Community Opportunities

Your community has events and activities throughout the year that present opportunities for you to educate attendees about the au pair program and promote Au Pair in America. These face to face, in-person events can include fairs and festivals, holiday events, or even your own Host Family Day. Any community space where families gather is a great place to have a presence and market the Au Pair in America program.

In a Nutshell: Event Basics

  • APIA will pay any approved booth/space rental fee, if applicable (Please contact Robin Leon at RLeon@aupairinamerica.com for approval).
  • You have a $100 budget to use toward supplies/refreshments/AP thank you gifts for volunteers. Save your receipts and submit your expenses through Concur.
  • Swag – we will ship you giveaway items like frisbees, shopping totes, APIA flyers, and kid activities, like “color and wear” APIA crowns.
  • After the event, send a brief recap and photos from the event to Robin Leon (rleon@aupairinamerica.com). We’ll then pay you $100 for hosting the APIA table/booth and an additional $75 for capturing and entering at least five leads.
  • Get extra “bang for your buck” by inviting leads, TBMs, current HFs/APs, and community members (use your local Facebook groups!) to stop by and see you at the event.

Tips for Hosting a Successful Event

Find It

Where to look for great events…

What are you looking for?  Fairs and Festivals, Grand Openings of kid businesses, school options fair, camp fair, Truck Touch, Trunk or Treat, New Moms meet up, Parents of Multiples event, Birth and Babies Fair, Kids Science Expo – basically, events and places where people who are likely to need au pairs are likely to hang out.

Where to look:

  • Search – Google “Family Events, [town name]”
  • Parenting Groups – There are nationwide groups, websites, and publications that host and promote family friendly events. Check out their local chapters for info and resources. A few examples: City Moms Blog/Collective, Macaroni Kids, Kids Out and About; Red Tricycle, Eventbrite. Your local Family/Parents Magazine is another great resource for events.
  • Subscribe and Follow – Look for newsletters and Facebook groups that compile and send out lists of family friendly events each week or each month. Subscribe to their newsletter and follow their pages on social media.
  • Use Your Cluster – Ask one of your champion HFs what festivals/fairs/activities they love. And ask which publications and/or social media accounts they trust for great info on local activities.

Plan It

Prep ahead for a smooth event!

  • Get approval – Email rleon@aupairinamerica.com with the event info (who, what, when, where, why, and how much). Please give at least 2 weeks’ notice, so we can get you the supplies you need. Once approved:
  • Register – Complete any registration info/forms and get booth fees paid (APIA will cover cost for approved events).
  • Order swag –APIA will provide flyers, items for table giveaways, prize wheel prizes, and activities for kids to do while you chat with parents.
  • Request APIA swag items via the APIA CC Request Form.

You also have $100 to use toward supplies, refreshments, and thank you gifts for any APs who volunteer.

  • Plan Activities – What activities will you offer for parents and children who stop by your booth? Options to consider:
    • “Color and wear” APIA crowns
    • Activity based on event theme
    • Bean bag toss or other game – remember you have $100 for supplies, which you can use toward something more substantial you use for multiple events
    • Face painting – feeling artistic? Have a crafty au pair in your cluster? Face painting is always a hit.
    • Prize wheel
    • Raffle item – EX: basket with $25 gift card for Target or local retailer + plus APIA swag items
  • Confirm with Organizers – Double check info on parking, set up, power outlets, table/chairs and other supplies, rules about breaking down early, etc.
  • Script Prep – Review line and email template in resource section of this site for ways to engage people – you just need one line you feel comfortable delivering consistently to attendees.

Promote It

Get more bang for your event buck by spreading the word!

  • Your cluster – include your event in your AP/HF newsletters, your monthly check in emails and post on your cluster FB and WhatsApp groups.
  • Lead and TBMs – An event invite is a great next outreach for those leads who’ve you’ve already contacted a time or two – this is new, useful info and a great organic reason to reach out.
  • Facebook Groups etc – Now is your chance to get something posted in that Facebook group that has strict “no-marketing” policy.
  • What to Say – “Looking for something fun to do with the kids? Check out this weekend’s truck touch – be sure to stop by the APIA booth for a special gift.”

Rock It

Keep in mind for day of event…

  • Arrive early – give yourself plenty of time to get set up and get comfortable
  • Pics – Take photos during the event or ask one of your volunteers to be the event photographer. Share with your cluster and the APIA marketing team.
  • Collect leads – You can capture lead info using APIA lead cards, or raffle entry forms, or a dedicated event QR code).
  • Great Activities- set up those fun activities you’ve planned. Make sure your space is inviting and “flows” well.
  • Table talk – get out from behind the table and TALK to people; put your phone AWAY! Now’s the time to break out those lines you practiced:
    • Are you familiar with au pairs?
    • What are you using for child care now?
    • Would your little one like a temporary tattoo/frisbee/beachball?

Pro Tip!

Do a lap – Grab a stack of your business cards and introduce yourself to other vendors at the event. They may target the same demographic that you do and can make for awesome local co-marketing partners.

Follow Up

You crushed your event – Congrats!

Just a few more things…

  • Enter leads – enter those leads into Field Point ASAP. More info is better, but you must have at least:  name, contact info, and zip code
  • Follow up – Reach out to everyone you met at the event. “It was nice meeting you at _____.” Mention thoughtful details, such as “Congratulations on your growing family” or “Welcome to the neighborhood.”
  • Choose – Be sure to pick a raffle winner and let them know they won.
  • Share – send event photos and brief write up to rleon@aupairinamerica.com for possible inclusion in regular marketing e-newsletter. Our best ideas come from each other, so please share! Submitting photos and a brief event summary triggers your payment for the event. Please note if you’ve captured and entered 5+ event leads into Field Point.
  • Collect – you’ll receive a marketing incentive for hosting the booth and an additional payment for entering at least 5 leads from the event into Field Point.

Tips

How to take your event from good to great…

  • Show off – loop an APIA video on a laptop or tablet, featuring the APIA YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/Gio2Ip7X9so (right click on the video, then choose ‘loop’).
  • Invite APs – nothing markets the program better than a real, live AP. APs in attendance can help with face painting, kids activities, and talking with attendees about their experience.
  • Prize Wheel/Raffle – A prize wheel is a nice way to control traffic at your table, your giveaways and draw people to your booth.
  • You do the writing – gather the lead info yourself. Nothing is worse than sitting down at a computer after an event to enter leads and realizing you can’t translate someone else’s terrible handwriting.
  • Use your cluster events – Exchange Day? Host Family Day? If your space is open to the public, and you’re hosting an activity anyway, why not make it a marketing event as well?  Promote the event in your community, invite your leads/TBMs, and tah-dah! It’s a marketing event.
  • Learn and apply –  Some of your events will rock, and some will be duds – that’s ok. It’s all good data, and as long as you learned something you can apply for the next one, that event was a success!
  • Raffle – A raffle or drawing is a great way to capture lead information. Your raffle item can be as simple as a $25 gift card for Target or a local retailer + plus APIA swag items. 

Marketing Minute – Event Tips

Counselors now earn $100 for hosting the booth and $75 for at least five leads.

Check out our video

Host Family Day

As previously mentioned, your mandatory Host Family Day is a great opportunity to show off the benefits of the APIA program. Should you choose to open your Host Family Day to leads/invited community members, all the marketing benefits and incentives listed above will apply. Cultural Fairs, where au pairs spotlight their home countries’ food, language, and culture, make an especially meaningful Host Family Day/marketing event combo.

Want to keep your Host Family Day to just your cluster? Reach out to your RPM with questions and planning requests.

 

Ready to take your Host Family Day and Make it Marketing?

Read on!

How can I get my HF Day/Marketing Event approved?

  1. Please Email event details to Robin:
  • Date/time/place
  • Activities
  • Confirm your plans to “make it marketing” (must complete all):
    • Invite Leads and TBMs
    • Ask HFs to bring friends
    • Invite the community – Facebook groups, Nextdoor, listservs etc
    • Share with your networks (schools, chamber of commerce, kid-friendly businesses)
  • Total cost for event space, registration fee, etc. (if applicable) – and how to pay (once approved, APIA will cover this cost)

 

-You’ll receive:

  • APIA will reimburse for space rental fee
  • Up to $100 to spend on supplies/refreshments/small AP thank you gifts for volunteers (submit receipts thru concur)
  • You’ll be paid out $100 per CC for hosting the event and $75 (split between CCs) for capturing and entering at least 5 leads after the event

APIA provides Swag/giveaways + flags and passports if needed – Request swag through this form:

📦Link to request swag: Community Counselor Request Form (monday.com)

📷 Photo gallery of available items: aupairinamerica.com/pdf/supply-form-photo-list23.pdf/

(Choose “paper/event supplies” on the request form and then enter the swag items and quantities in the “free write” box below.)

 

How will I get paid?

After your event, please send event photos and brief summary to trigger your payment for hosting. Include names of all CCs involved and indicate if you captured 5+ leads (this is not required for your event to count as a marketing event, but will trigger the additional $75 payment for lead capture).

Coffee and Dessert

Another community marketing tool is the Host Family Coffee and Dessert.  A current host family hosts the event, typically in their home or workplace, with the counselor’s help. This is a chance to give prospective customers interested in au pair child care an opportunity to learn more about the program, meet an au pair, ask questions in a relaxed, comfortable environment, and see a family with an au pair in action.

In addition to having their cost for refreshments covered, the hosting family will receive a $250 program fee credit, as long as a minimum of five prospective customers from different families attend. In addition, the family will receive a referral credit for each new family that applies and welcomes an au pair.

Co-Marketing Opportunities 

Think about businesses in your area that serve the same population that you do. Stores, restaurants, play places, and other family-friendly spaces are great co-marketing partners for you. Pencil in time on your calendar to regularly visit local businesses that might make good referral sources or co-marketing partners.

How can you approach these businesses? Ask to speak with the owner or manager, and introduce yourself and Au Pair in America. A few ways you can partner with other family-friendly businesses:

  • Events – If another local business has an onsite event, offer to sponsor, donate refreshments/prizes, or volunteer to help
  • Let’s grab coffee – offer to brainstorm co-marketing ideas to target families in your area
  • Host Rep – Ask them to refer! Educate your co-marketing partners about the basics of the au pairs program, and ask them to send interested families your way. “We offer a $250 ‘thank you’ for folks who send new host families our way”
  • Sponsorships – APIA is happy to sponsor sports teams, scouts, and other local groups supporting young children

See this guide’s “Word of Mouth” section for more info on the APIA Host Rep program.

Chamber Of Commerce

Joining your local chamber of commerce can be a powerful tool for marketing APIA and creating a strong presence for you and the au pair program in the community. 

Chamber events and activities connect you with a network of local business owners, community leaders, and potential customers. The chamber can also open up opportunities for networking, referrals, and visibility through chamber directories, events, and social media promotion.  

Hosting a ribbon cutting through the chamber – to celebrate a new cluster, a new CC joining the team, or an anniversary or milestone – adds an extra layer of exposure and excitement.  These events often attract local officials, media coverage, and fellow business members, giving you and your cluster a public spotlight and engaging photo opportunities to boot!  

Interested in joining your local chamber or networking group? Reach out to: rleon@aupairinamerica.com 

Auctions

If schools, sports teams, or charitable organizations in your area host fundraisers with a live or silent auction component, Au Pair in America auction baskets are a great marketing resource.

How it works:

  • Confirm with event organizers about basket parameters, due date, and info needed about donation.
  • Download and print the Au Pair in America auction certificate (good for $500 program fee discount). This will be the centerpiece of your basket.
  • Build your basket! You have up to $25 to purchase a basket (or bucket, or box) and fill it with items appropriate to the event.

A few ideas:

  • Kids cooking basket – kids cookbook, whisk, spatula
  • Stuffed Animal
  • Spa items – bath bombs, candles, lotion
  • Auction Ideas Document

Pro Tip!

Ask your community members if they need auction baskets, starting with online groups and social media. This is a win-win! Event organizers are always looking for additional items, your basket will draw “eyeballs” you might not have had access to, and bonus – by posting your “all call for auctions” on social media, you’ll receive additional exposure.

Sample Social Media auction ask (post on your personal socials and/or in local parenting/community FB groups): “Hi [friends/moms/town name members/etc]! I’m putting in an order for auction baskets with my company, Au Pair in America, and I’d be happy to add you to my list. If your school or charitable organization has an upcoming auction, and you’d like a high dollar value item donated ($500), please let me know, and I’ll add you to my order.”

Volunteer and Community Service Opportunities

Another way to market APIA in your area is through volunteering in your community. You, your au pairs, and even your host families can promote Au Pair in America while helping your community.

A few examples:

  • Read to children at the library
  • Community activities (soup kitchen, food banks, senior centers, etc.)
  • Charity walks/runs
  • Plan a cluster meeting that involves volunteering or charitable giving. Involve your au pairs in choosing the charity or activity (making cards for folks battling illness, making sandwiches for food banks, etc).

Pro Tip!

Increase visibility by asking the au pairs to wear their tee shirts and ask event organizers about displaying your banner and/or tablecloth during the activity. Organizers may also be able to post a social media “shout out” as a thank you to volunteers, so don’t be afraid to ask.

Who else can you connect with in your community?

  • Contact people in the “birth and babies” space – childbirth instructors, doulas, lactation consultants, birth photographers and anyone else who works with new and expecting parents are great connections for co-marketing.
  • Place your business cards and/or APIA flyers at family friendly places (gyms, play groups, libraries, hospitals, doctor’s offices).
  • Reach out to your local schools and school districts – do they have marketing opportunities for local businesses? Event sponsorships, signage, and silent auctions are all great ways to get your name out to local families with young children.
  • Sports teams – tball, swim team, and more – APIA loves sponsoring little athletes in you community
  • Contact area Realtors and relocation experts – they love having information on local child care resources to share with their clients.
View Tier 3
View Tier 5