. Tell your helpers to permeate everything they do with Christ’s love and acceptance. Remind them of The Point. Encourage volunteers to smile—and have lots of fun. Joy is contagious!
5. Plan for follow-up.
Some people complain they’ve done all the work for fall family events, had hundreds of people attend, yet only one family returned on Sunday. We have two things to say about that. First, outreach is a multifaceted strategy, not a one-time thing. Keep reaching out to those families through other seasonal events and activities.
Second, figure out a way to capture families’ contact info (email, mailing address, phone) at the event. You can have them register at the door before entering. Or set up a photo booth where you capture their information to mail or email them a fun photo of their family.
You want to reach out with a nice personal note after the event. Then be sure to send them invitations to other events. Even better, encourage families to come back for a special gift. Give them special coupons for a cool T-shirt. And be intentional once again when they return.
This article about fail-proof tips for fall family events originally appeared here.
