1000 x 1000 Campaign Fundraising Tips- The Bake Sale

The Best Bake Sale Ever

(from The Best Bake Sale Ever Cookbook by Barbara Grunes)

Fund raising plans come and go, but the bake sale perseveres. Sweet baked good for sale remind us of parties in the gym, the senior trip to Washington DC, or raising money for a new church roof. If you are busy as most people these days, it may be tempting to just pick up some cookies at the grocery store. But how much more meaningful it is to bake something, to show off your baking skills and teach them to your children (or your nieces and nephews or your friend’s children; or even the Lois’ Lodge moms).

Tips for Bake Sales:

Presentation. Looks count. While pretty presentation isn’t mandatory, it will help your baked treats sell faster, and maybe even fetch a premium price.

Portability. Dragging a lemon meringue pie off to the bake sale just doesn’t cut it, and don’t even think about letting chocolate mousse sit out in the gym for 2 hours. If it isn’t portable and doesn’t hold up well under variable conditions, don’t make it.

Portions. The same church ladies who normally cut 2 inch brownies into quarters to avoid eating a real dessert will throw fat and calories out the window when they’re buying brownies at a bake sale. Forget petite- that brownie had better look like it’s worth paying for. While you can sell a plate of smaller cookies or brownies, selling items by the piece usually yields better profits.

Familiarity. Bake sale foods tend to be old favorites, the sorts of items our mothers or grandmothers or aunts baked for school or church events: cherry pie, angel food cake, sugar cookies, brownies. People relate warmly to family connections and wax nostalgic about the kind of baking they rarely do themselves. Labeling a desert “Grandma’s Lemon Squares” or “Aunt Lucy’s Famous Apple Pie” always sparks interest, especially if you have a good story to accompany the recipe.