Bake Sale Basics

There’s nothing quite like a good old bake sale to raise money in a hurry for your school, group, club or organization. With a little bit of planning, preparation and creativity, you’ll have more fun, and position your sale for success.

• Think easy to grab, easy to eat goodies: cookies, cakes, cupcakes, muffins, bars, brownies, and similar treats.
• Think beyond traditional baked items. Add variety with granola, caramel corn or a cereal snack mix.
• Think healthy too … well, sort of: sell homemade caramel sauce with apples.

• Tables should be decorated simply and organized for easy shopping.
• Make items attractive and enticing with packaging:
  • Wrap individual quick bread loaves in colorful plastic wrap and tie with a ribbon
  • Place cookies in decorative boxes or tins
  • Use decorative paper liners when baking cupcakes or muffins
  • Fill large waffle cones with caramel corn or snack mix; wrap individual servings with plastic wrap
• Use creative names for items: “Death By Chocolate Brownies,” or “Crispy Crunchy Caramel Corn,” or “Grandma’s Best Gingersnaps.”
• Provide premixed ingredients for cookies or bars in decorative jars that someone could use as a gift. Attach the recipe and baking instructions too.
• Labeling helps sell items and provides important information:
  • Consider computer-generated labels, or buy labels and small stickers and create your own
  • Label foods with main flavors and descriptive terms to entice buyers (“Made with rich, dark chocolate and pecans”)
  • For less familiar foods, attach a brief description (“Biscotti is an Italian cookie that’s crunchy and perfect for dipping into coffee.”)

If you plan bake sales on a regular basis, keep track of hot sellers. When planning your next sale, pass the list on to people donating offerings to be sure those popular items will be included.

Oh, and try to avoid snacking during your sale – it’ll eat up your profits.