Unlike a traditional ice cream truck, or the hot dog and taco wagons at a downtown street corner, these new gourmet food trucks are modern kitchens on wheels.

Sure, you could raise funds with the old fashioned food trucks as well, but the diverse cuisines of the new gourmet food trucks will get people curious and surely attract a large crowd. Besides, who can resist a fundraiser that you can leave with dinner already taken care of?

How do you raise funds with food trucks?

1. First, decide on how you would like to make money with food trucks: you could charge a flat fee; you could ask for a percentage of sales; you could pre-sell food tickets; or decide on a combination of all these. But the easiest way to make money is to ask the owners of the food trucks for a flat fee or a donation amount of their own choosing. If you opt for the voluntary donation, be ready to name a suggested minimum.

2. To find food trucks that do business in your area, keep an eye on your local news sources, or go online and search for “food trucks” and “food stands”. You can also check sites like FoodTrucksMap.com, RoamingHunger.com, or Yelp.com and Zagat.com for more information. Yes, even Zagat, the well known restaurant review service has reviewed gourmet food trucks in Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco!

Since food trucks usually tweet about their current locations, you can also try Twitter by searching for #foodtruck or #foodtrucks and see what comes up. Many food trucks will have the city as part of their username.

Talk to the owners of the food trucks and find out if they’d be interested in taking part in your event. If there is a lot of interest in your event, you’ll have to decide how many food trucks you’d like to host, which largely depends on how many people you think you’ll be able to attract to your event. To get a great deal of excitement going, plan for an event with at least five or six food trucks with different cuisines, possibly including a vegetarian/vegan choice and dessert. Pick trucks that offer a diverse selection of foods, so you’ll have something for everyone.

3. Decide who to invite to your fundraising event: is it only a specific group (like students and their families), or the general public? This may depend on how large and what kind of place you’ll be able to reserve and how many food trucks vendors have showed interest.

4. Before you book the food trucks, you’ll have to pick a place for the trucks to set up. It could be a school parking lot, in or alongside a park, or any other open space that has parking nearby and/or heavy foot traffic. Once you’ve picked a couple of potential spots, see what the availability is for these places for a few specific times.

Getting these permits and locking in specific dates with food trucks has to happen simultaneously: You don’t want to be stuck with a space that you can’t get the trucks to and you don’t want to reserve the food trucks for a date that you can’t guarantee a place for. Make a spreadsheet that lists potential locations, dates and food trucks so you can stay organized. Also consider drawing up a map that shows exactly where the trucks will set up, and where the trash cans and any seating arrangements can be placed.

5. Volunteers: Make sure you have at least one person available to direct the trucks on where to set up exactly and to answer any questions. This person should be available to the vendors throughout the whole event. You’ll also need volunteers who keep the place clean and keep an eye on the trash bins and empty them as needed, and volunteers who will stay after the event and will help clean up, and wrap up any business with the vendors.

6. Some food trucks will provide their own seating or standing tables, but some of them won’t. You don’t always have to eat sitting down, but it’s nice to have a place to put your drink. You could ask people to bring their own lawn chairs, or set up in an area that already has some seating options. You could arrange for small standing tables that can be rented from an event company.

In any case, you probably don’t have to plan for seating for everyone; many will buy their dinner and then leave, others won’t mind eating standing up, or sitting on a grassy area. However, do make sure your event is wheelchair accessible and you do have at least some seating available.

7. Arrange for trash disposal. Some foods may be wrapped only in a piece of paper, while others may be sold in a styrofoam box. You may also have to plan for lots of recyclables like bottles and cans (Recycle Bottles and Cans to Raise Funds). You may want to consider the amount of trash a food truck will generate before you make your final selection. Some owners will supply a trash can near their truck that they will service.

8. Time to announce your fundraiser! If you’d like to get a feel for how much interest your supporters would have, you could talk about your plans for your fundraiser on your blog or social media accounts right from the beginning of the planning phase. You may get more ideas for your event and be able to better gage potential interest in such a fundraising event.

If you’d rather wait to announce your event until you have all the details planned and then announce your event, that’s fine too. In any case, take full advantage of your social media accounts, blog, email list and any other marketing tools, like a printed newsletter and flyers. Note: Having lots of followers and “likes” in your social media accounts will help convince the owners of the food trucks that they’ll be able to sell lots of food at your event.

9. At the start of your event, have your volunteers in place (see above), set up signs, or use balloons or any other decorations to direct people to your event and to attract passerby traffic. You could also arrange for add-on fundraisers like a raffle to maximize your return on this event.

Are you excited about this kind of fundraiser? You’re not the only one! Even large organizations like the Make-A-Wish foundation and Toys For Tots have successfully raised funds using food truck fundraisers. And if your event is well visited, you could make a food truck fundraiser a regular event and plan for a “food truck night” every month, like some schools in the Los Angeles area.

(Image credit: iStockphoto/wdstock)

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Why A Cookbook Fundraiser?

Cookbook fundraisers are beneficial in many ways:

• Cookbook fundraisers become a “community” group project that brings everyone together

• Group members and volunteers can participate without having to spend money (making this a fundraiser for all income levels!)

Create custom cookbooks at Lulu.com

So what’s the downside? There is quite a bit of organizational work to be done, but overall it is comparable to that of many fundraisers. Also, a cookbook fundraiser generally requires an up-front expenditure for either printing supplies or wholesale purchase from a cookbook fundraising company, or local printer and that cost can be difficult for cash-poor groups to manage. The other disadvantage is that there is no guarantee the cookbook will sell at the desired quantity, so there is the potential for loss or low profits – unless you use an on-demand printing service (see below).

Options For Cookbook Fundraisers:

1) Use an online cookbook fundraiser company

Online cookbook fundraiser companies offer support, online resources, programs and downloads. Basically, your group collects the recipes, turns them over to the company, and they do the rest. Some provide software that you use to enter recipes and then the company will organize and print the cookbook. Additionally, some companies offer both services (you do the typing and entry or they will), but also offer a discount if your group does the entry work.

Some cookbook fundraiser services also give you the choice of either using only your own recipes or choosing from a selection of stock recipes to add to your cookbook.

2) Use cookbook fundraiser software and you print the book yourself

Providers of cookbook fundraiser software offer a program similar to that used by the online companies with entry fields that automatically format recipes; but you do not have to be online to use it (similarly, some online programs can be downloaded for use offline and then the data can be uploaded later). After the information is entered and proofed, your group handles the printing and binding.

The downside to a software cookbook fundraiser is that your group is responsible for all the work, and the cost of printing, ink, papers, and binders may be higher than ordering through a dedicated cookbook fundraiser company. The upside, though is that there is never a minimum order because you control the process.

3) Use an on-demand book printing service

If your group has access to someone with graphic design experience and software programs, you might want to try an on-demand book printing service. Once you upload your book files to the service’s site, you can then link to your book from your group’s website and your supporters can order directly online, or you can order any amount of books yourself to sell at any of your fundraising events.

There is no downside here if you have someone who can format the pages and upload them to the site. You can buy as many books as you like whenever you like, and you can also easily sell single copies through your website.

4) Collect and organize recipes and hire a local printer to make the books

Requirements for hiring a printer will depend on the printer your group chooses. Be sure to get samples of other books they’ve printed and decide together with the members of your group if quality and pricing are acceptable for your project.

A cookbook fundraiser is a fun community project that, with good organization and a strong sales-effort, can turn in some very good profits while providing a keepsake for group supporters. It’s a great way to create a lasting impression of your fundraising organization.

(Image credit: iStockphoto/dkapp12)

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The Key To A Successful Wine Tasting Fundraiser

The main ingredient to a great wine tasting fundraising event is great wine of course! Yes, it is important to find an appropriate venue, have plenty of volunteers at hand and plan for decorations and music, but getting the best possible wine for your event should be at the top of your list.

Getting great wine can most easily be done through merchant partnerships. Be picky when you shop for a supplier and select partnerships according to the merchant’s wine expertise and their ability to get you the best wines and good prices.

Also make sure that you ask your wine distributor to help sell tickets to your event. They are sure to know plenty of wine lovers!

Wine Experts

It is important to pick a merchant who will not only be able to supply many great bottles of wine at a discounted price, but the wine expertise as well. Not everyone who attends your event will be a wine aficionado that’s why it’s important to make sure you have experts there to lead the tasting, to answer questions, and to give the event the feel of an official wine tasting.

Discuss with your wine experts how you would like the event to go ahead of time. You can equip these experts with microphones as they educate the guests on each wine. They can stroll from one table to the next as they describe the wines to make the whole event more engaging. But before the tasting event begins make sure that the bottles are already present on the tables so that guests can inspect and discuss them. This will encourage conversation at the tables and get the party going.

Publicity Is Essential

This type of fundraiser – even more than other types – depends on publicity. You need to generate excitement about your wine tasting fundraiser while making sure that you encourage both wine connoisseurs and those who can only tell red from white to attend. This is a fundraiser so you need to work extra hard to advertise in such a way that does not make those who wish to attend feel that they are not wine savvy enough.

Join up with other charitable organizations to include their supporters. You can do the same for them the next time they have a fundraiser. Issue press releases and run TV and radio spots if possible. Advertise early and often.

A Note About Tickets

Make sure that tickets to your event are available not only through your organization directly but that you also sell tickets through local merchants. People are more inclined to buy tickets from merchants they already know. Many people will seek out your organization but it’s to your advantage to make getting tickets easy for everyone.

A wine tasting fundraiser takes a little extra work to publicize but is an elegant way to raise money. You can associate your charitable organization with a classy event such as this and attract donors with the desire to give and the ability to do so. This unique fundraiser lets you raise money in style!

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Let’s keep the list going – here are five more low-cost and no-cost fundraising ideas:

Cook-Offs

Chili, chowder, pie, dessert…whatever your group’s favorite may be. Invite expert and amateur chefs alike to enter their fabulous (very large) dishes in a cook-off event for top honors. Charge a fee for participants to come sample and vote on the best foods your town has to offer.

Your biggest challenge with a Cook-Off event: advertising and getting interested contributing chefs to participate (tip: offer them an advertising opportunity). Cook offs can work well in combination with the next idea

Breakfast (or Dinner) With…

A well known local personality, or Santa or the Easter Bunny for the little ones… this takes some organization and a good support base of volunteers, as the meal is labor-intensive. You can also increase your profits if you can get local grocers and/or businesses to donate mixes and paper goods. Pre-selling tickets will help so you know how many you have to serve for.

Your biggest challenge with a breakfast event: organizing enough volunteer labor and fronting the money to buy the supplies. This event might also work well with a

Bake Sale

An oldie but goodie; bake sales enjoy good investment returns because there is very little money to pay out. Ask group members and supporters to donate their best baked good (preferably pre-wrapped for sale), then find a location with good foot-traffic to hold the sale. Pastry sales will be especially well-received at breakfast events.

Your biggest challenge with a bake sale: getting donations of baked goods.

Movie Night

Movie nights are successful fundraisers for school and community groups with a large child-based membership. Set up a few television sets (the bigger the better) and choose a movie to show. Charge each attendee a ticket fee and sell popcorn and drinks to make even more. Movie nights are well-attended when you hit the right audience because they offer a cheap family night out.

Your biggest challenge with a Movie Night: advertising to reach out to interested participants. Movie nights for children might be combined with

Night Out For Parents

Offer babysitting services for a fee combined with fun arts and crafts and a movie night for kids. Be sure you have good contact and emergency contact information for each child. These work well for school groups, daycares, or teen centers with lots of teenage babysitter hands on deck. You will likely need to limit the number of children, so selling a ‘ticket’ for the night may be a good idea so that you are not left short-handed if someone doesn’t show. Parent’s nights often work well during the holidays or in partnership with a craft fair so parents can shop without prying childlike eyes.

Your biggest challenge with a Night Out for Parents: securing reliable, trustworthy volunteer babysitters.

And there we are. Five more great ways to raise big funds without shelling out first. Proof positive that any group can find a way to raise the funds they need!

Read about our first 5 Low-Cost Or No-Cost Fundraiser Ideas, or click over to our “Free Fundraisers” category.

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What’s So Great About Lollipop Fundraisers?

Yes, lollipop fundraisers do have an awful lot to offer. But to be even more specific, here are some good reasons why lollipops should be on your list of products to consider when choosing product-based fundraisers:

Lollipops are classics. That means they are well-liked and recognized. No one will look at what you are selling and wonder just what it is.

Lollipops are high-consumption items. That means that people will either buy more than one, or keep coming back for more, and the fundraiser can be held more than once a year.

Lollipop fundraisers can easily involve kids without putting them ‘out there’ in harm’s way. Groups with lots of kids around have built-in customers and won’t have to send kids door-to-door.

Lollipops are ideal in conjunction with events and other fundraisers (such as a bake sale, spirit fundraiser, and so on). It’s very easy to put out a lollipop display and sell plenty without compromising ticket sales or sales of other items.

Selling lollipops is very easy – a simple exchange of money for product. In most cases, lollipops are paid for ahead of time and sold on the spot; that means that profits and compensation for pops are immediate.

Profits from lollipops are high, as much as 50% or more overall, allowing for a 100% or better mark-up.

Fun lollipops can be labeled for your organization. Also, themed lollipops can be sold to match an interest, event, or holiday.

Search for lollipop fundraisers.

Is There A Downside To Lollipop Fundraisers?

It seems nothing is without its ‘cons’, and lollipop sales are not an exception, but the downside to lollipop fundraisers is a short list.

Other than being candy, and so not always welcomed by parents for frequent fundraising, essentially the only downside to a lollipop fundraiser is that pops are not ‘big-ticket’ items so you have to sell a lot of pops to add up to significant cash. This isn’t so bad if you have an event with a lot of traffic or couple sales with a ticket-table or other fundraising event. But then again, put up against higher-priced items, lollipops can do well marketed to those who want to lend a little support without breaking the bank.

All in all, lollipop fundraisers can mean good, quick cash for small effort and headache. Lollipops definitely have their place on the fundraising table!

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Running a coffee fundraiser

Coffee fundraisers are often run as a catalog fundraiser. The coffee fundraising company you choose will then provide your group members with all the marketing materials they need. Buyers can choose among a variety of coffees, flavors, drinks, and accessories. Orders are usually paid for at the time the order is taken. When the order arrives, it will need to be sorted into individual seller’s orders and distributed.

As an alternative, groups do have the option of purchasing coffee and products upfront at a wholesaler and selling it at various events as on-hand sales. The disadvantage here is that your group will have to front the cash for the purchase, and you may limit your profit if you are unable to sell the coffee. Some groups choose to run an order-taking fundraiser, but purchase a small amount of extra product for on-hand selling events.

Other than coffee

Not everyone on your potential buyer list will be a coffee drinker and that’s okay. Companies offering coffee fundraisers have anticipated this need and usually offer varied products such as teas, cocoas, mixes, and chais.

Search for coffee fundraiser.

Advantages of coffee fundraisers

• Coffee has wide appeal
• Coffee is a grocery item people buy anyway
• Coffee and accessories make great gift items
• Coffee is consumable, so the fundraiser can be run each year, possibly more often if customers really like the product
• Coffee has a long shelf life and doesn’t spoil, so refrigeration/freezing of delivered product is not an issue
• Coffee fundraisers work well in conjunction with food product fundraisers like pies, cakes, and cookie dough

Organic and fair trade coffee

Some coffee fundraising companies focus on responsible product supply and offer this alternative in their coffee fundraisers. Your group can choose products that include organic offerings, or guarantee that their products meet fair trade and employment standards, and that their coffees, teas, and cocoas are grown, harvested, and processed by farmers and employees working under good working conditions for a fair wage.

The wide appeal of coffee sets this everyday product up to be a very well-received fundraising item. Coffee fundraisers are easy to run and are affordable options for fundraising groups and supporters alike. All of these factors combined put coffee fundraisers at the top of many group’s fundraiser product lists.

(Image:©iStockPhoto/creativepictures)

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Pizza Fundraising Options:

Frozen Pizza Sales

Frozen pizza sales run similar to pie and cheesecake sales. The product comes fully prepared by the pizza company and all the end consumer has to do is heat and eat. Fundraisers take orders for flavors and quantity, then deliver the product when delivered to them. But like cheesecake and pie fundraisers, frozen pizza fundraisers have the disadvantage of requiring either fast distribution or storage space in freezers.

Make-Your-Own Pizza Kits

Another Pizza sale fundraising option is to collect orders for pizza kits. Consumers receive kits to make one to three pizzas with the sauce, cheese, and toppings chosen included. Like frozen pizzas, distribution and/or storage arrangements are necessary.

Pizza Card Sales

A fast and simple alternative to selling the actual pizza or pizza kit is to sell pizza cards redeemable at local pizzerias. Groups partner with a national or local pizza restaurant and sell cards worth ‘x’ amount of pizzas or worth a percentage off their order at a local pizza store; the pizzeria is reimbursed for their product and the fundraising organization keeps a portion of the proceeds.

>>FastTrackFundraising offers Pizza Card Fundraising…

Pizza Night Fundraisers

Similar to the pizza card fundraiser, a pizza night fundraiser requires partnering with local pizza restaurants. The fundraising group advertises the event and on the designated night, a portion of the sales from pizzas sold to fundraiser supporters goes to the group. Some means of identifying participants as supporters must be communicated or distributed (such as via a card, coupon, or simply telling the counter they are supporters). The partnership can be a ‘win-win’ situation for both the pizzeria and the organization, as sales are boosted for all.

For many organizations, pizza sales as fundraisers are an obvious choice. Pizzas are also well-liked for fundraising because these quickly consumed products can be sold repeatedly and their high demand makes pizza fundraisers virtually self-sellers. When paired with good planning and organization, pizzas are unstoppable fundraisers with wide appeal.

>> Search for Pizza Fundraiser

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Running A Chocolate Fundraiser

Chocolate fundraisers can be either cash-and-carry sales or brochure and catalog order taking events. They may consist of quick and easy candy bar sales or more complex catalog sales offering customers a wide variety of chocolate and gourmet items.

If your chocolate fundraiser is to be a cash-and-carry sale, such as a candy bar sale, your group will have to invest some cash into purchasing the candy bars or chocolates upfront. This may be difficult for a fledgling or cash-poor organization, but the convenience of limited distribution and fast profits may make a cash-and-carry sale worth the investment.

This is especially true if your organization has access to selling opportunities during events and shows where large numbers of buyers will be reached quickly. Some chocolate supply companies may extend credit for the candy bars and/or chocolate as well. On-hand selling usually equates to increased sales and profits. One additional advantage of cash-and-carry sales is that they can be run continuously by simply restocking as long as consumer interest will support the sale.

Select from a variety of chocolate fundraisers at eFundraising. (Sponsor link)

Catalog based chocolate fundraisers negate the need to invest money upfront, but the trade-off is usually limited sales. Catalog offerings are more expensive as they are really gourmet chocolates and so appeal to a smaller group, and are often only appealing when a need is present, such as during the holiday seasons (Christmas, Easter) when customers will purchase them for gifts.

On the other hand, there is less of a need for storage of ordered items, and they are paid for by sellers prior to ordering, so your group will not need to worry about product being taken and not sold or paid for by the seller; you won’t have to spend time chasing people for either returned unsold chocolate or the equivalent cash value.

Storage, particularly during a cash-and-carry pre-buy event, is a primary concern. Not only will your group need space enough to store the chocolate, but that space will need to be safe and cool. In addition, before buying chocolate for a cash-and-carry event, you will want to know about some important company policies.

Find out what the company’s policy is for returned chocolate; some may be willing to accept unopened cases of chocolate, while others may have a strict ‘no-return’ policy, which means your group could be buying chocolate you can’t sell.

Find out if the company will replace or allow you to return poor quality, broken, or melted chocolate should the product arrive damaged.

Likewise, make sure the company will stand behind their product quality for catalog and brochure sales.

Finally, find out what your ability to restock chocolate and candy bars is if you should find sales booming. By dealing with a company with a generous re-supply policy and low minimum orders, you can order in quantities you are reasonably assured you can sell and reorder as needed. This also helps you order just the popular flavors and best sellers.

(More chocolate fundraisers…)

Chocolate sales are well received, making them a great resource for fast and easy fundraising. Cashing in on the chocolate craze is a good idea for any organization in need.

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What’s A Candy Box Fundraiser?

Fundraising with fundraiser candy boxes is very simple. You order pre-packed boxes of single-serve candies, distribute a box for each child or seller, and send them off to sell their wares!

Candy Box Fundraiser Selling Options

Depending on the distributor, boxes may be provided with a pre-determined mix, single product, or you may be given the option of buying bulk boxes and mixing the fundraiser candy boxes as you choose.

Fundraising candy boxes can be sold by alternative methods, too – such as placing a box in a strategic location (an office, a snack or break room…) with a cashier or collection jar and selling the candy by cash and carry. This option is an attractive alternative to selling candy person to person or door to door, since the sellers’ safety won’t be a concern. Fundraiser candy boxes can also be used as refreshment sales at events and event fundraisers, too.

Another option for fundraiser candy boxes is to purchase custom-printed boxes and fill them with a specialty or variety of candies and sell the complete box, rather than single-sale bars or packages. This would be a more specialized sale that would play off the quality of your product or appeal of your organization.

Search for candy boxes fundraiser.

What Are The Benefits Of A Candy Box Fundraiser?

The simplicity of the sale is the greatest benefit to a fundraiser candy box sale. Items are generally low-priced at a simple, manageable cost (usually $1.00 per bar or package) and the transaction is a simple matter of trading cash for candy. In many cases, fundraiser candy boxes are stocked with coveted, recognized candy brands that sell very well (like Hershey’s, etc.), but sometimes a boutique or local candy-maker will be used.

Moreover, there is no dealing with order-takers, sorting, and distribution of large-product orders. Sellers can take more candy to sell as they need it and the fundraiser ends with just turning in the money.

Is There A Downside To A Candy Box Fundraiser?

Every fundraiser has its cons. For the fundraiser candy box sale, a few might be:

• Storage of temperature-sensitive food items
• Fronting cash upfront for product (check with the supplier; some will offer credit terms for some groups)
• Money and product tracking – who has what out, who owes what
• Chasing money from defaulted sellers – it seems there is always at least one in the bunch
• Unsold inventory – candy suppliers cannot accept returned candy

Cashing In On Fundraiser Candy Boxes

Despite the downside, fundraiser candy boxes are a great way to run a low-maintenance, high-profit fundraiser. Fundraiser candy boxes can go for as long as sales are brisk. Fundraiser candy boxes are great fundraisers alone or in combination with other fundraisers to give your fundraising campaign that added revenue boost it’s needed.

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Many states have a refund policy in one form or another and will pay a set amount per bottle or can or pay by the pound for collected and returned containers. Groups should check their state’s guidelines to find out what cans and bottles can be refunded. Basically, all that is needed for a bottle and can collection drive is a collection place, and volunteers to help youngsters collect, sort, and return the collected bottles and cans. Note that recyclables are usually bulky and that volunteers will need larger vehicles to transport them to the recycling center.

Here’s a basic rundown of how the drive works:

• Before you start your fundraiser, be sure to ask your local recycling center what the requirements are for dropping off the recyclables, like using specific bins or trash bags, specific drop off times etc.
• Get the word out: post flyers and advertise the upcoming collection in newsletters or local newspapers. Be sure to send out an e-mail if you have a mailing list, and post the information on your group’s website as well.
• Provide a location for drop off, or place clearly marked collection containers in public places; one suggestion is to cut a can/bottle-sized hole in the center of a piece of plywood and use to top the can or bag so it is more obvious the bin is not to be used for trash
• After collection, cans will need to be sorted to remove unacceptable bottles and cans before being returned to a redemption center for cash

Tip: Be sure to ask if your recycling center would rather have the cans un-crushed.

Groups can also collect cans and bottles as part of a roadside, beach or river cleanup effort and do even more for their local environment by cleaning up refuse. Another option that has proven to work very well in many communities is to place collection bins at local dumps and/or recycling centers; people who do not care to redeem bottles and cans themselves can donate bagged items easily when they go to drop off their trash and recyclables.

Bottle and can collection drives are ideal fundraisers for scout troops, sports teams, school or youth groups; bottle and can drives naturally inject a community service element into fundraising efforts, so they are the perfect complement to these groups whose focus is on global and community living and building the consciousness of young people. With the easy organization and fast cash-in, bottle and can collection drives are a way to make the world and your fundraising efforts greener all around.

For more green fundraisers, go to our Green Fundraisers category,
Or read about Recycling Ink Cartridges

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Portrait Of A Good Fundraising Company

There are a few criteria that good fundraising companies should meet:

• They should have a reputation for success and customer service.
• They should be able to be a resource for you, offering tips, marketing help, fundraising materials, and seller’s resources.
• They should be fairly well-known; everyone on your block doesn’t have to know their name offhand, but you will want to know that others have used their services and know something about them. Ask the company for testimonials and references as well.
• Companies should have a website that is searchable and is a resource for your fundraising campaign; it should also offer online ordering and a toll free number for customer service.

Choosing Fundraising Companies

You can research a company’s profile to learn more about them, read up on them on the internet, and ask other fundraising organizers which companies have served them well and made them money. There are many great companies out there, but to get you started, here are a few suggestions of popular fundraising companies who meet the above criteria.

Magfundraising.com – run and manage your magazine fundraiser entirely online with the help of the reputable Reader’s Digest Company

FundingFactory.com – save the earth and raise funds by simply collecting cell phones and used computer printer cartridges; this site offers excellent support and tools for groups.

eFundraising.com – another division of the popular Reader’s Digest Company which offers product-based fundraisers, numerous resources, tips, and help, as well as free information kits and Prize Programs.

While this list is by no means inclusive of all the reputable and worthwhile fundraising companies out there, it is a good place to start for well-known, proven sales and service. Working with any of these companies, or any who similarly meet these company’s standards, will help you on your way to reaching your fundraising goals.

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Bakery goods, such as cookies, pies, cheese cakes, cookie doughs, and gourmet food and baked-goods mixes, do well as fundraisers for a number of reasons:

- Products are highly consumable, and so do not last and can be sold again every year.

- Bakery products and mix programs usually require no upfront expenditures, and so they can be very manageable for a small or cash-poor organization.

- Consumers enjoy great quality bakery products in their own homes.

- Bakery products are convenient, yet needed items during the holidays.

- Profits may be made immediately available to fundraising groups, so there is no long-term turn around.

- When bakery product fundraisers are repeated annually at predictable times, buyers will come to rely on them and plan ahead to buy them.

The only real downside to fundraising with baked goods (excluding dry bakery mixes) is that the delivery and distribution of the foods can be tricky. Many gourmet foods (in particular cheese cakes, pies, and cookie doughs) are frozen and must remain frozen until they are used. That means that having people on hand for delivery from the company is a must, and fast distribution and/or storage of frozen goods is also needed. However, if these hurdles can be overcome (either by storing goods or having same-day pick-up), bakery fundraisers often prove to be very successful, repeatable money-makers.

In addition to fundraising with baked goods, ready-to-bake goods, and mixes, the bakery market can also be tapped by selling cookbooks. Personalized organization cookbooks can either be collated, published, and sold entirely by the fundraising organization, or a group can purchase pre-printed cookbooks and have the organization’s name printed on the cover. Cookbooks are often popular because they offer a unique set of recipes which can be revised yearly, profits are turned immediately, and sorting and handling is minimized as all items are the same.

Whether the choice is actual baked (or ready to bake) goods or simply the recipes to make them, fundraising with bakery products is usually met with great success. Baked goods are products that are consumed in practically every home and so the potential for outreach is vast. Consumers enjoy having great items with little or no fuss, making baked goods successful annual fundraisers; and any time a fundraiser can be repeated, life is made easier for the next crew of fundraising event organizers.

eFundraising – Cookie-dough, lollipops and chocolate fundraisers

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Basics Of Running A Water Bottle Fundraiser

Water bottle fundraisers are run primarily through on-hand sales events. Your group will purchase water sports bottles in bulk, then increase the price and sell them to interested buyers. Water bottle sales generally do well at sporting or similar events, or as offered to and through team members. The disadvantage to on-hand water bottle sales is that your group will have to pay cash upfront to buy the bottles and if you are unable to move them your profits will be limited. Prices for waterbottles for fundraisers vary depending on the type and style of bottle purchased; prices range from $.55 to around $3.50 per unit. (*Tip: you may consider filling the bottles with ice water or offering a fill station to promote sales to thirsty patrons.)

To organize a waterbottle fundraiser, you first need to identify a water sports bottle supply company or fundraising company offering water bottle fund raisers. You will then work with a company representative to design your bottle logo and choose the type, color, and style of bottle. Companies will work with you to help you choose a fun and interesting message and you can submit your own organization logo to go on the bottle.

Advantages Of A Water Bottle Fundraiser

• Water bottles are reusable
• Reusable water bottles help save the environment from discarded plastic bottles
• Printed water bottles serve as constant marketers every time they are used and seen
• Water bottles do not perish and can be stored for future sales events
• Water bottles are continuous fundraising products that you can sell over and over at each event
• Water bottles are affordable
• Your group can buy just enough to get the fundraiser started, then reorder stock as needed

Search for water bottles, sports bottles.

Custom Printed Private Label Water Bottle Fundraising Options

There are other ways to fundraise with bottled water and still take advantage of these printed “in hand” marketing agents.

Instead of buying printed water bottles, you can purchase bottles of drinking water in a variety of sizes complete with custom printed labels for your group. These are often available from bottled water suppliers; to save on shipping costs, find a local bottled water supplier.

Another option is for your group to buy bottled water in bulk from a local retailer and print your own labels.

The disadvantage to these options is that you will need a lot of space for product storage, product is heavy and unwieldy, and of course, you lose the advantage of promoting environmental friendliness. (Be sure to at least have a recycling bin ready for all the empty water bottles.) However, selling bottles of water at a sporting or outside event can be highly successful when you have a ready stock of thirsty buyers, and you still have that ever-important marketing angle regardless of the water bottle fundraising option you choose.

For more green fundraisers, go to our Green Fundraisers category.

(Image: iStockphoto/eurobanks)

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The ideal way to combine practicality and profitability is to become a link in the supply chain of everyday, essential items. One of the best ways this can be accomplished is to fundraise by selling grocery and food items. Sure, these products as offered through a fundraiser may cost a little more, but often the difference can be made up in quality or in the justification that at least the item is something that will be usable anyway, and thus, in the long run, save money over frivolous expenditures on worthless products on top of the regular grocery bill.

What’s Available

Food product and grocery item fundraisers started out fairly basically with consumables like coffee and gourmet bakery items, but as the logic of this partnership grows into increased fundraising success, more and more food items that might be bought at the corner grocery store are being added to the list. What follows here is just a sampling of the more common food and grocery items that might be offered through fundraisers:

• Oven-ready frozen foods like pies, cakes, cookie dough, and pizza
• Refrigerated meats
• Coffee, teas, cocoas
• Soap, bath, lotions, and spa items
• Snack foods like beef jerky, dried fruits, nuts, pretzels, and popcorn
• Dry mixes for baking (like cookies, cakes…) or cooking (pancakes, etc.)
• Herbs, spices, rubs, and sauces
• Cheeses

Benefits

The benefits of selling grocery items center largely on the fact that these are products people are buying every week anyway, and so the potential for sales is great. In addition,

• Profits are usually immediately available
• Many organizations are able to repeat the same fundraiser multiple times in one year (since products are quickly consumed)
• Good products build customer loyalty
• Usually no up-front expenditure is required
• Ordering may be available online to expedite processing and turn around time

The only real difficulty to food sales is that many times frozen and/or refrigeration is involved. That means that the fundraising organization needs either adequate storage or fast distribution; it also means that having someone on hand at the time of delivery is an absolute must. However, many organizations have overcome these difficulties by organizing delivery with the company ahead of time and also planning to have sellers pick up their items on the same day. Recognizing the logistics involved in storage and distribution, food product fundraising suppliers are happy to coordinate efforts as needed and are excellent resources for distribution tips and tricks.

Fundraising with grocery and food items has become very popular. Welcome, saleable products combined with the ability to repeat the fundraiser regularly (thereby diminishing the planning and learning curve) keep groups and customers coming back again and again.

For more ideas for food fundraisers, visit our Fundraising Ideas: “foods” category.

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