If you’re looking for a seasonal service project that’s festive, practical, and relatively simple, consider a Halloween candy buy back during the first half of November. We’re including some information, links, and FREE printables here to get you started!
Free Flyer Options
What is a Halloween Candy Buy Back?
Instead of holding onto large quantities of candy after trick-or-treating, children can bring their extra sweets to your office and exchange them for small prizes, cash, or other rewards. Hosting a candy buy-back or donation event aligns perfectly with the mission of most dental offices: helping families make healthier choices. Many practices choose to donate the collected candy to charitable organizations, food banks, or local shelters as a way to give back to those in need!
How to Host a Candy Buy Back
Here’s a brief overview of how to host a candy buy back event at your dental practice:
Start getting the word out now.
Post flyers in your lobby and operatories, and start including them in your patient take-home bags. Put a stack of flyers on your front desk, and upload an image of your flyer to both your professional and personal social media accounts. Encourage your staff to repost your social media announcement on their accounts, and ask your team if they have any other outlets where they could promote the service project, such as through a church, neighborhood group, school, library, club, or other community organization. Don’t forget to update the flyer with your practice’s logo and contact information!
Plan with your team.
When choosing a partner organization for your candy buy-back, look for local options first. Nearby food banks, shelters, veterans’ groups, hospitals, or schools may welcome your donation, and partnering locally often reduces shipping costs and simplifies logistics. Check with your partner organization on how, and when, they would like your candy donations.
Make it fun for your team and patients.
When it comes to logistics, keep things simple and organized. If you don’t have room at your front desk or in a consultation room, set up a small folding table or a rolling cart somewhere out of the way in your office where your patients can get their candy weighed while they interact with your team. A fun certificate that you can print to write patients’ names, the weight of their candy contribution, and how much you paid them is a great idea as well. Kids might think it’s neat to get a “receipt”! Many children get excited about a sticker prize or a fun stamp on the back of their hands, so those are other ideas for making this more exciting.
Have someone on your staff or in your family make a poster that people can hold if they’re willing to have their picture taken. You can post a collage of these patient photos to your social media channels and to your practice website’s blog. You could also make a large paper banner for the occasion that patients can sign as they participate in your candy collection. When your boxes are ready to be shipped or delivered, take a photo with them in front of your signed banner. Upload it to your blog and on social media, and then people who missed your event can plan to participate next year.
Conclude Your Collection & Send Off Your Donations!
Be sure to inspect all candy before packing to ensure that it’s sealed and safe to donate. Store everything in a clean, dry location until you’re ready to deliver or ship it to your chosen recipient. After your event, take a moment to recognize your team and your community. Post photos, share how many pounds of candy you collected, and thank everyone who helped make it a success. Expressing gratitude publicly not only builds goodwill but also encourages even greater participation in future years.
FREE Printables
There are free downloadable flyer options below to which you can add your practice’s logo and contact information. Keep in mind that using a PC or a different version of Word might cause variations in what to look for as you put together your flyer.
A candy buy-back or donation event is a meaningful way for dental practices to give back to their communities while reinforcing healthy habits and brand awareness. With a little planning and creativity, your dental office can turn leftover Halloween candy into smiles and support for a worthy cause.
