cookbook fundraiser
 

does anyone know where I can get information about creating a cookbook fundraiser. We did this years ago in High School and did really well from what I remember. I just can't seem to find any information about it now.

Just finished cook book Fundraiser!
 

I just finished a cookbook fundraiser four our chaptera t OSU. The company I went through is called Fundcraft. Their web page is www.Fundcraft.com. Very easy to do, and cheap. We are buying our books for around $3 and selling them for $10! Check it out, I reccomend them very highly! Good Luck!:)

Our alum assoc is thinking about doing a fundraiser cookbook. Can anyone share their successes or failures with these projects? Any experiences with Fundcraft or any other publishers?


(I know this thread it REALLY old, but thought it better to revive than recreate...)

cookbook fundraisers are good in highschool where there are a lot of moms who want to buy them. honestly, they don't work that good in college...not a lot of gourmet cooking going on

I agree with you that most college students aren't doing any gourmet cooking.

This is for an alumnae association. Our members are those moms who do actual cooking - beyond Ramen noodles and Keystone beer. ;)

The most successful cookbooks have at least one "hook" other than someone seeing their name in print. Some I've seen include:

-Have a Celebrity section: ask every celebrity (local or otherwise) for a recipe. Chances are that you'll get a response from the celebrities' secretaries, but you will get at least a 50% response.

-Try with all of your might to get one celebrity to write the forward! If you're doing it for your Alumnae Association, ask someone who is a member of ADPi (in your case) who is well known - Jean Smart, Judy Woodruff, Nancy Grace, etc.

-One cookbook I have is called Three for the Pot. Everything in the cookbook takes only three items other than salt, pepper, water or another "staple", and is terribly handy for the working woman (and what woman doesn't work?). Anyone who's made tuna noodle casserole knows this type of cooking!

-Specialize on two or three different types of cooking. Maybe all desserts or candy; vegetarian or vegan recipes; diabetic delights; tailgating treats; ethnic foods; you get the idea. Find a niche in which you're comfortable and run with it.


Lastly, advertise, advertise, advertise!! See how many of the local stores will carry some your cookbooks, and maybe have a special drawing for those stores which do. If you know of another AA (ADPi or otherwise) doing a cookbook, issue a challenge. Creating a cookbook doesn't get too much notice, but having two or three different organizations challenge each other for bragging rights would be something to consider! That would get local PR in each city, plus the sorority (ies) magazines - with, of course, a place where others could order more copies!

If I remember properly, most companies with which you will deal usually go by a certain time frame, so the more cookbooks sold within the first couple months are going to be VERY important - consider pre-orders! That means every member, their families, very close friends, etc. Oh, and don't forget to give any live-in chapters a copy! ;)

Got this "how-to" in today's email. Yes, it's for family, but your Alumnae Association is family, isn't it? ;) Be sure to read both pages!

One idea if you do a cookbook fundraiser: have an online picture developing company make it. You can add photos of you and your sisters actually making the recipes, or photos of the finished product.

I'm sure you could get a good deal if you were placing a bulk order (sometimes all you have to do is call and ask). Here is an example from shutterfly that I remember thinking was cute in their holiday pamphlet that they sent us: http://www.shutterfly.com/shop/produ...x8_Recipe_Book

Our chapter just sold these cookbooks and did AWESOME!!

http://www.schoolmate.com/fundraisin.../quickEasy.asp


Was really easy! They sold themselves!! You make 50% profit.

I can see why! They're exactly the type that does sell itself. You can have those next to a cash register, and someone needs a little giftie might just pick it up without ever hearing about it!

I found another interesting one this weekend: It's called "Gifts In A Jar", and it's for making soups, muffins, and breads to be given as gifts. There's the ingredients on the one page, with the directions on the other side. Then, the next page is three smaller decorative versions of the recipe - so you can give the recipe with the Jar Gift. I've already made "Heirloom Brown Bread" and it's excellent!

I know a lot of people don't like those, but if the place and/or the giver is clean, I get a kick out of them.

spinning off honeychile here...

in grade school we used to make cookies in a jar. you put all the dry ingredients into a jar, wrap it up nicely, and have the recipe attached with what "wet" ingredients to add and cooking directions. if you do that, at least you can make the leftover jars...instead of having a bunch of cookbooks lying around that you can't sell...