SHARE OUR STRENGTH'S GREATEAMERICAN BAKESALE NO KID HUNGRY

“You do not need to ask which child
is hungry, because you can see it in their eyes and their actions.”
—Lisa, a teacher in Pennsylvania

Almost 1 in 4 children struggle
with hunger in America. That’s
more than 17 million.
—U.S. Department of Agriculture

Bake Sale Steps to Success

Photos taken by Jaime Windon, Blonde Photo

1. Once you have registered with the Share Our Strength's Great American Bake Sale, you are ready to start planning your bake sale! With Step One completed, follow the rest of the steps to success, and planning your bake sale will hardly seem like work. Remember to have FUN!

2. Build Your Team

Recruit volunteers for your bake sale and assign each of them a role (such as purchasing supplies, baking, asking for donations, looking for a location, setting up, and cleaning up).
Get your kids involved! Find kid-friendly recipes; involve them in planning, baking, and setting up.
Keep your team members engaged by sending regular email updates about the planning process.

3. Shoppers Wanted

The key to reaching your bake sale fundraising goal is lots of customers. So pick a location that will get you noticed.
When deciding on your location, think of all the places you visit every week. One of those destinations could be a great bake sale location.
Ask your team members. They might know of the perfect location.
Here are some possible locations to get you thinking: grocery store, mall, drug store, and community center. Check out a list of suggested locations in the Bake Sale 101 section of the Share Our Strength website.

Helpful Hint: When approaching local businesses, tell them how you will be promoting your bake sale. Be sure to let them know that your bake sale will be bringing potential customers to their store.

4. Get The Word Out

Send an email to your friends and family about your bake sale. Email templates are available in your online Participant Center, which you can access by logging in through GreatAmericanBakeSale.org.
Promote your bake sale on social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and Foodbuzz.
Make posters, flyers and banners to display and hang throughout your community.
Get your local TV or radio stations to promote your bake sale. Send them the Media Alert template and Radio PSA.
Add your bake sale to the Bake Sale Map on the Share Our Strength website so that people in your area can support your efforts.

5. Get Your Ovens Ready

Ask your local bakeries and supermarkets to donate baked goods for your bake sale. Take a look at the donation request letter located in the Bake Sale 101 section of the Share Our Strength website.
Think about which items you can make in advance and freeze or store safely.
Dress up your baked goods by adding garnishes and toppings.
Have a wide variety of items. Include cultural and neighborhood specialties as well as healthy options.
Think beyond baked goods. Why not offer lemonade, hot chocolate, jams, jellies, apple butter or sugar scrubs; these items are big money makers.
Bake, bake, bake!

6. Tasty Treats Come In Pretty Packages

Use decorative paper and plastics, ribbon and stickers to package your goods in a fun and tempting way. Check out the Great American Bake Sale labels and stickers available in the The Neighborhood section of the Share our Strength website.
Label all your items neatly and include a fun title or description like “Debbie’s Famous Carrot Cake.”
Try to include a list of ingredients on the packaging so people with allergies are aware of what’s in each item.
Have a variety of options from individually wrapped items like cookies, brownies, and cupcakes to whole pies, cakes and artisan breads.

7. How Much Are These Cookies?

When pricing items, think about how much a cookie or brownie bar is sold for at your local coffee shop and price your items accordingly.
Remind your costumers that by purchasing a tasty treat they are helping to end childhood hunger.
Try to keep items priced at $1, $2, $5 or more instead of pricing items at $1.50. This way you will not need to have as much change on hand.

Helpful Hint: Ask your customers if they would like change. Often customers will tell you to keep the change. Now, you’ve just increased your bake sale donations!

8. Ready, Set, Sell

Give yourself plenty of time to set out all your baked goods and decorate your table with tablecloths, decorative platters and baskets to show off the treats.
Make sure there is plenty of space for people to see all the items and prices.
Put up your official Great American Bake Sale poster and have information on Share Our Strength available so shoppers can learn more about how their donation is helping end childhood hunger in America.

9. Up the Anti – there are lots of different ways to raise even more funds

Add a raffle to your bake sale. Ask local retailers to donate merchandise or gift certificates.
This is a fun and easy way to increase donations. Most of your customers will purchase tickets;
everyone wants the winning ticket!
Have a cake auction. Cake auctions are becoming increasingly popular. Ask local bakeries to donate a specialty cake, set up a table for your auction and let the bidding begin.
Make sure to have a donation jar at your table. You’ll be pleasantly surprised to see how many people purchase items and then give an additional donation.
Once you have successfully completed your event, take your bake sale to the internet. Send out an email to all your friends, family members and co-workers who could not attend and ask them to support your efforts by making a donation online to your Bakeless Bake Sale.

10. Smile for the Camera – Take Photos!

A picture preserves a memory and tells a story. So be sure to take lots of pictures at your bake sale.
Share your bake sale success.

11. Submit Your Bake Sale Funds

Submit your bake sale funds online through your team page or send a check to:
Share Our Strength – Great American Bake Sale (GABS),
P.O. Box 75203, Baltimore, MD, 21275-5203.
Make checks payable to Share Our Strength.
Be sure to include a note with your name on it so we can add the funds to your bake sale account

12. Thank You…

Be sure to thank everyone who contributed to your sale by donating baked goods, their time or other resources.
Send an email to all your donors announcing your bake sale total. Include pictures and fun stories from your bake sale. Your donors will enjoying hearing all about the event and your success!
Take a moment to congratulate yourself on a job well done. You have made a difference by helping to ensure that no kid grows up hungry.

Helpful Hint: Sending thank you notes or thank you emails will help you foster good relationships with your supporters. It will also help you approach those supporters for next year’s bake sale. They will remember how much you appreciated their support!

Don’t forget that the Great American Bake Sale team is there to help you as well.
In addition to the resources in the Neighborhood section or you can contact them via phone (800-761-4227) or email (bakesale@strength.org) with any questions. For more great tips, be sure to visit www.GreatAmericanBakeSale.org.

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Thank You!

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