We made over $1000!
It was such an inspiring, touching, supportive day. Actually, the entire event has been that way, with people who don't even know the boy offering to bake, bring water, make flyers, whatever was necessary. Baked goods poured into my house yesterday, from 15+ people, and more to come today at the sale. This compassion gathered strength today, just like the oncoming storm. The community was extremely generous, giving donations (a third of the money was flat-out donations!), giving us more than they owed for the baked goods, offering encouragement and prayers. Several people shared their own stories about cancer--everyone seemed to know someone with the disease. Friends from school, and best of all the teachers and staff, came out especially to support the sale, making a point to buy extras; several of my friends who don't even know him both baked AND bought! People who didn't have much still found a way to buy a dollar or two of cookies. In fact, if I had to guess, the majority of our customers were as far from the 1% as you can get in Connecticut . . . and they tended to give extra or just pure donations, even here at the end of the month (the timing of which hadn't occurred to me until someone mentioned it, the tight time of the month when people don't have much to spare). It was very humbling. I don't think the kids noticed any of this, of course, but they did feel the happiness and love around the table, the sense of community and compassion, the warmth and connection of being able to help someone. We often talk the talk, but today we actually walked it, together, all because a little girl said, "I want to have a bake sale," and the adults all around her got together to make it happen. We know we can't fix everything for their classmate, who we learned today has Stage 4 cancer, but for today at least and in the times to come with the extra money, we hope we brought some happiness, ease, comfort, and support.
And, just in case we ever do it again (and more than one person has asked, heaven help us!), here are some things I learned from my very first bake sale.
To Do (in advance)
- Book location: Choose somewhere with lots of foot traffic--the grocery store or the soccer fields. We were hampered by not being an official organization with a tax exempt i.d. number. But a store took a chance on us and let us host the sale, even donating $50 gift card! We got lucky, but it often takes a month or more of advanced notice to book a spot.
- Contact Health Department: In our town, bake sales are exempt from the usual rules about commercial kitchens, etc, but they still advised us about pre-packaging, no nuts, no refrigerated goods (cream pies, cheesecakes, pudding), etc.
- Recruit bakers: I emailed friends, classmates, and our Brownie troop to solicit baked goods. The letter stated our needs up front, including no nuts, packaging at home based on our price points, notifying us of major ingredients (esp allergens like wheat, dairy, eggs), and drop-off information.
- Donations: My co-organizer solicited donations from a local bakery, receiving an urn of coffee and dozens of pastries for free. She also got a gift card from the grocery store. With more time, we might have been able to organize a raffle or other donations.
- Publicity: A volunteer made the flyer, had it approved by the Superintendent, and distributed through school. We also contacted the local papers. And, of course, posted repeatedly about it on FB and my blog. Sis also made posters for the table and two yard signs for the parking lots.
- Leftovers: We didn't have any, but a few people offered to buy them to give them to teachers or churches; I also considered calling the local senior living center to donate them.
What to Sell
- Favorites at Our Sale: chocolate chip cookies, brownies, plain sugar cookies, cute cupcakes in cups with lollipops, peanut butter blossom cookies (yes, a nut cookies showed up!). People were either looking for chocolate or looking for items that were not chocolate! We had few special dietary requests, but a few did look for dairy-free, sugar-free, and gluten-free.
- Cutely-packaged items sold faster than plain. Bigger items sold faster than multiple-smaller items together.
- Cupcakes were safely packaged in clear wide-mouthed cups.
- We mostly had cookies, some quick breads, cupcakes, and pastries like muffins. We had no cakes or pies, no candies or novelties (like cake pops), but we didn't really suffer from their absence. No one, as far as I could tell, walked away empty handed.
- We ended up pricing everything $1, with the rare exceptions of loaves of bread ($6) and popcorn hands (2 for $1). This really simplified totaling orders and customers' decision-making process--and we didn't need price tags. And they often gave us the change as a donation!
- Add-ons: We had water bottles and coffee for sale, probably selling $20-30 of beverages.
Supplies
- lunch bags for purchases
- colored stickers for pricing (if have lots of different prices; we didn't use these in the end)
- masking tape (for signs)
- extra baggies, in case a bag breaks or you need to sub-divide items
- baskets, bowls, platters for display
- Sharpie/markers for extra signs
- index cards, cardboard for signs
- donation jar
- signs for the table and the parking lot entrances (Home Depot sells blank yard signs).
- cash box (ours had a steel cable so we could attach it to the table!)
- dollar bills (started with 30 $1, 4 $5s)
- tables (one plastic 8 x 3')
- tablecloth
- chairs
- trash can and bags
- Because everything was pre-packaged, we didn't need gloves for serving or even napkins or plates for eating.
Day Of
- Arrive at least 30 minutes before start time.
- Confirm location with property owner (today we set up in one spot and then had to move--to an even better spot!)
- Expect sales or donations while you are setting up and be ready to start early!
- We practiced greeting and talking to customers before we arrived, also how to handle the money or questions. The girls were good at counting out change. We had them bring some toys for when there was a lull or they lost interest; we also fetched lunch midway through. Best of all, I had one of my babysitters on hand for part of the day, to watch them, take them to the restroom, etc.
- Send FB/Twitter post when you open--ours included a picture of the overstuffed table!
- We couldn't put all of our items out together because there were just too many, so we periodically consolidated and rotated new ones in.
- We had a few unusual or challenging visitors. One complained about our prices, especially the bottled water for $1. I told him we were trying to raise money, not to give bargains. Another wanted to lecture us on money, the stock market, and how to make a million dollars. I had to ask him to move away from the front of the table to finish his lecture and he got mad when we all ignored him. Otherwise, that's it. I tried to be polite but firm about our goal for the day. Though, we did see two near-miss car accidents.
- We never had to discount our items--we gave the last few doughnuts to the family and were done pretty much on time, after four hours.
- We cleaned up, packed our cars, counted the money, and handed all of it, in the donation jar, over to the family on the spot. Hugs all around, and some tears.
Useful Resources
- The Great American Bake Sale website with recipes, tips, etc.
- Cookies for Kids' Cancer's The Best Bake Sale Cookbook and website
- Dessert First Girl's "How to Have a Fabulous Bake Sale"
- Good supply list here
- Pricing suggestions here
=-=-=-=-=-=-
Snickerdoodles
yields 6-7 dozen
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening (or coconut oil)
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 3/4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
cinnamon-sugar: 1/2 cup sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, beat together the shortening and sugar till smooth, then beat in the eggs, again beating till smooth.
Beat in the vanilla, baking powder, then add the flour, mixing slowly till combined.
Place about 1/2 cup cinnamon-sugar in an 8" or 9" round cake pan or in a zippered bag.
Drop the soft dough by teaspoonfuls into the pan with the sugar, about 6 to 8 balls at a time. Gently shake the pan to coat the dough balls with sugar. Place them on a lightly greased or parchment-lined cookie sheet, leaving about 1 1/2 inches between them. Using the bottom of a glass, flatten each cookie till it's about 1/2-inch thick. Repeat till you've used up all the dough.
Bake the snickerdoodles in a preheated 400°F oven for 8-11 minutes. They'll be set and just starting to turn golden. Remove the cookies from the oven, and cool them on a rack.
adapted from King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion
yields 6-7 dozen
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening (or coconut oil)
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 3/4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
cinnamon-sugar: 1/2 cup sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, beat together the shortening and sugar till smooth, then beat in the eggs, again beating till smooth.
Beat in the vanilla, baking powder, then add the flour, mixing slowly till combined.
Place about 1/2 cup cinnamon-sugar in an 8" or 9" round cake pan or in a zippered bag.
Drop the soft dough by teaspoonfuls into the pan with the sugar, about 6 to 8 balls at a time. Gently shake the pan to coat the dough balls with sugar. Place them on a lightly greased or parchment-lined cookie sheet, leaving about 1 1/2 inches between them. Using the bottom of a glass, flatten each cookie till it's about 1/2-inch thick. Repeat till you've used up all the dough.
Bake the snickerdoodles in a preheated 400°F oven for 8-11 minutes. They'll be set and just starting to turn golden. Remove the cookies from the oven, and cool them on a rack.
adapted from King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion
**Same recipe as above, but instead of 2 3/4 cups flour, use 2 1/4 cups flour and 1/2 cup cocoa.
-=-=-=-=-=-
Mom’s Mom’s Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 ½ cup sifted flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup shortening
¾ cup brown sugar (firmly packed)
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 eggs (Eggbeaters also work)
1 teaspoon hot water
1 cup nuts
2 cups oatmeal (quick or regular; uncooked—old fashioned regular are best)
1 teaspoon vanilla
14 oz. chocolate chips
Cream shortening until soft. Add sugars gradually, cream until light and fluffy. Add eggs (1 at a time), beating after each. Add vanilla and hot water. Sift in dry ingredients. Add nuts, oatmeal, and chocolate chips. Bake at 375°F for 8 minutes.
Bammie
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
1/2 cup (1 stick) plus 6 tablespoons butter, softened
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
3 cups Quaker® Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
1 cup raisins
Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, beat butter and sugars on medium speed of electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Add oats and raisins; mix well.
Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; remove to wire rack. Cool completely. Store tightly covered.
Quaker Oats
-=-=-=-=-=-
S'mores Sandwiches
graham crackers
large marshmallows ("Stackers" are great)
chocolate chips
Wilton cocoa melting pieces or other chocolate, melted
Preheat oven to 400F. Arrange graham crackers, broken in half, on cookie sheet. Put marshmallows on half of the crackers; place 9 chocolate chips on the other half. Bake until marshmallow puffs and begins to brown and chips soften. Remove from oven and pair each marshmallow half with a chocolate half. Cool in freezer for 5 minutes. Dip cool(er) s'mores halfway in chocolate. Allow to cool completely.
