About Special Events / Event Ideas

You can hold many different types of events:

• Celebrations (community fairs, anniversaries, parades).
  
• Educational Gatherings (town hall meetings, conferences, seminars).
  
• Announcements (new services).
  
• Commemorations (memorials, federal observances).

 

Ideas for Events

The sky’s the limit when it comes to ideas for child support events. See our Hispanic Outreach Toolkit. Here are some low-cost or no-cost ideas to get you started:

• Booths / Exhibits
  You can participate in existing events by having a booth at a community fair or other event. Advertise your participation just as you would for a stand-alone event so that you attract people to your booth. You could sponsor a reception or other portion of the event as well.
• Community Child Support Gatherings
  Informal gatherings of people who are considering using child support services may give a boost to those who are reluctant to seek help. These put parents at ease because they take place in the comfort of someone’s home, in the company of other parents. Parents who had success with child support could lead these groups.
  • For Mothers: A comadres party could include appetizers, drinks, and a short presentation by a parent who champions child support, followed by a group discussion. The term comadre means “co-mother,” and evokes a special, close relationship between women.
    
  • For Fathers: A compadres party could pave the way for male bonding and involve an event in an establishment with a separate room.
• Holiday Gatherings
  Use the holidays as an excuse to invite people to your offices, where they can have refreshments, learn about child support enforcement services, and mingle with your staff in a relaxed setting. Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and Children’s Day are all good candidates, as well as major holidays.
• Launch Event
  When you launch a new service, let the world know. Hold an event at your office or a nearby location to explain what the new service is, and how members of the community can benefit from it. You may also want to hold a news conference to gain further publicity.
• Seminars and Conferences
  Short, one-to-two-hour seminars that teach parents about child support enforcement services and issues related to raising children are another way both to educate the public and to draw attention to your services. Combine several seminars over the course of a weekend, and you have a full-fledged conference that may attract even more publicity and potential customers.
• Special Events at Area Businesses
  You could throw a party in honor of children or parents with an area business, benefiting your cause and raising the business’ profile with potential customers. See our "Save the Date" card. Businesses that serve families and children or that meet daily needs would be good choices, including:
  
  • Maternity stores.
    
  • Baby stores.
    
  • Toy stores.
    
  • Children’s clothing stores.
    
  • Day care centers.
    
  • Pediatrician’s offices.
    
  • Hispanic grocery stores.
    
  • Laundromats.
• Swap Meets
  Because swap meets, which are similar to flea markets, are often popular with the Hispanic community, you may wish to have a booth at one—or to organize and sponsor your own one day a year so that you can spread your organization’s name.
• Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony or Housewarming
  If you build a new building or move into new offices, invite people to a ribbon-cutting ceremony or open house so that they can see your offices and meet your staff—and learn how your organization can help the community.
• Town Hall Meetings
  These let people in the community hear from child support enforcement officers, meet them face to face in a supportive environment and discuss child support issues with other members of the community.