Top tips for running a cake stall

Last weekend I decided to run a cake stall to raise money for the Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia (Australia) charity. Its such an amazing cause and, despite pouring rain and with lots of help, the cake stall was a roaring success.

Here are my top tips and tricks for making your cakes stall as hassle-free and lucrative as possible...

1. People like old-fashioned cakes like lemon drizzle and orange cake - the kind of thing your Grandma might have for morning tea at home.
2. People like big cakes.
3. Learn to make glace icing. It looks delicious, goes hard and won't stick to the bags.
4. Have some things that lend themselves to freezing, like banana bread. People want to support you and are often happy to buy a more cakes if they can freeze one. 
5. Matching white plates, cellophane bags (available on ebay) and ribbon make your stall look great, as do table clothes.
6. Making one or two slices and cutting them up makes LOTS of plates to sell.
7. Price up - people will pay more than you think but do be conscious of your area's demographic.
8. Try to make all cakes a round dollar amount. It makes it easier to give change.
9. Sell cupcakes individually but offer to package them if people want to buy a few. 
10. Have spare plates and bags.
11. Have napkins on hand for individual cupcake sales.
12. You need access to a gazebo. Believe me on this! 
13. Be friendly and excited about whatever you are raising money for.
14. Tell your friends what you are doing - they might offer to help makes cakes, or they might be your first customer.

Have you run fundraising cake stalls? What are your top tips?

Eight percent of people do everything: A tale of preschool fundraising

I'm on the parent committee at my son's preschool. I'm a bit compulsive about 'joining in/helping out' and I figure that if I want my kids to go to a great preschool I need to be prepared to help raise money for the extras.

In the case of our not-for-profit preschool extras include new carpet (the current stuff is 30 years old but still servicable), cafe blinds around the veranda to make it useful on rainy days, and having duck eggs hatch into ducklings at the preschool.

The total cost will be about $10,000, which is a LOT of fundraising.

None of them are essential but all of them go towards making the preschool as good as it can be for our kids.

Which is why I am so suprised that some parents are so incredibly anti-fundraising.

I don't expect that everyone will be on the committee, and the activities aren't compulsory so if you are especially busy or a bit cash strapped that's fine, but you would think that people might be able to bother selling a few raffle tickets, or take the box of fundraising chocolates home and buy a couple themselves before returning the box, or spend an hour and a half helping at a Bunnings sausage sizzle.

Afterall, it's for our kids.

So I am endlessly astonished by the families that refuse to help. And yes, it is always the same families.

Why can't they just make a little bit of effort to help their children's preschool?

You don't have to be a leader or get really involved but a little bit of participation would be good!

The best and worst thing about the situation is that all the kids benefit, even though if their parents don't help.

That's good because it isn't the kids fault that their parents can't be bothered. They are all lovely kids and deserve the best experience possible.
 And it's bad because it would be very satisfying to tell a parent (who has just told you there is no way they would sell fundraising chocolates and resent being asked) that their child won't be able to watch a duckling hatch. And yes, I do know that is mean spirited but you wouldn't believe how rude some parents can be!

Mmm, perhaps this post should be called eight percent of people do everything and two percent do absolutely bloody nothing. And everyone in the middle helps a bit (which is all anyone needs to do, and completely fine!!!).

Are you a join-er-in-a-ra when it comes to your kid's activities??