Fundraising Ideas - Business Lunch Fundraiser

Make Money Catering Business Lunches

by Jesse Carter

This simple fundraiser of catering business lunches is perfect if you have a number of talented cooks. You can host the luncheon at your location if you have a kitchen.

Advertise

Ask local garden clubs, civic clubs (Lions, Rotary, Civitan, etc.), ladies bible class, and nonprofit executive board meetings (Boy Scouts, American Red Cross, etc.) to host their luncheon event using your team.

Business training seminars or employee training workshops are great to cater to and bring much goodwill. You could even set up a tripod stand with a poster describing a little about your group as participants come to get their food.

Do use this as an opportunity to spread the word about your organization and give everyone a small postcard or business card attached to each plate directing supporters to your Fundraising Website or catering services portrayed online. Place a QR Code on these whereby those with Smart Phones can quickly look up your group's website, menu, pricing or other ways to support your group.

Serving Location

If you have the perfect location complete with kitchen, utensils and storage then invite various organizations to visit it for lunch once a month or once a week depending on how many groups you can attract. You may wish to rent a kitchen and dining at a local church if you don't have a facility and they are not using theirs.

As an alternative to having people show up at your own location to actually eat, you might try acting in a catering capacity or in a hosting capacity and taking your cooked food to the location of the organization you are providing lunch for.

At any location, be sure that you follow proper procedures according to your local Health Department's sanitary guidelines. Secure any permit if required.

Your Fee Structure

Accept a set fee for catering lunches like $240 for up to 40 people eating lunch or a per plate fee of $6.00 each. With a set fee, if only 5 people show up, you still get the money you spent on food costs -- for example the $240.

Before getting into a time consuming program, weigh the time and financial costs. Ask for enough volunteers before you begin.

If two to three cooks and helpers are needed each day, you would need ten to fifteen helpers per week. Add another 6 alternates for good measure.

A Real Example

One Baptist Collegiate Student Ministry typically hosts lunch for students on one or two days each week. The ministry usually ask churches within the region or association to volunteer to work the kitchen one week per year or two weeks if they are in smaller associations. The church provides the planning, workers, and food for free.

The collegiate ministry advertises the weekly luncheon and hosts the event at their location. The college students pay a small amount of about $2 per meal. The money raised over the year will raise enough money for 10 to 20 students to go on a missionary trip during the summer.

So, think about approaching businesses where you can ask for more money per plate and you will see that it will provide real funds for your organization.