Host A Better Fundraiser - Make A Personalized Recipe Book

Some fundraising ideas are better than others, of course. Many require hard, laborious hours of work, like car washes and pancake feeds. Others force you to send your children to go door-to-door selling candy or popcorn. (Personally, I wouldn't let my children wander the city knocking on doors. I retired from law enforcement, and I've heard of too many horror stories about children going door-to-door. It's simply too dangerous.) Nobody really wants that overpriced stuff anyway. The only reason they buy it is to help out with the fundraiser.

What Is A Better Alternative?

The family cookbook is the answer. Seriously. Fundraising cookbooks have been around for literally generations. One cookbook publisher of which I know has been in business since 1947 and is now being run by the founder's son. If an industry has been around for that long you can be assured it is a viable fundraising idea.

What Is A Family Style Recipe Book?

Imagine owning a professional appearing cookbook that is filled with the best recipes from the finest cooks in your organization or community. The recipes are for the pies, the entrees, the desserts…all made "famous" by the people right in your area. Your group collects recipes from everyone around you and has a professional cookbook publisher put it together. Then people buy them. Done! Finished!

Well, There Is More To It Than That.

First you form a committee to handle logistics like who will be involved, and when it should be completed. The next step is to gather the recipes. Everyone in the organization surely has several recipes to add, and they can also ask their family members and friends for contributions, too. Contact other civic groups in the area and ask for help in creating a treasure trove of good recipes. Churches, schools, police departments, fire departments, and local businesses are all ripe for collecting recipes for your cookbook.

When enough have been gathered you can concentrate on the design of the fundraising cookbook. Here is where the quality of the cookbook publisher comes into play. Find an on-line publisher that has the tools and options that allow you to design it the way your committee wants. Avoid publishers that require you to select from a set of templates. One of the critical aspects of a successful cookbook fundraiser is to for the final product to have a unique look. You should be able to dictate what type of pictures and graphics to use, as well as the style of dividers, the paper stock, the overall organization of the book, and whether or not to add dedication pages.

The Last Few Steps.

A good cookbook publisher will also help you with marketing questions. They can give you guidelines on how many to order and provide tips on selling them. You can even sell advertising in the cookbooks. Many businesses are willing to pay to have their company information included in the publication because they know that unlike radio, TV or newspaper ads, the advertisements in the cookbook will be seen for years to come. The additional funds from advertising can make a big difference in how much you raise for your charity or cause.

Bottom Line.

Find a reputable cookbook publisher. It is critical to have an experienced company steer you through the process. They can answer your questions and help you make the right decisions. It is ideal if you are able to find a publisher that offers a guarantee. Yes, I said, "guarantee." A rare few cookbook publishers out there actually assure you of success. Why use a publisher that doesn't offer a guarantee? It is a great fundraising idea.

Get started on a successful fundraiser today. Time is wasting away!

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Andy Barber is a retired police/fire/EMS dispatcher. After a quarter of a century of "stomping the pedal," as he likes to call it, he took an early retirement and became a freelance writer. Currently he is working for Cookbook Publishers, a company that has been helping people and organizations raise money since 1947. When Andy isn't writing, he spends time on his eastern Kansas farm with his wife and the 2 younger of their 3 sons. Andy also has a love for Harley Davidson motorcycles. He regularly criss-crosses the USA on his bike to meet with friends and see this beautiful country. Cookbook Publishers has been helping people with fundraisers for years, so check them out and see what they can do for you.