A food fundraiser is an organization that helps non-profits and other organizations raise funds through selling food items. Food fund raising organizations can provide fund raising expertise, support and the physical food items to help raise the required funds the organizations need. These fundraisers can help schools, clubs, associations, non-profits and even individuals providing a service to the community. Most food fundraisers will provide an assortment of food items and a variety of fund raising programs and initiatives to help organizations get their message out, solicit funds and track the results. They will usually provide all relevant materials to get the event underway and handle the disbursement of food items once the fundraiser is complete.
To start, most food fundraisers will discuss with organizations their needs and plans. Organizations will usually approach a food fundraiser with a good idea of how much it needs to raise in funds, who will be targeted to provide funds, and who will be carrying out the fund raising activities. Then, food fundraisers will use that information to recommend the best food items for the fund raiser, while proposing any specific programs they have available that are tailored to the market the organization intends on soliciting.
For example, a school might want to raise funds for one of its clubs. School policy, however, might not allow certain items, such as candies or cookies, to be sold on the premise. Therefore, the school may need to use healthy fund raising items that are still popular with the intended audience. Based on the information provided, the food fundraiser will advise which items are healthy and has brought the most profit for other organizations.
Additionally, many food fundraisers will also incorporate other fund raising items aside from food into various programs. Such items might include discount cards or loyalty cards that offer savings for repeat orders. Including these type of items, food fundraisers can help organizations raise funds even when it is not running an active campaign.
When an organization hires a food fundraiser, the fund raising company will often provide all required catalogs and order sheets. Usually, the organization can commence fund raising upon delivery of those required items. Representatives will then approach members of the target audience and solicit the food items, take orders and collect payment. Once the fund raising campaign is complete, the organization will tally up the orders sheets and send them to the food fundraiser, along with payment for processing. Upon receipt of payment and order forms, the food fundraiser will either ship the items directly to the end customers on behalf of the organization, or it will send the orders directly to the organization for distribution.