Food Fundraisers
Top Food Fundraising Ideas for Schools
Offer your community high-quality gourmet food that tastes delicious. Huge selection of cookie dough, pies, pizzas, popcorn, beef jerky, and much more!
100% natural ingredients. Take orders with a catalog, sell online, or order a product and sell it. Start raising money today for free.
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One Price Otis Spunkmeyer The best-name brands in fundraising, like Otis Spunkmeyer, Reese's, and M&M, are offered at an exact price. VIEW BROCHURE
Offer a wide variety of great-tasting meats and cheeses. Makes a healthy snack with 0 trans-fat. VIEW BROCHURE
Otis Extravaganza Offer your buyers the largest Otis Spunkmeyer frozen food fundraiser with 154 total items. VIEW BROCHURE
Select from 51 delicious snacks—the most extensive assortment of candies in fundraising. VIEW BROCHURE
French Bread Pizza We use only the best ingredients to make the three most popular flavors: Cheese, Pepperoni, and Sausage. VIEW BROCHURE
Poppin Popcorn Features 16 mouthwatering popcorn flavors with the highest quality ingredients. VIEW BROCHURE
Pretzels Enjoy our delicious Soft Pretzels, Pretzel Nuggets, and Pretzel Dogs with your favorite dips and toppings. VIEW BROCHURE
Offer the best of both: delicious Otis Spunkmeyer cookies and muffins. VIEW BROCHURE
Otis Spunkmeyer Cookies The most famous cookie dough brand in school fundraising. Feature ten best-selling flavors. VIEW BROCHURE
How Do Food Fundraisers Work?
How Do Food Fundraisers Work?Countless schools nationwide use food fundraising companies to raise money, making food fundraisers for schools a popular choice. One survey found that 50% of elementary schools, 56% of middle schools, and 67% of high schools sell candy, embodying one of many food fundraiser ideas. Each year, schools profit $1.7 billion in selling products, demonstrating the potential of easy food to sell for fundraisers. Food fundraising ideas for schools can get very creative and it is a versatile option that is bound to bring success.
If you’re interested in selling food, we offer three food fundraising ideas that are effective:
- Take orders using a brochure – a common approach in fundraising food ideas.
- Order a product and sell it – an example of easy food fundraiser ideas.
- Promote an online store – an effective way to reach a broad audience.
When you take orders first, each student receives a food brochure, order form, and money envelope. After two weeks of selling, collect the order forms and send them to us for processing. We’ll then send you a sales report invoice and work with you to schedule your delivery date.
When ordering a product, you’ll need to send us a purchase order. Once your product is delivered, you’ll have 15 days to pay your bill, giving you time to sell it and collect the money.
To drive traffic to your online store, group participants invite people to your store using social media, email, and text. We process profit payments within 15 days of your store’s closing.
Your profit is the difference between what you collect and your invoice, a straightforward concept in food for fundraising.
What Makes Our Food Fundraisers Better?
What Makes Our Food Fundraisers Better?- Name Brand Quality. Selling what people expect, like Otis Spunkmeyer Cookie Dough and Ben's Soft Pretzels, aligns with various fundraising dinner ideas. You can't beat Amazing Dough, French Bread Pizza, and People’s Choice Beef Sticks, to name a few.
- Huge Selection. Our vast product selection encompasses numerous foods to sell for fundraising options. Find the right food for fundraising ideas for your group.
- Higher Profits. Make up to 60% profit.
- Online Store. Complement your brochure sale by also selling online. Only sell online? See our online food fundraisers.
- Free Shipping. All product orders ship for free, and brochure sales have low minimums.
- Expert Customer Care. Your satisfaction is our goal. We’re here to answer your questions.
- No Upfront Cost. Book a food fundraiser today for free.
Questions About Food Fundraisers
Questions
What types of food fundraisers can schools organize?
Answer
Schools have various options to explore among the innumerable food fundraising ideas for non-profit organizations, including selling name-brand products like Otis Spunkmeyer Cookie Dough, Pretzels, and French Bread Pizza. If you wish to make your food fundraising event a success, you’ll love Poppin Popcorn and Cheese & Sausage.
Questions
What is the best food to sell for fundraising?
Answer
Popular foods for fundraising include items that are easy to sell and have broad appeal, such as cookies, candy, pizza, pretzels, and beef jerky. Name-brand products like Otis Spunkmeyer cookie dough and muffins, Pretzels, and Cinnamon Rolls are also popular. When brainstorming fundraiser food ideas, you can't beat Amazing Dough and People's Beef Jerky. Seasonal items like pies for Thanksgiving or themed lollipops for Valentine's Day are wise choices for a successful food fundraiser idea.
Questions
How can I raise money with food?
Answer
To fundraise with food, you can partner with a food fundraising company and choose between two main methods: taking pre-orders using brochures or ordering products directly to sell. After deciding the method, you must organize your sales team, set your sales goals, and promote your fundraiser. Utilizing online platforms and physical sales can broaden your fundraising reach.
Questions
How do food fundraisers for schools work?
Answer
Food fundraisers typically work by selling food products to raise money for a specific cause or organization. Schools, teams, or groups partner with fundraising companies to select food items to sell. You can sell these items through brochures or direct sales pre-orders, where products are purchased upfront. Your profit is the difference between the cost and selling prices of the food items.
Questions
How do we start a food fundraiser with your company?
Answer
Starting a food fundraiser is simple. You can take orders using a brochure or directly sell a product. Explore different food ideas for fundraising and find out which items work best. For brochure orders, distribute food brochures, order forms, and money envelopes to participants, collect orders after a set period, and send them to us for processing. Send us a purchase order for direct orders, and you’ll have 15 days to pay your bill after the product delivery.
Questions
Are there any upfront costs involved in booking a food fundraiser?
Answer
Booking a food fundraiser with us does not involve upfront costs. We aim to make it as accessible and risk-free as possible for schools and organizations.
Questions
What profit margin can we expect from a food fundraiser?
Answer
You can expect to make up to 60% profit on the products sold. Your profit is the difference between the collection amount and the invoice value.
Questions
What are the most profitable fundraisers?
Answer
Food fundraisers, bake sales, car washes, auctions, carnivals, art shows, concerts, and sports tournaments are just a few of the ideas for fundraisers that maximize profit.
Questions
Can we also sell food items online?
Answer
We offer an online store option to complement your brochure sale. You can also choose to sell exclusively online. This feature expands your reach and simplifies the process for sellers and buyers.
Questions
How can we maximize our sales during a food fundraiser?
Answer
To maximize sales, focus on special occasions and holidays, such as selling themed items like Yummy Hearts lollipops before Valentine’s Day or pies before Thanksgiving. Additionally, emphasize professionalism in sales, use tracking sheets for inventory, and encourage sellers to connect personally with potential buyers.
Questions
What support do you offer to organizations conducting food fundraisers?
Answer
We provide expert customer care to assist with questions or concerns. We also offer tools like the ‘Calculate Your Profit’ feature to help you plan effectively, and we work closely with you to schedule delivery and handle the logistics of your fundraiser.
Questions
How do we ensure we order the right amount of product?
Answer
You can use our ‘Calculate Your Profit’ tool to estimate the right amount of product based on your sales goals and target audience. When selecting products, consider your community's demographics and preferences.
Questions
Are there any shipping costs for the products?
Answer
All product orders ship for free, and brochure sales have low minimums, so you won’t have to worry about additional shipping costs.
Questions
Can you provide some successful food fundraiser ideas?
Answer
For a successful fundraiser, choose products that resonate with your audience, focus on the quality and convenience of the products, and align your food choices with your fundraising cause. Engage your community with effective communication, plan according to seasonal demand, and ensure your sales team is well-informed and enthusiastic.
Food Fundraising Suggestions & Tips
Food Fundraising Suggestions & Tips- Use our ‘Calculate Your Profit’ tool to help you determine how much product to order
- Attempt to sell around special occasions and holidays. For example, sell Yummy Hearts lollipops or cookie dough before Valentine’s Day or Thanksgiving or offer Halloween Stencils in October.
- Meet with your sellers to kick off your fundraiser and discuss the process and your sales goals.
- Use a tracking sheet to track product inventory. You should know how much money each student needs to turn in.
- Emphasize professionalism when making sales. Ask your students to introduce their organization and why they’re raising money.
- Tell them only to approach people that they know.
MORE IDEAS FOR FOOD FUNDRAISERS
There are endless ways to use food for fundraisers. Make your event more profitable with a few more food fundraising ideas we have listed here:
- Food Fundraising Ideas
- Choosing a Food Product
- More Food Fundraiser Considerations
Food Fundraising Ideas
Food fundraising ideas for schools yield some of the most impressive results, especially when matched with good planning and dedicated efforts. When you think back to selling as a kid, there’s a reason why it was always candy bars, cookie dough, or frozen food.
Now, there are so many other options, like Pretzels and French Bread Pizza! It all depends on what makes the most sense for your audience and goals.
Choosing a Food Product
So you're interested in fundraising with food. But first, let's ask the most crucial question, "Why are you raising money?" If you’re sending your team to a tournament, try offering snack food for games and bus rides. Opportunities like these would be ideal for item-in-hand fundraisers.
You can physically carry the item you’re selling, such as beef sticks or pretzel rods, for immediate buyer enjoyment. These provide instant gratification for a delicious snack or treat.
You're raising money for something non-food related, like school supplies and new textbooks, which might be where you sell out of a brochure.
Or, if you don't want to handle products, money, order forms, or deliveries, selling through an online store may be your answer.
More Food Fundraiser Considerations
Our most significant piece of advice is this: If you’re running a food sale, the easiest way to sell is to emphasize the quality of the product and the convenience. Customers will love paying a reasonable price for a great item. But it means even more that it supports their local educational community.
The most important thing to remember is: Does it make sense? Is the food choice related to the cause? And if it isn’t, how can you use timing and environment to run a successful program?
We’ve outlined some helpful selling suggestions for each food fundraiser category. These tips will help sponsors execute a cohesive and compelling campaign, which usually translates into meeting goals.
Resources
Unique Food Fundraisers for Schools
Food Fundraising Ideas That Work
5 Popular Food Fundraisers
When Less Profit Percent is More
The Beef Jerky Fundraising Alternative
Interesting Facts about Popcorn
Why We Keep Selling Lollipops
Otis Extravaganza
Offer your buyers the largest Otis Spunkmeyer frozen food fundraiser with 154 total items.
Offer a wide variety of great-tasting meats and cheeses. Makes a healthy snack with 0 trans-fat.
One Price Otis Spunkmeyer
The best-name brands in fundraising, like Otis Spunkmeyer, Reese's, and M&M, are offered at an exact price.
Otis Spunkmeyer Cookies
The most famous cookie dough brand in school fundraising. Feature ten best-selling flavors.
Offer the best of both: delicious Otis Spunkmeyer cookies and muffins.
Pretzels
Enjoy our delicious Soft Pretzels, Pretzel Nuggets, and Pretzel Dogs with your favorite dips and toppings.
Poppin Popcorn
Features 16 mouthwatering popcorn flavors with the highest quality ingredients.
French Bread Pizza
We use only the best ingredients to make the three most popular flavors: Cheese, Pepperoni, and Sausage.
Select from 51 delicious snacks—the most extensive assortment of candies in fundraising.
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