Tips for Hosting a Successful Bake Sale
Thank you for considering having a bake sale to raise funds for Kaila's Komfort!
Organizing a bake sale is an excellent way to raise money, especially for charity. Bake sales are easy to organize, don't require a lot of money up front, and are fun to do. With nothing more than a small team of people, a dedication to a good cause, and some planning and baking, you can have a successful bake sale of your own.
Have a cause. You have chosen to host a Kaila's Komfort bake sale. Be sure you and your customers understand who Kaila's Komfort is and what the money will be used for. Have flyers, posters or other printed materials that explain what Kaila's Komfort does. This is also a great opportunity to raise CRMO awareness.
Make your team. Get your friends and family to help. Let kids have the option of participating in the fundraiser by baking goods with their parents to sell in the bake sale, and give them appropriate responsibilities.
Decide on a venue. Generally, you want to be in a high traffic area. For instance, have your bake sale at a well-frequented public spot or in a school or college. If the bake sale is for your school, ask the administration, or other appropriate staff for possible venues on the school grounds.
Get all the equipment you need. You may be lucky and have a table and chairs available already and a sign made up already. if you do not, you will need to plan ahead. You may need:
Decide on the time. The best way to ensure a large number of potential customers at your bake sale is to have it coincide with another event. Or, if your bake sale is for your school, make sure you have it during a time when the greatest number of parents and kids can attend. Some ideas for events to place your bake sale near include: elections, PTA events, school games, and community events.
Planning the Baked Goods
Assign the baking work. Make sure you assign your volunteer bakers certain items to make through something like a sign up list, so you don't wind up with too many of some goods, and not enough of others.
Give instructions on how to pack the goods. Give the volunteer bakers a specific method for packaging their finished goods. It's a good idea to have every item individually wrapped in plastic wrap or a plastic bag, to avoid contamination that might cause allergic reactions.
Give instructions on what to label on the packaging. All the goods should have the ingredients listed. Many people (especially children) have food allergies and sensitivities and dietary preferences. Providing a list of ingredients help people stay healthy and happy while supporting you. Knowing that a cookie has nuts in it or not may make a big difference.
Have a variety of types of baked goods. Try to include some healthy options too, instead of just cupcakes and pie. Not everything has to be sugary at a bake sale.
Set reasonable prices. Remember, it is a bake sale, so you don't have to get too caught up in the money as long as it is for a good cause. Optionally, you can even opt not to set any prices at all, except something like a $1 minimum, and let people pay what they want on the "honor system"
Preparing for the Event
Coordinate the work. Decide who is going to do what once you start the event. Delegate people to retrieve and set up the equipment, someone to organize the goods and volunteers once they arrive, and someone to keep track of the money.
Publicize the event. Design attention-grabbing and colorful flyers with the date, time, place and cause being supported. Design and share posters online or put paper ones up in well frequented areas.
Make the goods. Bake sales are a good opportunity to bake a variety of goodies. A bake sale needs baked items, which ideally will be homemade. Have all your baking volunteers bake the goods the day before the sale, to ensure maximum freshness.
Get drinks to sell as well. A lot of people like to have a bit of liquid to wash down sugary treats, and it is an additional chance for you or your group to earn a bit of extra money.
Having the Bake Sale
Set up the event. Set up the tables, donation box, and signs. Keep track of all the volunteers arriving, and let them each know where they should set up their goods. Things you may want to consider bringing: a supply of small paper plates, paper towels, plastic forks, napkins, and plastic wrap, bags, or foil. It's best to keep these to a minimum, as they cut into profits and create waste.
Get the party going. Double check that everyone is where they should be, and the table is full of delicious baked goods, and start selling. If you planned it well enough, this should be the easiest step of all. Consider getting some music going to make the atmosphere more fun and welcoming.
End the event. Have a specific time when the event will end. Once it reaches that time, politely let everyone know that the bake sale is wrapping up. Let all the customers currently buying goods finish before you start packing up.
Leave the area clean. Be courteous and leave your area as clean or cleaner than you found it. Remove all the tables, chairs, and other equipment rented for the event. Clean up and throw away all the trash. Ask some of the volunteers to help you with this.
Send the leftovers somewhere. Let the volunteers know that they are of course free to take their leftover goods home with them, but also provide an option for them to donate their unsold baked goods. Contact a local food shelter or nursing home and ask them if they would like to take your unsold goods. Then ask one of the volunteers to deliver the goods, or do it yourself, as soon as possible, so they're still fresh.
Organizing a bake sale is an excellent way to raise money, especially for charity. Bake sales are easy to organize, don't require a lot of money up front, and are fun to do. With nothing more than a small team of people, a dedication to a good cause, and some planning and baking, you can have a successful bake sale of your own.
Have a cause. You have chosen to host a Kaila's Komfort bake sale. Be sure you and your customers understand who Kaila's Komfort is and what the money will be used for. Have flyers, posters or other printed materials that explain what Kaila's Komfort does. This is also a great opportunity to raise CRMO awareness.
- Put out a jar for tips or donations. Not all people can eat sweets due to dietary restrictions, but they still may like to make a donation.
- If you have any questions about how to send your profits to Kaila's Komfort, please contact us.
Make your team. Get your friends and family to help. Let kids have the option of participating in the fundraiser by baking goods with their parents to sell in the bake sale, and give them appropriate responsibilities.
- Make clear what the cause is, when the bake sale is, and have reasonable shifts available.
- How many volunteers you will need will depend on the size of your proposed bake sale. A small bake sale may be easily handled by one experienced volunteer. However, a large bake sale may need several people to coordinate helping customers, the cash box, setting up and taking down, and baking.
- You might want to make one person in charge of organizing the volunteer bakers, one person in charge of the venue and equipment needed, and one person in charge of publicizing the event.
Decide on a venue. Generally, you want to be in a high traffic area. For instance, have your bake sale at a well-frequented public spot or in a school or college. If the bake sale is for your school, ask the administration, or other appropriate staff for possible venues on the school grounds.
- Sometimes retail stores will be happy to have a booth set up nearby.
- Community events, such as festivals and special events like street fairs, outdoor public concerts, and other big public events are all excellent choices.
- At schools, plays, concerts, open houses, sporting events, parent nights are excellent bake sale opportunities.
- Make sure that it is legal to hold at the spot you choose, and get permission from the appropriate authorities, if applicable.
- Be sure you have a "rain site" to do the bake sale indoors or under a tent in case the weather turns sour.
Get all the equipment you need. You may be lucky and have a table and chairs available already and a sign made up already. if you do not, you will need to plan ahead. You may need:
- Booths or tables
- Card tables or folding tables
- Some sort of awning, like a pop-up pavilion or gazebo to protect from rain or sun
- Tablecloths
- Decorations and signs to grab attention
- A cooler and ice to keep items like drinks cold
- A garbage container and garbage bags for cleanup
- Folding chairs
- A cash box. You need to keep your funds in some sort of container. Be sure it has change for large bills!
Decide on the time. The best way to ensure a large number of potential customers at your bake sale is to have it coincide with another event. Or, if your bake sale is for your school, make sure you have it during a time when the greatest number of parents and kids can attend. Some ideas for events to place your bake sale near include: elections, PTA events, school games, and community events.
- You will also want to make sure your date is in the sweet spot between being so soon that not enough people hear about and so far that people forget about it.
Planning the Baked Goods
Assign the baking work. Make sure you assign your volunteer bakers certain items to make through something like a sign up list, so you don't wind up with too many of some goods, and not enough of others.
- If many people in an organization are baking, ask them to package things in sale-size quantities, perhaps two to three cookies to a package or one cupcake or larger item.
Give instructions on how to pack the goods. Give the volunteer bakers a specific method for packaging their finished goods. It's a good idea to have every item individually wrapped in plastic wrap or a plastic bag, to avoid contamination that might cause allergic reactions.
Give instructions on what to label on the packaging. All the goods should have the ingredients listed. Many people (especially children) have food allergies and sensitivities and dietary preferences. Providing a list of ingredients help people stay healthy and happy while supporting you. Knowing that a cookie has nuts in it or not may make a big difference.
- An index card by the dish is an easy way to do this. You can also put sticky labels on plastic bags.
- Marking items with common allergens can be helpful (tree nuts, strawberries, peanuts, etc.).
- Also mark foods which may be a good choice for certain people, such as gluten-free brownies, Kosher treats, vegan cookies, or nut-free items.
Have a variety of types of baked goods. Try to include some healthy options too, instead of just cupcakes and pie. Not everything has to be sugary at a bake sale.
Set reasonable prices. Remember, it is a bake sale, so you don't have to get too caught up in the money as long as it is for a good cause. Optionally, you can even opt not to set any prices at all, except something like a $1 minimum, and let people pay what they want on the "honor system"
Preparing for the Event
Coordinate the work. Decide who is going to do what once you start the event. Delegate people to retrieve and set up the equipment, someone to organize the goods and volunteers once they arrive, and someone to keep track of the money.
Publicize the event. Design attention-grabbing and colorful flyers with the date, time, place and cause being supported. Design and share posters online or put paper ones up in well frequented areas.
- If you are selling at a school, have your bake sale announced over an intercom, in the daily notice or school paper, or whatever is available.
- Advertise your organization through your clothes. If you have a CRMO Awareness Shirt, wear it to your bake sale.
Make the goods. Bake sales are a good opportunity to bake a variety of goodies. A bake sale needs baked items, which ideally will be homemade. Have all your baking volunteers bake the goods the day before the sale, to ensure maximum freshness.
- You could bake the items yourself and this is usually the cheapest way. Divide the baking between many members, if possible.
- Alternatively, buy them from a local bakery or shop. This is particularly effective if people don't usually have access to such goods, such as at a high school. It also is easier for people who can't cook, or don't have the time.
Get drinks to sell as well. A lot of people like to have a bit of liquid to wash down sugary treats, and it is an additional chance for you or your group to earn a bit of extra money.
Having the Bake Sale
Set up the event. Set up the tables, donation box, and signs. Keep track of all the volunteers arriving, and let them each know where they should set up their goods. Things you may want to consider bringing: a supply of small paper plates, paper towels, plastic forks, napkins, and plastic wrap, bags, or foil. It's best to keep these to a minimum, as they cut into profits and create waste.
Get the party going. Double check that everyone is where they should be, and the table is full of delicious baked goods, and start selling. If you planned it well enough, this should be the easiest step of all. Consider getting some music going to make the atmosphere more fun and welcoming.
- Have a cash box and start with a reasonable amount of change in it. Write down the amount so you can calculate how much you've earned at the end. Keep the cash box safe throughout the event.
- Thank the customers for their support as they leave the event.
End the event. Have a specific time when the event will end. Once it reaches that time, politely let everyone know that the bake sale is wrapping up. Let all the customers currently buying goods finish before you start packing up.
- Once the event is over, count the money earned and thank all the volunteers for their help. Help them pack up their unsold goods.
Leave the area clean. Be courteous and leave your area as clean or cleaner than you found it. Remove all the tables, chairs, and other equipment rented for the event. Clean up and throw away all the trash. Ask some of the volunteers to help you with this.
Send the leftovers somewhere. Let the volunteers know that they are of course free to take their leftover goods home with them, but also provide an option for them to donate their unsold baked goods. Contact a local food shelter or nursing home and ask them if they would like to take your unsold goods. Then ask one of the volunteers to deliver the goods, or do it yourself, as soon as possible, so they're still fresh.
Sample Bake Sale Flyer
| bake_sale_flyer.docx |
Kaila's Komfort Information Flyer
| kailas_komfort_informational_flyer.pdf |
Downloadable Bake Sale Clip Art
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