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Dating back over 2000 years, Halloween originated in Britain and Northern France during the time of the Celts. It took place on the honorary holiday for the dead called feast of Samhain.
 
The spirits of the dead were believed to gather during Samhain with spirits of good and evil manifesting into animals. Fearing this, people would dress up in costumes made up of the heads and skins of animals and walk through town with lanterns trying to frighten the evil spirits away.
 
After the Roman conquest in 49 AD, the Samhain festival began incorporating the Roman harvest festival of Pomona serving apples and nuts.

In 835 AD, November 1st became considered a church holiday honoring all the saints. People continued celebrating the Samhain and Pomona holidays on the eve of the 1st known as All Saints Day or All Hallows. This is how October 31st came to be known as Halloween.

Halloween maintains the same traditions common to the harvest festivals celebrated over 2000 years ago and has remained a US national pastime.

Source: en.wikipedia.org

• Plan costumes that are bright and reflective. Make sure that shoes fit well and that costumes are short enough to prevent tripping, entanglement or contact with flame.


• Consider adding reflective tape or striping to costumes and trick-or-treat bags for greater visibility.


• A good meal prior to parties and trick-or-treating will discourage youngsters from filling up on Halloween treats.

• A parent or responsible adult should always accompany young children on their neighborhood rounds.
• By using a flashlight, Trick-or-Treaters can see and be seen by others.
• Stay in a group, walk slowly and communicate where you are going.
• Only trick-or-treat in well-known neighborhoods at homes that have a porch light on.
• Remain on well-lit streets and always use the sidewalk.
• If no sidewalk is available, walk at the farthest edge of the roadway facing traffic.
• Never cut across yards or use alleys.
• Never enter a stranger's home or car for a treat.
• Obey all traffic and pedestrian regulations.
• Always walk. Never run across a street.
• Only cross the street as a group in established crosswalks.
• Remove any mask or item that will limit eyesight before crossing a street, driveway or alley.
• Don't assume the right of way. Motorists may have trouble seeing Trick-or-Treaters. Just because one car stops, doesn't mean others will.
• Never consume unwrapped food items or open beverages that may be offered.
• No treats are to be eaten until they are thoroughly checked by an adult at home.
• Law Enforcement authorities should be notified immediately of any suspicious or unlawful activity.

• Wait until children are home to sort and check treats. Though tampering is rare, a responsible adult should closely examine all treats and throw away any spoiled, unwrapped or suspicious items.
• Try to divide up treats for the days following Halloween.


• Although sharing is encouraged, make sure items that can cause choking (such as hard candies), are given only to those of an appropriate age.

Sales Techniques - Perfect your introduction. Never start with the question "Would you like to buy..?" Fundraising participants should introduce themselves, their group and their group goal with major emphasis on the GOAL. What's the money going to provide? The way you communicate the organization's purpose makes you better ambassadors.
 
The Right Incentive Prize - What could be worse than no incentive prizes? Investing in incentive prizes, which simply don't motivate your participants! Make sure the prizes you get are relevant to your participant's age group and interests. Ask them what they'd like to receive as incentives given a certain budget.
 
Motivate Team Work - Top Class or Team Prizes: This is a great way to motivate the kids and get them working as a team- perfect synergy! If you're a small group, you can create teams by putting your participants in groups of twos, threes or fours. If you're a school you can do it by class and if you're a league simply do it by team. You can offer the best selling group a free pizza party, a field trip outing to the place of their choice…ask them what they'd like.
 
Reward The Early Bird - You can offer early bird prizes to the first, second and third person who reaches a specific objective by a certain deadline. For example: if you launch the fundraiser on Monday, you can say the first three people that generate $100 in sales or more by Friday will receive a $15 gift certificate.
 
Set Clear Goals, Firm Deadlines - One of the best ways to beat burnout is to establish clear fundraising goals and set firm deadlines for reaching those goals. Identify what you need, how much money is required and how long it will take to get it. Otherwise, your fundraising activity can be never-ending. For any fundraising project, set beginning and ending dates for all fundraising projects.
 
Know What Others Are Doing - Today children and their parents are fundraising for their schools in addition to raising money for other groups. So it's important to know what, where, when and how others are doing in fundraising. Coordinate fundraising efforts with neighboring schools and other groups (youth leagues, scouts, etc.) who may be selling in the community at the same time.
 
Product Quality Counts - The quality of the product you sell to your supporter is a direct reflection of your group. It will also have a direct effect the next time you fundraise. Higher quality fundraising products will leave people with a positive image of your cause. It will also make your current and next fundraiser easier because supporters will be eager to buy from you, resulting in higher profit.
 
Fundraise At Your Games and Events - Have you ever considered selling products in the stands during games, tournaments, and other events? Well you should because "high people traffic" equals higher sales. Plus you can raise more in less time. Some groups are so good at this, supporters look for them at each game and event.
 
No money to buy up-front? No problem! - Does your group have little money to buy fundraising products up-front? Choose an order-taker fundraiser. Getting an order-taker fundraiser started costs you nothing. Take your orders, collect your money up-front and then place your order with your fundraising company. This is a simple way to raise funds without putting any money up-front.

Source: AFRDS.org