Fall Bake Sale Tips

Fall Bake Sale Tips

7 Fall Bake Sale Tips

Hosting a bake sale requires a team effort. Assigning tasks to individuals – someone in charge of decorations, someone in charge of setup, someone in charge of cleanup, etc – can help keep things running smoothly.

Decorate. Adding brightly colored napkins, colored cling wrap, and a fun tablecloth will set your bake sale apart from others your customers have seen.

Plan ahead. Many of your items can be baked ahead of time and frozen. Cookie dough, pies, and even breads and muffins freeze well.

Also plan ahead for items you’ll need to actually host the bake sale: folding tables, table cloths, cash box with lots of change, cooler for ice/drinks, serving cups and utensils, trash bags and trash cans, and cleaning supplies for after the sale is over!

Add special touches. Dipping cookies partially in chocolate definitely takes them up a notch, without adding a lot of work or cost. Drizzling does the same — try a mix of white and dark chocolates!

Other ways to dress your baked goods up:

— powdered sugar glaze
— nuts
— colored sugar
— sprinkles

Adding a few nice finishing touches to your baked goods can help justify a higher price, which means you’ll raise more for your fundraiser/cause overall. Don’t forget to check out these fun fall desserts too!

Promote it til the cows come home! Flyers, online message boards, craigslist, and word of mouth will all help you get the promotion you need for your bake sale. Don’t skimp on marketing! Make sure everyone is pitching in, posting on Facebook and Twitter, and really working hard to get people in the door.

Price fairly. Prices will depend on your location, but here are some good jumping off points to get you started:

— Cookies, brownies, and bars sell for $1.00 to $2.00 depending on size.
— Cupcakes and muffins are $2.00 to $3.00 depending on size.
— Pies and small cakes start at $10.00

Offer lots of options. Now more than ever, there are lots of allergies to watch out for. Offering peanut (or any nut) free, gluten free, sugar free, or even dairy free items like cookies, cupcakes, and brownies will help you appeal to a larger audience.

Don’t forget to offer drinks! Lemonade, coffee, and even ice cold milk are all great options. Want to get really fancy? Offer pumpkin spice lattes!

Be unique! If you have the space (and the weather is nice), set up a cookie decorating station. Fill up a few bags of different colored frostings (if someone makes a HUGE batch of buttercream, it will last a while!), and let kids have fun decorating their own.

Another unique idea: bake cupcakes into ice cream cones. Kids will go CRAZY over them! Also implement some selling of utensils and things to make your bake sale even more unique. Pick up an apron, a tee-towel, or other fun idea is a Farmhouse sign, just remember to keep it simple.

What’s your best bake sale tip? Leave it in the comments!