Never Done a Fundraiser Before...

[75317]

Hi all! I just scheduled my first fundraiser show for the Children's Ministry Dept. of a local church. It will be a kitchen show in that I'll be there to demo, etc. Since I've never done this before I have a few questions...
1.) Any recipes/themes that lend themselves to this type of event?
2.) Do I do regular host coaching (40+ names, etc.) to get a big turnout?

Any other ideas/input/things to consider would be most appreciated!
Thanks!

 

[Cindycooks]

Are you doing the demo in front of the kids? Or will there be all ages? Keep it very simple. I did a demo for our preschool at my church a few months ago and what I did was bake cookies ahead (used the cookie press) and made a big batch. I brought those and ingredients to decorate them in the prep bowls such as M&M's, sprinkles, mini-marshmallows, choc chips, etc...I also brought the chopper and some nuts, and icing in the batter bowl. I let the kids decorate the cookies. They used the Easy Accent Decorator with the icing, shaved the choc chips with the cheese grater, chopped the nuts with the chopper, then sprinkled on the sprinkles and candy. I brought the simple additions medium squares to do the sprinkling on. Use your imagination, theres lots of things you could use. To me, this was the easiest thing to do, and I did not have to do any baking there. You could also bring frozen juice and let the kids "plunge" it in the Mix & Stir. I know of one consultant who didnt have time to bake the cookies, and brought store-bought & to me that would be fine too...the important thing is the kids get to have fun!

 

[75317]

No kids....just adults at the show....Actually, the proceeds from this fundraiser benefit the children, but it will be the adults from the church, etc., who will be in attendance. So in light of that, anything I should be aware of? Thanks for the great advice...I'll have to use that sometime in the future!

 

[kitchenqueen]

It would be like any other kitchen show. You may also give the organizer the option for guests to bring catalogs home and ask their neighbors, friends, etc to help earn more. I am doing another fundraiser in October and I am offering a free large round stone to the guest who brings in the most outside orders before the show closes. People love hearing "free"! It's also a good idea to remind your guests throughout the show, that if they book their own show (kitchen or catalog) they can help the organization that way too because with each show booked PC gives an additional $3! I also offer an additional $3 to boost their interest in booking show. With that being said, explain the host benefits and lead them to the back of the catalog where the benefits are shown as well. Good luck!

 

[75317]

Thanks!Thanks for the great info! I really like the incentives ideas....I appreciate your help!