Q&A for How to Plan a Bake Sale

It depends on what day you choose to do the bake sale. If you are doing it during the weekday, you might want to hold it around lunchtime. If you are doing it on a weekend, then anytime between 10am and 6pm would be good. Never hold your bake sale after it gets dark, however.

You can ask your school administration if you can have it on school property or on the sidewalk outside. If your house is on a street with a lot of foot traffic, you can have the bake sale in front of it.

It is best to have it in a cool but sunny location, like the park or during a public event with cover. You could also try a local school fair, a front yard or a friend's place if they have a better location.

It really is up to you. If you are holding a bake sale for just one day, then this might not be a good idea, but if you are holding it for several days, then a target (or even multiple targets) would be a great idea.

You can have a bake sale for any reason at all, just don't be dishonest with your customers about where the money is going.

Not too many as you need to keep a tight rein over the people at the stall. Have as many helpers as you like baking the stall goodies but two to five should be sufficient for the stall, rotating around during the time the stall is open. Avoid accepting last minute help unless it's really needed, as too many unfamiliar hands on deck can confuse matters, not improve them. Keep one responsible person in charge of the takings, to be sure nothing goes missing.

In some places you need to get a permit, such as on town property or at a supermarket. Confirm with those around you before picking your location, and find out which locations require permits and which ones don't.

The article explains some ideas but in a nutshell, normally people sell cookies, muffins, small cakes, and different baked goods. If it's a themed bake sale, then you normally pick a region that you would like all the food to be from, or if it's a holiday, the decorations/colors/shapes or style of the food might be specific to that celebration.

Some places do require permits. Research the location you desire and go from there.

Just be honest. You don't have to say what exactly you want to buy, just that you're saving up for something you really want.

There are many ways that you can advertise for your bake sale. You could try making fliers, posters, or promoting it on Facebook and other social media platforms. You can also use word of mouth to tell your colleagues, and have them spread the information about the bake sale.

If you have a bakery nearby, look at their prices and compare. You would want to aim for lower than store prices, but not by much. You could get a more exact answer by calculating the cost of all of the materials, dividing that number by the number of baked goods you made, and adding in some additional costs for labor. For example, if the price of your goods comes out to $1 per muffin, you could charge $1.50.

If you're a teenager, offer to babysit. If you are 9-12 years old, try helping others with chores and charge them a few dollars. See How to Make Money (for Kids) for some more ideas.

It really depends on where you're selling and roughly how much traffic you anticipate. Unless you're baking some sort of specialty item (for example, different flavors of decadent brownies), having a variety of at least 4-5 items is probably a good idea.

If you do not have a charity, you will most likely still have customers, just not as much because they won't see what it is for.

You could have it over the span of a few weekends. Create a flyer that advertises all the days of the sale, and make sure that people know they are all for the same cause.

It's up to you really. Sometimes offering samples entices people to buy, sometimes not. If you have leftover, unwrapped goodies from baking, it certainly couldn't hurt.

You may donate the baked goods to a food bank in your area.

It depends on where your bake sale is going to be held, how many people you expect to serve or how much money you want to make.

You can hold a yard sale or a car wash, or you could sell something else (handmade Christmas ornaments, for example). You can also put a tips jar at your bake sale to get more money.

Just ask! Come up with a plan first so you can explain how you will make your bake sale a success.

This depends. If it is in front of the complex, and you are still on the property, you might need to ask the owner. You can also ask that authority if you need a permit, but that is not very common.

Yes, if it is in your garden/drive.

You don't have to, but they'll probably ask, so you should have something to tell them. Don't lie about why you're raising money, as this could get you in a lot of trouble.

Make sure you tell the customers exactly what you're raising money for. You could sell somewhere like a park, a local farmer's market, or even your own driveway. Just make sure you have a permit if you need one.

You can just make a few treats and sell them to family members. If you want friends or other people to come, advertise with flyers and/or on social media.

It depends on where you live, but in most places you'd be fine. It's unlikely any of your neighbors will call and report you regardless. But if you're a kid, make sure to get your parents' permission before you go around knocking on strangers' doors.

A couple of days before, or the night before. Long enough to have them cool, but not as long to turn them stale.

Sure! You can maybe even add a stuffed animal theme to your bake sale. For example, call cupcakes "the Teddy Bear Cupcake" if the flavor is chocolate. That would be really cute!

You don't have to, but it is really helpful and feels good to donate to people/animals in need.