Food Related Fundraising Ideas

It's no secret that people love food. From traditional roasts and pies to lavish ethnic meals inspired by the many food programmes on TV, taking an interest in food is no longer restricted to food critics and chefs.

Fundraising with food can be a lot of fun, and quite profitable for your charitable cause too. As a society, we're already accustomed to attending events like dinner parties; turning these into fundraising endeavours is an easy transition to make.

These fundraising ideas - both traditional and eclectic - will help get you started raising money for your cause:

Traditional Food Fundraising Ideas

Food related fundraisers work great in the community - they are fun, entertaining and very filling! Here are some traditional food fundraising ideas:

• Cake sale - Sell homemade biscuits, cakes and pies at markets and shopping fairs. You can even sell items as part of another fundraising event, such as a coffee morning or work party.
• Dinner party - You can hold a dinner party anywhere: invite a few friends to your home, or rent out a hall and make it a community event. Combine your dinner party with other fundraising activities like a raffle or silent auction for even more fundraising success.
• Wine tasting - Work with a local supermarket or vineyard to hold a fundraising wine tasting. They will be glad for the business your wine tasting brings in and you can charge admission for the event, payable to your fundraising cause.

Traditional fundraising events that involve food can be put together by just a small group of food-loving people. Your event can be large or small, themed or pot luck - the choice is up to you. Often times the biggest challenge is knowing who to invite!

Coffee Morning Fundraising

Most people are familiar with coffee mornings, and for good reason - this is an excellent, low cost way to raise money for a cause.

Coffee mornings are easy to organise and can be held nearly anywhere, including your home or workplace. To get started, invite friends and neighbours to your event. They'll each make a small donation in return for coffee, biscuits and cakes. It's convenient, easy and fun, people are willing to attend these events often. You can even make it a weekly event in your community or workplace.

Food Fundraising Fun And Games

Just because you want to have a food related fundraiser doesn't mean it has to be a traditional cake sale or party. There are lots of interactive food activities you can do to raise money. Beneficially, these also tend to be very popular with friends, family and onlookers too!

• Sponsored baked bean bath or baked bean boots - Britain's love for baked beans extends into fundraising. Ask for donations from your friends and co-workers for a baked bean inspired fundraising activity. Donors pay a set price for every minute you sit in a baked bean bath or walk around in baked bean boots.
• Pie eating contest - Round up a group of friends or co-workers and charge an entry fee to a pie eating contest. You can reward prizes for the fastest eater or the person who eats the most pies in a timed contest.
• Food fight - This one is easy to do and a hit with co-workers (especially if you're a manager)! Bring some messy foods into work one day - tomatoes, mashed potato, pies and ice cream work great. Then, stand against a wall and charge each person to throw an item at you. You can collect bonus funds for a pie in the face or having milk or cream dumped over your head.

Most of these food activities can be accomplished in group settings like the workplace or in a public area. If you do decide to carry out some of the messier activities, make sure you get your boss's approval first and bring supplies to clean up after the event is over!

Fundraising With Food

You don't have to be a celebrity chef to put together a fantastic food related fundraiser. People love to cook almost as much as they love to eat; even if you're a horrible chef, ask some of your friends and family to apply their cookery skills to your fundraising cause.

Whatever fundraising event you decide to do, combining it with food is a recipe for fundraising success.

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