Home > Blog > Strategic Planning > Bye Bye Bake Sales
It's time to say “Goodbye to bake sales!”
When it comes to fundraising, all those bake sales and car washes are just not the best investment –but with a simple shift in focus, you can turn a much larger profit.
And that’s not the ONLY reason to ditch the sales...
Hello my Fabulous Fundraisers!
One of your most valuable resources is your volunteer hours.
So why would you spend them all on low-return “Saturday activities” that only yield revenue that is MEDIOCRE at best? Bake sales, wrapping paper sales, pre-cooked pastries, cookie dough, photo calendars, fill the boot, car washes and on and on and on...
Parents that I’ve talked to are TIRED of these activities.
People in general are busy and don’t want to have to work on a Saturday.
In fact, some schools are offering the option for each parents to pay $50-$75 per kid to not have to participate in all these little revenue generators.
NO ONE wants to do them because it means the parents get stuck buying Tupperware they just don’t need.
They may not say it to your face, but no one is interested in paying for a tray burnt of cookies.
With all the dietary and allergy restrictions that people are paying attention to nowadays, cooking for a bake sale has become MUCH more difficult: soy-free, dairy-free, gluten-free, nut-free, sugar-free, Did I miss anything?
I’m not saying people don’t want to participate or help, they absolutely do!
It’s just become a hassle to do ALL the things.
Let’s face it, when kids come home with those catalogs to solicit the neighbors, it gets posted on the parents’ facebook page and doesn’t sell anything... until the parents cave and buy 8 items so their kid can “WIN” a trinket.
Let’s talk about “The Boot.”
Firefighters, we love you, but people are carrying less and less cash with them, and when I’m at a stoplight, the best I can do is scramble for a couple of coins that may have fallen out of a pocket.
There are much more effective, SAFER ways to raise money.
I realize it all adds up, and it’s easy way to raise a small amount of quick cash, but
CONSIDER THIS ALTERNATIVE….
Both parents and firefighters can host an event.
If you task the same army of people you would have used on “Saturday fundraisers” to instead go and procure great items for your auction, you can raise more funds.
And you can do it in one fell swoop.
I say, streamline your efforts and solicit bigger items, especially items that can be used all year round, and people will be happy to buy.
And to our first responder friends, you can pass that boot around at the auction, letting guests fill it up with money and gift cards, then auction it off to the highest bidder.
At the end of the day, if you can ditch the bake sales to instead go and solicit great items, you could see a much higher return on your volunteers’ time and energy and now your volunteers can enjoy the weekend with their families.
Are you ready to ditch the bake sales in favor of a new fresh event? Sound off in the comments.