what has been the easiest and most profit for your schools? we are trying to pick what to do this year and get tired of the same ol same ol. thanks kids!
Do like the O-man and teach the kids to go take it from the businesses... :jester::jester: Not sure if you like that plan or not....
sad enough we cant do this b/c they worry abouth theft! i hate it b/c the giant chocolate bar with almonds wrapped in the mcdonalds coupons we would sell back in the day were the greatest things ever!
When DD was at Rand Road Elementary they used to do silent auctions (mostly big baskets of goodies that were donated by folks) and a spaghetti dinner on the same night. Then they would have a live auction of the things that businesses had donated. We always had a blast.
If you go with the candles, please don't do it directly through Yankee Candle. My daughter brought one of those fundraisers home this year and it went right into the garbage. I'm not paying close to $30 for a candle that I can get at Hallmark for $22. When we did this at her old school, we partnered with a local business. The school got the candles at $1 or $2 above their cost, and we were able to sell them for LESS THAN the regular store prices. The business made a tiny profit on the candles and got to put a sticker on the bottom advertising their business. We made enough in the one fundraiser to not have to do any other fundraisers that year. Seriously, we were shocked at the number of candles that we sold. But people were happy to be getting a bargain (even if it was only $2-4 per candle) and were willing to buy more because they knew the money was going to the school. And everyone loves Yankee Candles, so it was a great fundraiser. We only did the medium and large sized jars, but you could probably offer the whole line if you wanted to. It was easy for us to just do those, because we just printed up flyers listing the different scents available with the sizes and costs, and included order forms. No one seemed to mind that they weren't getting full-color catalogs.
The best fundraising I participated in was at Timber Drive Elem. They asked for $25 from each family. They asked for $25 with the promise to not ask for anymore money or fundraising for the year. They raised more money that way that year.
:iagree: Don't know why it's so difficult to participate with your kids' school. It really doesn't take much time or effort...unless you get conned into the school newsletter like me!!! :jester: I've always wondered why the school didn't do dinners or pancake breakfasts or things like that. Is it because everyone else does it, or because of costs or something? It seems like a cheap way to make money. I also love the auction idea, but think someone said it was a lot of work, that usually fell on one person because people wouldn't bring in enough for the baskets? I worked the auction and had fun (but I'm not good at begging people/businesses for things, just like helping set up, etc.)
We asked parents to bring in gently used items, like you would sell in a yard sale. We displayed them on tables with a sheet of paper (with Name/number/ and bid) taped in front of the item. Parents and teachers bid on them. The highest bidder got it. I was amazed at the number of items that came in. It does take some organizing, but not very much. You aren't pricing a thing, just putting it out there for bidding. I was amazed at the number of parents who asked local businesses to donate a free pass or meal to the auction.
Regarding your question about dinners at/using school cafeterias: Speaking from experience with WJHS - You can't 'cook' in the cafeteria without using/paying for the workers, (parents aren't allowed to cook/use the area) also you have to hire/pay for a custodian to clean etc, and it can be quite expensive, therefore it cuts into your profit. You might be able to bring in food (and keep it hot in crock pots/coolers/warmers) and sell it, so pancakes probably wouldn't be a good choice, but something like spaghetti possibly.
This is sort of unrelated - I remember when I was in 7th grade, my mom gave me these huge candy bars to give my teachers for Christmas. Well, I put them in my locker and forgot about them. When I came back after Christmas, there they were! I ate every last one of them throughout the whole month of January. I felt guilty, but not guilty enough to tell my mom!
