These 3 Key Tips for Starting a Successful Cookie Dough Fundraiser will help you avoid common mistakes and set your campaign up for success. Cookie dough has become a go-to favorite for fundraising—and it’s easy to see why. Almost everyone loves cookies, they’re budget-friendly, fun to bake as a family, and make great gifts. With competitive retail pricing and healthy profit margins, cookie dough is also easy to store and ship. But even with all these advantages, understanding your audience, setting realistic expectations, and executing a solid plan are essential to maximizing results.

DIVISIBILITY

The majority of cookie dough fundraising orders need to be placed in full cases.  This implies that before placing your order, you might need to round off flavours and formats (tub / pre-portion). When supporters pick up their orders, these extra flavours might be sold for the full price or a discounted price.  If you are a small group or organising this campaign alone, this point is critical to the campaign’s success.  In that situation, focusing your campaign on the most well-liked and frequently purchased flavours and lowering the number of formats and flavour options are two ways a company like Gogo-Fund could assist you. It’s extremely important to not be worried to do this, even if you will be giving supporters less options. 

First, supporters won’t be aware of the choices that were left out of your campaign. They will also be able to choose from the most well-liked selections.

Finally, because there won’t be as much rounding off at the end of your campaign, which could result in a loss of revenues, this will raise your overall profits.

MINIMUMS

Note that the vast majority of fundraising companies have a minimum order amount.  This might not be a problem if you have experience and are a big group with many volunteers. This point applies if your group is small with few volunteers.  Avoid finding yourself in a situation where, after your campaign is over, you have to pay for many remaining amounts of cookie dough to place your order and ensure that your paying supporters get their cookie dough.

There are too many options for fundraising products to make this error.  For instance, you may host a fundraiser for Katydids candies with a single case need and a single flavour to offer.

PROFIT CHARTS

Unlike many other fundraising products, cookie dough usually has a sliding profit chart whereby the cost per cookie dough tub (or proportionate dough) decreases as sales increase and a larger percentage of each sale goes towards your profit. Once more, if your group is smaller, be cautious because you can easily make less than 40% in profit and have to pay possible surcharges or shipping costs.

A cookie dough fundraiser for schools—or for larger groups—typically performs well and yields strong profits for all the reasons mentioned above. But that doesn’t mean smaller organizations or solo coordinators should shy away from this option. In fact, cookie dough should be a staple in most nonprofit fundraising schedules. The key is understanding how it works so that your expectations align with your results. By following these 3 Key Tips for Starting a Successful Cookie Dough Fundraiser, even smaller teams can run a smooth, profitable campaign with confidence.