Fundraising idea - August 2011

Clothes Exchange

UK Government statistics show that there's a whopping £10bn worth of unworn clothing cluttering up the national wardrobe. So why not help Africa's street children by holding a clothes exchange evening to give friends' fashion a new home.

What is a clothes exchange evening?

It's an evening of fashion and fun with friends and the most cost effective way of getting a whole new wardrobe!

Find a venue

A venue in your neighbourhood is best, whether it is someone's house, a local hall or a donated shop or office.

You will need to have plenty of space to hang clothes, tables for accessories, room for guests to try things on and somewhere you can serve wine and soft drinks.

Set a date

Pick a date - we have run events on a Thursday evening.
Invite friends in person, by note and email, and ask them to invite their friends. You may want to have flyers for people to pick up or give out; but word of mouth is key.
In publicity you might want to emphasise that it's a very "green" or "credit-crunch-friendly" event, or that Trinny and Susannah did it. All very "now"!
We charged £5 for entry to include a glass of wine. And do remind people that you will only be able to accept cash and cheques.

What to sell

Ask friends to raid their wardrobes for good quality items that they would be proud to pass on - designer, high-end high street and vintage clothes all sell well.
Bags, shoes, jewellery and other accessories are all welcome.
You might approach local companies for donations of clothes and accessories from their staff - agree a collection date and time to minimise disruption.
The easiest and best way to raise money is for Street Child Africa to keep all the money raised from clothes. But you may wish to encourage clothing donations by giving people the option of donating only a percentage of the price. This will mean more administration for you, especially after the event. If people do want to keep a percentage of the selling price, ask them to label each of their items with their name, phone number, price and % donation.
Be aware that that people donating clothes might want to price their clothes at a higher price than you would give them. You can't stop that, but they are less likely to sell. (See point below on pricing items).
Let people know that if they would like to keep their unsold items, they will need to take them at the end of the evening. Anything left will be taken to the charity shop the next day.
Raffles are great and, as swishing is usually a ladies only affair, try asking suitable companies to donate prizes, such as vouchers for beauty salons or hairdressers. Because this is a raffle attached to a fundraising event, you can just use cloakroom tickets.

Setting up

Buy labels - we have found luggage tags work best as they have plenty of room for writing down all the necessary details and can be tied on so they don't get separated from the clothes.
Asking around for hanging rails and hangers, can pay dividends - often people have a spare rail they will be happy to lend you. If you don't have enough, you may need to get creative with hanging clothes over coat stands, ladders and so on.
Mirrors are very important - part of the fun is trying on clothes with friends to see what works.
Get hold of some bags for people to put their purchases in; people often have lots of these at home.

To save hours collecting clothes, have a drop-off morning and evening - when you can ask friends to drop clothes off between certain times.
The day before and/or on the day of the event, price each of the items. We would recommend pricing to sell, so people feel they have bagged a bargain and are more likely to buy.
Display all the finery on rails and tables - displaying items with similar clothes and tones works well.
We have had a "rumble in the jumble" area for items that may have seen better days!
Buy wine - purchasing on a sale or return basis is useful. You may need to hire glasses which is offered as a free service from many supermarkets.
Get a float for the door, raffle and paying point.
Have some information about Street Child Africa on display and available to take home. We can provide newsletters and general leaflets.

How it works

Two people on the door works well, as they can collect the money as people come in and give them a ticket/token for a glass of wine (we used raffle tickets to present at the wine counter!). The ladies on the door can explain the swish will begin in an hour and that there will be no claiming items before the swish starts.
When the doors open, give people the opportunity to browse, buy a raffle ticket, have a glass of wine and enjoy a chat.
After about 45 minutes you may want to thank people for coming and remind them that the evening is raising money for children living on the street in Africa and that we make sure that every pound makes a difference to their lives.
After an hour, announce that the swish is open and people can pay for their special finds - it is helpful to have two people manning the paying point.
If more than one person wants an item, it goes to auction!!!!
Have someone appointed to go round selling raffle tickets and plan to draw the raffle about half an hour before the planned close.
Our events have lasted about two hours.
Have people to help clear up at the end of the night and/or the next day. Especially for returning borrowed items

Variations

There are no hard and fast rules for a clothes exchange. Some parties operate on the basis that you bring a number of items and are able to take that many home (with maybe an upper limit). In this case you'd be making your fundraising income mainly on the door and raffle, but the logistics may be easier.
You may want to set a fixed price for everything (with no percentage going back to the donor). Be aware that it might become a little like a jumble sale!