Fundraising Ideas - Bake Sale

Bake Sales -- Fundraising Is A Piece Of Cake

by Jesse Carter

If you've done any kind of fundraising at all, the bake sale ranks among the top five old time favorites. The bake sale is one of the easiest and most interactive of all fundraisers.

Done right, it can also raise awareness in your community about who you are and what you are trying to accomplish.

Three things that must be considered prior to your actual sale are:

1. Location -- Think high traffic areas. Try conducting at your local supermarket, mall, or superstore. Imagine having your cakes displayed at Wal-Mart, K-Mart or the like. Maybe your parking lot of the church or scout hut is not the best place for people to visit because, it offers low traffic. People these days will not make unplanned stops or make extra trips out.

2. Advertising -- Place well made signs or posters (with QR Codes) around the community. Do not get a magic marker and scribble some words on a white poster board. Sloppiness will not attract anyone. Give it some real thought and be creative, colorful, and imaginative. Plan for announcements in the paper, radio, and pass out flyers at the local elementary school if possible. Have your constituents pass out flyers at their place of business or even their gym. Find out about marketing in the book Fundraising Your Way (www.FundraisingYourWay.net).

3. Date -- Plan your sale so that it does not conflict with other local events. The only exception is if you set up a booth near a fair or crafts show where you will be assured of high traffic. Plan for weather to... not too cold or not too hot.

Baking Plans

Everybody probably knows how to bake a cake if you follow the instructions on the cake box. So the main part of your Bake Sale is to in making your event unique and attractive to supporters.

Could your bake sale be tied in with a special event or theme locally? In Louisiana, Mardi Gras in February is an ideal time because of its festive atmosphere. Bake some King Cakes or use purple and gold icing.

King Cakes are a very popular item during Mardi Gras season and everyone in Louisiana wants at least one. They typically have a prize inside such as a ring. Professional offices will buy these items for their employees or clients.

Could you contact doctors offices, large accountant firms, law offices and others to take pre-orders to be delivered on a certain day? This could double your income.

You may want to ask your Mayor and spouse to attend your Bake Sale or some other celebrity (make sure you include their names in your advertising). Ask a few of your celebrities to bake their specialty item and auction these off. Have the local TV crew come out and visit. Be sure to treat the TV crew like royalty so that they will want to come back next year when you have your second annual bake sale.

Make Your Bake Sale Different

Have a unique theme. What about a St. Patricks Day Bake Sale where most of the items are green or have some green on it. Or have a "Going for the gold" day where you hide items of jewelry or collector coins in the baked goods.

Check out the Elite Treats Fundraiser with cakes and such that are pre-baked. These go perfect with a beverage products fundraiser. A small group of 10 students raised $2,000 extra with the coffee sales at a bake sale. It's very easy to accomplish.

Don't forget Valentines Day. For this, you might get most of your business by taking preorders where someone can select from a flyer showing the dozen items that they can choose for their special valentine. Give buyers a receipt showing the day and location that they can pick up their items.

If you happen to have extra items available for supporters to purchase, then you will see greater profits. As people get off of work to pick up their item, they may be hungry. Use this to your advantage and have cupcakes and cookies in small quantities for them to purchase. Don't forget to have soft drinks or ice cold water for them to purchase at the same time.

Add A Unique Twist

A unique twist is to have a Men's Bake Off Contest. Allow the men in your church, synagogue, scout unit, or civic group to come up with their own creations. Make a big deal about men not being great cooks and that the baked goods will be truly a surprise for all attending.

At a local church in Texas, this was accomplished and became a huge success. The ladies also had some great baked items for sale too. The men's baked goods were given prizes for the Best Design, Most Unique, Wildest Ingredients, Largest Cake, Most Unheard Of Pie, etc. You get the picture.

The items were then auctioned off for the highest bidder. Everyone had the chance to buy some other items and enjoy punch and soft drinks. The take home was several thousand dollars. Incorporate the ideas in this article and finish even better.