So, You Want to Have a Bake Sale? 

Bake sales are a great way to motivate comminutes to raise money for charities or organizations that often need outside fundraising to support their philanthropic efforts. The best part is that with just a little bit of planning, anyone can host a successful bake sale. Read on and we’ll dig into how to plan a successful bake sale

Planning:

1. Place and Time: When planning any event these are the two best places to start. First, choose a time. Try to choose a date that will not conflict with other events that may detract from volunteer help or from community participation. Also, try to think about who will be purchasing from the bake sale. If it is families and kids, it is important to choose a time that allows as many potential customers to be involved as possible. 
   
   Next, think about location. Try to choose a venue that is accessible to customers. Again, think about who will be attending and choose a location that makes the most sense for them to participate, or that will naturally cross paths in the way of other potential customers in the same group. Again, if you are targeting families with children, think about going to parks, outside schools or churches, or outside grocery stores. 

2. Consider a Theme: If you intentionally chose a place or time that would naturally include a theme then this task is much easier. For example, if you plan the bake sale near a holiday, using that holiday theme will connect with customers better. Similarly, you can draw inspiration from the charity you are raising money to create a theme. Consider using similar colours, fonts, images etc. to create more of a connection in the customer’s mind. 

3. Advertising: Spread the word! Use social media to your advantage to inform people about the sale. Encourage your friends, family, and target customers to save the date. You could also send e-invitations through email, letters in the mail, or post flyers alerting people to the sale. 

The Baking Details: 

1. Choose Your Bakers: When hosting a bake sale, you can never have too many bakers. This divides the baking among more people and means more baked goodies for sale! Make sure to communicate time, place, and theme to the bakers so they will have ample time to prepare and come up with recipes that match the theme. 

2. Find Out What Will Be at The Sale: Communicate with the other bakers to avoid having too much of the same thing at the bake sale, and to make sure you will have enough to sell. Our baking boxes are perfect for bake sales as you can make up to 100 bakes with our welcome box.  This is also a good time to communicate about food safety and proper packaging. Encourage the other bakers to wrap each good individually or cluster a couple per package. 

3. Decide What You Are Baking: Cakes, bread, cookies, and muffins are all great options for bake sales. Keep your theme in mind; if there are special treats associated with a holiday theme get creative and think of small spins you can put on the classics. As always, if you need baking inspiration, our Baking Boxes have plenty of portions and come with all of the recipes and dry and ambient ingredients you’ll need to supply your bake sale! 

4. Be Mindful of Food Allergies: You can’t accommodate every food allergy; you’d go nuts trying (pun intended). However, keep in mind, and try to encourage other bakers to remember, to diversify your baked good options. Offering nut-free, gluten-free, or dairy-free options should be sufficient. We also encourage you to add allergy warning labels on the day of the sale. 
   You could colour code your cakes with our personalised cake toppers?

Prepare for The Big Day:

1. Reminders: Send reminders to bakers and customers alerting them to the sale. Use social media and other communication channels so everyone is on the same page.

2. Pricing: Calculate your prices before the day of the event and make sure any volunteers who help with sales are also aware of the prices. If you plan on accepting forms of payment other than cash, double-check that your digital payment options are in working order. 

3. Transport: It’d be a shame for all of your hard work to go to waste! Ensure you have the proper transportation containers that will guarantee your baked goods will arrive in tip-top shape. 
   
   
4. Decorations and Presentation: Creating a visually appealing display will entice buyers and give your sale a professional and curated feel. Arrange the baked goods in ways that show off the talent of your bakers!