It’s finally Fall, y’all. It’s the time of pumpkin spice everything and jackets and Halloween decorations. It’s also the perfect time to start planning how to make the scary (or not-so-scary) holiday work for you and your Chamber.

We have two ideas to share with you, one which focuses on your volunteers and one which focuses on your community. Use either – or both – and share your stories with us on our Facebook page. We love to see how you are making things work in your chambers.

Halloween Volunteer Appreciation

This is an easy one. Whether you are in the midst of a TRC right now or not, it’s important to let your volunteers know you appreciate them. If you have a bakery in town that is a Chamber member, order Halloween (or Fall) themed cookies from them and ask that the cookies be individually wrapped.

Have stickers made with fun sayings such as “Our community is Boo-tiful because of you.” Have your staff deliver the treats to your volunteers on Halloween. When possible, have your staff take selfies with your volunteers at their places of employment and post those on your social media, tagging both the business and volunteer.

Community Fair

If your chamber building is large enough, consider hosting a Community Fair on Halloween evening to provide a safe, secure place for children in your area to trick or treat. Offer member businesses the opportunity to set up booths and give away candy and/or promotional items. 

See if there is a business in town that would donate a larger item to raffle. Have a popcorn or cotton candy machine and have fun with it. Pull out all the stops with your decorations – go spooky or fun. Give prizes for the best costumes.

Play!

Whatever you do, don’t forget to have fun. Tap into that childlike enthusiasm for the holiday and make it special for everyone. And be sure to share with us what you decide to do. We want to hear your stories and see your photos.