Bake sales are one of the most fun ways to raise money. Whether you are selling sweets and treats to save for a vacation or are donating the funds to your favorite charity, a bake sale is a classic solution. Everyone loves to sneak fresh, homemade goodies! Keep reading for some tips on how to have a bake sale that is a huge success.

1. Choose an Amazing Location

If you are organizing your own bake sale or if your organization is flexible, choose a location that is sure to rake in the cash. A place with heavy foot traffic is the obvious choice, so look into partnering with a local business. Setting up shop outside a bookstore, kitchen shop, or boutique that shares your values. You will get a flood of customers on their way into the store but your bake sale may attract visitors to the shop, too! A weekend afternoon or the evening when the shop is hosting an event are both times that are sure to help you make lots of “dough.”

2. Use Pretty Packaging

Spending a little extra money on higher-quality packaging can make all the difference in the amount you sell. Even if it is the best cookie in the world, if it is packaged in a Ziploc bag, people may pass you over. Try to make your goodies look as professional as possible to entice passers-by. Sturdier packaging is also more sanitary and will protect your baked goods from crumbling even after being handled by multiple people.

3. Set Simple Price Points

Rather than having a million differently-priced items for you and your customers to keep track of, keep it to three or four price points. Tell your bakers ahead of time what the prices will be (for example, $1, $3, $5, and $7) and they can package their treats accordingly. Then on the day of the sale, organize baked goods by price onto separate tables with large, easy-to-read signs. Sales will be quick and easy and customers won’t have to search or ask for prices.

4. Go Big and Small

Aside from the usual bake sale fare of brownies, cookies, and cupcakes, add bigger and smaller items to attract a wider range of customers. Beautifully-decorated cakes and full-sized pies can catch customer’s eyes from afar. You never know who is on their way to a bakery but sees your table first! Plus, bigger items equal more money for you. At the same time, smaller, inexpensive items like popcorn cones, truffles, and cake pops can be big money makers, too. At the right price point, they have the same effect as impulse items at the grocery store checkout; people will add them on to a larger sale or grab them as a small treat even if they hadn’t originally planned to stop at your table.

5. Have a Donation Jar

This is a great alternate solution for people who want to help you out but are on a diet. They can give to your cause without wasting a product they didn’t want anyway. You can also price your items so that you need to make change often, which usually leads to people donating that change back to you. You will be surprised at people’s generosity, especially if you take the time to chat with them about your cause.

6. Download the TallySheet App

TallySheet is a convenient way to track multiple sellers for one fundraiser. First, set up your event homepage. Then, invite the other sellers at your bake sale to connect to your event page with a code. Just be sure everyone has TallySheet downloaded before the big day! You can even enter the amount of money in your cash box in the “Starter Cash” tab so you can make change. Whenever you make a sale, press “Checkout,” the name of the seller, and then enter the total. The app then tallies each person’s total throughout the day. Real-time sales reports will save you tons of time calculating totals at the end of the day.

Download TallySheet for Apple products. Download TallySheet for Android products.