Candy Bar Fundraising: Easy Tips for Schools to Raise Money
Ready to raise more for your school with an easy (and sweet) way to fundraise? This guide will teach you how to set up a successful candy bar fundraiser in seven steps.
Kristine Ensor
Ready to raise more for your school with an easy (and sweet) way to fundraise? This guide will teach you how to set up a successful candy bar fundraiser in seven steps.
Candy sales reached an all-time high in 2023, bringing in a whopping $49 billion. What if there was a way for your school or PTA to get a piece of those sales to fund important projects or activities?
Introducing the sweetest way to fundraise: candy bar fundraisers.
This popular fundraiser is exactly how it sounds: school groups and students sell candy bars to raise funds for a specific cause. Typically, schools partner with candy companies to set up a profit-sharing partnership and make distribution easy. Your students and parents sell candy bars to neighbors, friends, and the community at large and receive a share of the proceeds to fund your project or program.
For example, elementary schools can use these funds to pay for new playground equipment, while middle schools and high schools can fund other activities like school dances or field trips. Whatever you need to fundraise for, this is an easy-to-organize fundraiser with a sweet treat that anyone can get behind.
After getting permission from your school, your PTA can put this fundraiser together in only a few short steps.
Fundraising success starts with a financial goal. What are you interested in funding, and how much money do you need to make that happen? Share your fundraising goal with both your fundraisers and the general public so everyone understands why this fundraiser is important.
Next on your list is a timeline. When will you start your campaign? And when will all funds be due? When will everyone receive their candy bars? Typically, a good timeline is around four weeks so your students and parents have time to sell and collect payment.
While schools can purchase and sell candy bars on their own, companies like World’s Finest Chocolate, Candy Fundraisers, and School Fundraising all offer profit-sharing programs to make this fundraising campaign easier. You can even partner with well-known brands like See’s Candies to get people excited about their candy bar purchases.
To make things even easier, look for a company that handles distributing the candy bars for you, so all you have to do is submit your orders and collect the funds.
The cost of your fundraiser’s candy bars depends on your financial goal and the expense of the candy bar. Whichever candy company you partner with may have a set price for each item already, so be sure to do your due diligence and calculate how much candy you’ll need to sell to meet your goal.
Candy bar fundraisers are a great opportunity for your PTA to get more parents involved! Put out the call and make it as easy as possible for more people to get involved.
Peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns are a great way for your fundraisers to get the word out. They can easily create their own fundraising pages to share with friends and family. Any funds they collect will flow directly to your school’s account. Learn more about peer-to-peer fundraising and check out this example of a campaign that has raised over $25,000.
Launch Your Peer-to-Peer Campaign
Start promoting your candy bar fundraiser a few weeks before the start to get your fundraisers involved. Once your team is formed and your online and paper sales forms are finalized, promote the event with flyers around the school and hand them out during parent-teacher conferences, plays, concerts, sports activities, and more. Use your school’s online presence to share the fundraiser via email, on your website, and on social media.
Your students and parents can also promote your fundraiser with their networks to ensure you have many interested – and hungry! – donors.
Congratulations! You just ran your candy bar fundraiser. Now it’s time to:
It’s also time to thank everyone who participated. You couldn’t do it without their help!
Now you know how to host a delicious candy bar fundraiser – but you may not know all the ways to make it as successful as possible. Here are five ideas to ensure your fundraiser is a success.
Everyone loves a little friendly competition! The best way to get students and parents involved in your candy bar fundraiser is to create a contest with an enticing prize. Your contest can be between individual fundraisers or between classes of students, with prizes like a class pizza party or extra recess time. Whoever sells the most candy bars gets the prize – and bragging rights!
Track your sales and showcase your goal in a way that draws attention. Post a goal meter online and at the school to show how close you are to your goal. This will create urgency amongst your fundraisers and encourage donors to step up and make their purchases.
The trick to this type of fundraiser is catching those impulse purchases. Selling candy bars outside a store or at your next football game is a great way to boost funds – but you need an easy way to collect payments in an increasingly cashless world.
Use tools like Donorbox’s Live™ Kiosk app that help your fundraisers collect payments with cards, smartphones, and smartwatches. Learn more in this short video:
Discounts and bundles are a great way to sell more. People love to feel like they’re getting a deal! Consider going with a bogo (buy one, get one) approach at your next sporting event, or create bundles for families with multiple children.
Finally, you must ensure all students stay safe during your candy bar fundraiser. Allergies are a serious issue for many. Make sure your candy bar wrappers provide detailed ingredient information. Also, make sure your students have adequate supervision when selling to the public.
This fundraiser should be a fun and easy way to raise more for your school – and with a little careful planning, you can make it work for you!
What’s easy, sweet, and powerful? Candy bar fundraisers! Schools love this simple way to raise funds for important projects. Kids love the opportunity to practice their entrepreneurial skills through selling candy bars. And your community will love the sweet treats. It’s a win all around!
Consider taking your campaign to the next level by sharing your students’ success stories. Use this opportunity to showcase how your school is making a difference in children’s lives and the community at large. A compelling story might be the difference between selling five candy bars and selling twenty!
For more fundraising tips, visit our Nonprofit Blog. Are candy bars not your thing? Here is a list of nineteen products you can sell instead!
Kristine Ensor is a freelance writer with over a decade of experience working with local and international nonprofits. As a nonprofit professional she has specialized in fundraising, marketing, event planning, volunteer management, and board development.
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