School Fundraising Idea: Ice Cream Shop
Summary: Ice cream is a good fundraiser, if you know how to properly plan an event. These tips will help you put on an exciting ice cream shop to raise funds for a school or church.
Now that the warm weather is approaching, it’s a good time to start fundraising for the coming year. Ice cream can be a great method to bring in extra cash for your class. There are a variety of ways to offer ice cream as a promotion, and build a compelling promotion that gets your community involved. Here are some ideas on how to use ice cream as a fundraiser.
Ice Cream Booth
Running an ice cream booth requires some planning and a good venue. This is a great idea for youth or church groups with access to a hall. Look for a local play at an area theater, then talk with the production team to see if you can sell during intermission. Set up four or five small tables outside the venue, and pick up some ice cream shop supplies so you have cups and spoons. Lids are handy too, so you can sell to people after the show and let them take their dessert home.
There are two ways to charge for the ice cream you sell. You can sell it for a few dollars per scoop, or you can charge a flat fee for entry to your area, and offer free scoops with entry.
Freeze Off
Similar to the ice cream booth, the freeze off gamifies those ideas and turns buying ice cream into a competition. Each scoop should come with a certain number of tickets, and participants use their tickets like a vote. Set buckets out before each flavor you offer, then ask your customers to vote for their favorite flavors. At the end of the event, you announce the different winners and choose tickets from the buckets. Call out the numbers and award the ticket holders with a small donated prize.
Make sure you solicit a donation ahead of time, and offer plenty of ice cream spoons so customers can taste as much as they want to make a decision.
Final Thoughts
Fundraising can turn into a fun event, if you take the time ahead to plan for supplies. If possible, get parents and friends to RSVP ahead of time so you can get a count of ice cream cups and supplies you might need for the event. Be creative and try to incorporate fun ideas, and see if you can get your supplies donated to you from the school or some other organization. You’d be surprised at what you can get if you just ask.