Even though cookie dough fundraising is one of the most common ways for schools, sports and church groups to raise money there are some things you should know whether you’ve done one before or are completely knew to fundraising.

For the most part there is no cost to start a cookie dough fundraiser. Some people call these brochure fundraisers or pre sell. Most programs, though, provide free brochures and order forms and you use those to pre sell cookies to friends and family.

You sell by showing the brochures and taking orders and you collect your money when someone places their order with you. You should request 1 brochure for each person selling. On the back of the brochure is an order form and you write down the name of the person buying cookie dough along with the flavors they purchased and how many boxes and tubs on each. At the end of the sale they tally together their order form and turn it in to the group. Then the coordinator combines all the orders into one large bulk order.

There are 4 main types of cookie dough to choose from. Although you’ll find variations for the most part the 4 groups covers most of the options.

1. Frozen Tubs of Cookie Dough: This is the most common product within cookie dough fundraising. The customer purchases a tub of a single flavor. When they want to bake the cookies they scoop some of the dough onto a baking sheet and place it in the oven returning the tub to the freezer to be used in the future. There are different sizes of tubs ranging from under 2 pounds to more than 3 pounds. Selling prices vary as well. The range currently is between $10 to $16 per tub depending on the size and the brand. Some programs include up to 15 different flavors but typically 6 flavors make up more than 90% of sales.

2. Boxed of Preportioned Cookies: This product is also frozen. Instead of coming in tubs where you need to scoop out dough, the product comes in cookie sized pieces that you simply take from the box and place in the oven. Years ago one of the smarter manufacturers realized that people didn’t like having to dig their scoops into the tubs. They also realized that the cookies were more appealing if you they were uniform in size. With preportioned cookies you know the exact number of cookies that come in the box.

3. Cookie Mix: This is the best option for some wanting to sell cookies but not wanting to handle a frozen product. Groups selling frozen products are under pressure to get the product delivered in a relatively short time span. Cookie mixes don’t require refrigeration. Lots of people love that. The downside is that you need to add eggs and milk to the mix. But like frozen cookie dough you sell the mixes from a brochure and order only after your sale is done.

4. Home Delivery Cookie Dough: This is the newest entry into the cookie dough market. Now instead of pre selling tubs or boxes and then placing a bulk order that needs to be delivered you can sell an “E Coupon” that your customer redeems online to have their cookie dough shipped directly to their home or office. The tubs for this program are a little more expensive to cover freight costs but lots of groups love the concept and the elimination of delivery day.

Profit margins vary from program to program. Groups can make 50% profit or more but profits are based on volume so the more you sell the lower your price and the higher your profits.

Cookie dough is a great item for medium to larger groups. Smaller groups should probably opt for mix or home delivery where quantity ordered has less of an impact.

Shipping is usually free. But double check before booking your fundraiser. Since the cost of shipping frozen products is so expensive most programs have firm minimums you must meet.

Finally don’t be afraid to ask any and all questions you might have before you start your fundraiser.

Not finding the right cookie dough fundraiser for your group? Click here for more cookie dough options.

We’ve meant to discuss the effectiveness of cookie dough fundraisers for a long time and now that the fundraising season is ending for schools and sports organizations we felt like this was as good a time as any.

Cookie Dough fundraising has been around a long time. Historically larger groups chose this option because of the minimum order requirements and difficulties handling a frozen product. But as time progressed programs were designed that allowed smaller groups to chose this option as well. Companies started lowering minimum orders and they started marketing the fundraiser to smaller groups.

So should your group consider it as a viable fundraising option?

We believe it is still a viable product in spite of rising prices. Historically fundraising cookie dough was not a bad deal. Customers would purchase a tub that would make 60 or 70 cookies and pay $10 or $12 for a tub. So that came out to half a dollar a cookie. That was cheap compared to prices for cookies offered at malls and other outlets. Of course it was more expensive that making the cookie dough from scratch. But fewer and fewer people wanted to make dough from scratch so the convenience of buying ready to bake dough in tubs or boxes further drove sales.

Over the years cookie dough companies tried to spruce up their programs by adding new and sometimes funky new flavors that never really amount to much in sales. But it was like merchandising in retail. You knew your bread and butter items would sell more but you offered some outlandish items that would attract attention but might not sell.

So now groups can choose from programs that offer just the best selling half dozen flavors and others that include 15 or more kinds of cookies. You can also find programs that include other dessert items hoping to satisfy a broader base of customers.

We believe when it comes to cookie dough fundraisers simpler and cheaper are the ways to go. The programs that offer the top 6 selling flavors offer enough to satisfy anyone willing to buy a tub or two. And we suggest you look for the least expensive tubs. Right now there are companies still offering tubs for $10.

The other option is to offer a nationally known brand like Spunkmeyer for example but their cookie dough sells for a premium which might turn off some potential customers.

If you are considering a cookie dough fundraiser check out these companies:

Easy Fundraising

Fast Track Fundraising

Spunkmeyer

All 3 companies offer superior products and there is no cost to hold a fundraiser with any of them.

CLICK HERE for details on the top cookie dough fundraisers.

Are people really tired of cookie dough fundraisers?

I ran across an article in Our Colorado News that highlights one group that says it is. Cookie dough fundraising sales, though, suggest that is not true. First let’s explore the Colorado group in the article.

“With supplemental funds so essential to helping preps sports programs perform at a highly competitive level, high school athletics departments and their booster clubs are forced to come up with their own style of “Moneyball.” In the Douglas County School District and at Littleton Public Schools, a student athlete’s cost for participating in sports ranges between $135-$150.”

That’s true every where. Sports and other extracurricular activities are costing more at a time when school budgets simply can not handle those increase. Thus the increased need for sports fundraising and school fundraising campaigns.

“Generating consistent supplemental funds from a community can be just as competitive as the teams they go toward. Creativity tends to be the key. “We have very creative parent groups (at Heritage) that find creative ways to raise money,” Shelton said. “So many people are sick and tired of cookie dough and butter braids that they would just rather write a check. We push them to get creative.” Some of the ideas booster clubs in the area have come up with include car washes at local businesses, fresh fruit sales and selling ads in the athletic programs. Heritage has been known to raffle off choice parking spaces and run tournaments of dodgeball, volleyball and basketball, as well as organize “Skate with the Eagles” events.”

This is a very fortunate school and school district because it appears they have very involved parents and administrators who are willing to do lots of different fundraisers to raise their money. It reminds me of a local band booster club that seems to have weekly fundraisers. Both, at first glance, seem to be successful. But that might not be true.

People might not be tired of cookie dough fundraisers. Instead they might be sick of weekly fundraisers and being bombarded with weekly fundraising ideas that are sent home. History shows us that each of these fundraisers raises less money and the money is often just donated by the parents who are sick and tired of constantly fundraising.

We still see groups raising tens of thousands of dollars with their cookie dough fundraisers. They are the ones that promote their fundraiser. They manage it well. They promote the benefits of participation. They set goals.

Our suggestion is not to give up on cookie dough fundraising – or any other fundraiser for that matter. It is to do the things necessary to make sure each fundraiser you run reaches it potential through extraordinary implementation.

CLICK HERE for details on the cookie dough fundraisers we recommend.

The best Cookie Dough Fundraisers are usually held during the fall or spring when most fundraising groups are out selling their products. Customers seem to expect the bombarded with fundraisers so its no surprise that the best cookie dough fundraisers coincide with this peak selling season.

But what makes some fundraisers so successful while others fall short? Here are a few thoughts:

1. Successful cookie dough fundraising campaigns are promoted much more actively than others. These groups take advantage of any opportunity to advertise their upcoming sales. Some of the most agressive combine cookie tasting events with cookie dough sales. They figure out where their largest potential customer base gathers and set up tables where customers can nibble on their favorites and place their orders right there.

2. Successful groups set reasonable goals. What is a reasonable goal? That depends on how much money the group needs to make but most groups fail because they set no expectation on their sellers. If there is no goal does a seller feel they succeeded if that sell one tub? We suggest you set a goal of at least 10 tubs sold per person. People can easily sell that much cookie dough if they really try. You don’t want to set the goal so high that it is unattainable yet you don’t want to set it so low that it takes no effort to meet.

3. Successful groups usually raise money for a purpose that people can rally around. For example parents of elementary school kids would probably rally around a fundraiser that will update their kid’s playground more than they will rally around a fundraiser that goes to an unpurposed fund to be used for incidentals. If people directly benefit from the effort they will work harder to make sure its successful.

4. Watch price points. The lower the price the more likely people are to purchase your cookie dough.

So consider these points before you start your next cookie dough fundraiser and you results should skyrocket.

CLICK HERE for details on the top cookie dough fundraisers.