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How to Throw a Bake Sale

By Betty Crocker Kitchens
Created January 10, 2017
From helping raise funds for disaster relief to supporting your school’s arts program, bake sales are a perfect way to rally your community behind a worthy cause and share your love of baking.
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Organize & Promote

  • Post a sign with the name of the organization or how the proceeds will be used.
  • Turn your bake sale into a social event with live music, craft and food demonstrations and games.
  • Schedule a bake day to prepare for the event. Spacious school and church kitchens are particularly helpful.
  • Arrange a telephone committee to contact each organization member to solicit baked goods.
  • Promote your bake sale any way you can—via email, social media, radio, TV and your local newspaper. (Sending a sample box of goodies along with a flyer announcing the event to the local radio or TV station probably wouldn’t hurt!)
  • Include a thank-you note with purchases.
  • Find a business that will match or double your profits.
  • Sell a recipe booklet that includes all bake-sale recipes.
What to Bake
  • Offer small samples for tasting, as well as water and coffee, and customers will likely stick around longer.
  • Bake and sell small treats like doughnuts and mini muffins while the sale is in full swing.
  • Be sure to include everything from decadent chocolate treats to items for special diets.
  • Offer a variety of sizes—from single servings to full cakes and pies—and sell individual cookies and bars.
  • Have a variety of prices, but keep prices simple for adding and making change by pricing in increments of 25 cents.
  • Don’t forget to keep things simple and also offer items that don’t require baking.
Pretty Packaging
  • Explore dollar stores and bargain bins at national discount retailers for inexpensive containers for your baked treats. Think small galvanized buckets, take-out containers, cellophane bags, fabric bags and gift boxes.
  • Purchase cute, inexpensive plastic plates and place your treats on them. Wrapped with clear wrap and tied with a pretty ribbon, they look gift-worthy and give the buyer the perk of a free plate!
  • Search sites like Etsy for adorable sale tags that you can affix to packages with the name of the treat.
  • Beautiful ribbon can be purchased for a song at craft stores. Or pick up fabric in punchy colors and graphic patterns, and cut your own strands of ribbon to tie up cellophane bags or adorn gift boxes.
  • For extra-easy transportation, package cupcakes in clear punch cups, covered in cellophane and tied with a bow and nametag.
Last-Minute Details
  • Bring bags, a cash box with plenty of change, price stickers and marking pens.
  • Make it easy for customers to carry bake-sale items home. Furnish bags big enough to encourage the purchase of more than one product and a few for the freezer.
  • Have recipes printed and available for people to take. This is especially important for people who need to know the ingredients because of special diets or allergies.