A Pretty Bake Sale: Fundraise with Style!

October 11, 2010

I was so impressed when i saw this gorgeous bake sale over at Swanky Tables. by Jill from the Bird and the Berry. She put together a bake sale in her small neighborhood for Bake for Hope. She did an incredible job for a wonderful cause.




no matter what the occasion for your bake sale… it’s all about presentation! so get some tips and ideas from Jill’s.. she sold out by three and earned a little over $300! 
you go girl.

my tips for a bake sale:
1. use Aldi’s Cookie Dough….
Store Brand Name: Buehler’s Cost: $1.89
they have a variety of cookies..but at our youth group bake sales we always sell out fast of the chocolate chip & the peanut butter with reese’s cups. they are fast and easy too! we bake them in the church hall’s kitchen while everyone is in church above us… it’s amazing what a yummy cookie aroma can do for your business. ;) bake them a minute or so under the time given and they end up like subway cookies. we sell them in baggies (bought at aldi’s) 4 packs of the small and 2 packs of the bigger ones. We ask for donations instead of pricing them out..usually earn more that way. most people pay $2-$5 per bag.


2. Have healthy options. Now we didn’t think of this the first bake sale we did..
we tried to convince everyone that it was a healthyyy bake sale but I think the fact that we kept telling them that they were completelyyy calorie free cookies with a smile gave it away.
Some great sites for healthy recipes are
The Sneaky Chef
Mayo Clinic Dessert Recipes
Better Recipes
One great way to bake healthy is by using sugar substitutes. Here’s a book by Marlene Koch with
375 Recipes Low in Sugar, Fat and Calories. 


3. If possible have ingredients listed or at least available to see. You’ll get a lot more customers if they know what’s in it..especially those who have allergies. Here’s a great site with recipes for different allergies: mallergies.com i am totally in the dark about all of that because sophia hasn’t had any reaction to anything.. it’s good to know though because we all know someone who can’t eat something because of an allergy. now you have a site to go to when you want to bake them something yummy that they can actually eat. :)


4. Show personality at your bake sale.
We made signs for our youth group bake sale…. and the one i made that said “Jesus wants you to buy cookies” was the real money maker. ;) We also had signs posted on either side of our sophia who was running around with a donation basket. we have no shame. (haha it’s horrible.) but she loved it. But really when i say show personality i mean be warm and welcoming! You are the lady with the cookies.. you should be happy! haha.


5. And of course…presentation is key!
 Sometimes things are thrown together last minute and you don’t have time to make it all pretty.. it’s a miracle if you just get the sweets out there on the table!
but.. if you do have time, having a pretty display goes a long way. you need to draw your customers in with
sight & smell.

So busy this week with moving into our new place.sorry if my posts are a little sporadic. We are going from owning a huge house(flipped it) to renting a smaller one. (it is so liberating!!!)But i am learning a lot of tricks along the way to be organized and efficient with our limited space. So expect some posts on that soon. I am lovingggg decorating this place though. it’s like a blank canvas waiting for some prettiness. hehe. thank goodness for a wonderful landlord ;) i’ll post photos soon!

  • Kelly @ Blessed Mommy, Blessed Wife
    October 11, 2010 at 2:41 am

    What an adorable bake sale and great tips! I love that this was for such an awesome cause. Thanks for sharing :)

  • Anna Liesemeyer
    October 11, 2010 at 9:20 am

    I LOVE this. I agree that presentation is everything!
    I will have to remember this post for Maria to use for Challenge fundraisers.

    Praying for your quick and easy transition! We rent a small house and its financially liberating. Its a fun challenge to make it out own:)

  • JC's Loft
    October 11, 2010 at 12:40 pm

    Wow what a great idea!

  • Laura@Cowboy Boots
    October 11, 2010 at 4:16 pm

    now that is a bake sale! she did a great job!

    as for a blank canvas…i love that..but sometimes my ideas don’t come out like they were in my head haha