Support Us > Fundraising Events > The BIG Plant and Bake Sale – Fundraising Pack and Resources
Download fundraising pack resources for The BIG Plant and Bake Sale 2022.
How to take part:
Your fundraising pack will be sent to you in two parts:
If you want a chat about your event, our fundraisers are always happy to help. Contact Christine on christine.gillott@careforveterans.org.uk or call 01903 790 352.
Thank you so much for your support.
We have provided a ‘how to’ guide to help you organise your event.
Download our HOW TO GUIDE – PLANT AND BAKE SALE as a PDF or view it below the Resources section.
This hopefully covers almost everything you might want to think about if you are organising a large event.
If you want to organise a smaller event, please don’t be overwhelmed. Just take the information and resources you find useful.
Covid Regulations
We will update this closer to the time (hopefully, we won’t need to add anything)
Here are some posters you can display at your event:
You will need Adobe Reader to add your own information – this is free to download here. Alternatively, you could print and write the information in by hand then photocopy. Please let us know if you need any assistance.
Editable PDFs with a space to add the date, location and time of your event:
PDFs with a space to add date, location and time of your event:
QR Code for the Care for Veterans donate page
Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions, need help or just want to tell us about how you are getting on with organising your event. We would love to hear about your progress and share your updates on social media.
You can also request we send you extra materials by getting in touch.
Contact Christine on christine.gillott@careforveterans.org.uk or call 01903 790 352.
You may not need any help, but if you do, then start recruiting as soon as possible to find your bakers and/or gardeners.
Shout about your sale from the rooftops, get your friends and family to spread the word, and you’re sure to recruit a dedicated team of helpers in no time at all.
If you need more items to sell, you could consider approaching a local business for a donation, such as a bakery or a garden centre. In return for a local business supporting your event, you could add their logo to your posters/flyers or display their logo or leaflets at your event to thank them. Here is an Plant and Bake – Example-Request-Letter.
You could also consider if there is a local group or forum whose members might be able to help out.
Ask people if they can label anything they donate and provide the key information:
Home-produced plants don’t cost you a penny and can turn a nice profit.
It is extra important to contact your gardeners as soon as possible, as they might want to sow extra seeds, take cuttings and start collecting small flowerpots.
It’s your sale, and there are no rules about what plants to sell.
When it comes to choosing what to sell, you should consider everyone’s favourite sweet treats, such as cupcakes and cornflake cakes, right through to larger items such as pies, quiches and pasties.
Other popular items include chocolate chip cookies, brownies and flapjacks. If you are new to baking, then start with easy recipes.
Dietary requirements. If you can, try to include vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options. You could make people that normally miss out on treats very happy! Make sure you take extra care during preparation and clearly label the ingredients used.
It is essential to follow the ‘good food hygiene advice’ from the Food Standards Agency:
Display the Food Allergy Notice so that it is clearly visible to all customers.
Spread the word about your event to make sure you have enough customers on the day:
Making a list of what you need to do to make your event as success is a great idea. Below are a few suggestions:
Depending on the size of your event, helpers on the day are very useful.
Your helpers should be briefed with the basic information on what is for sale, such as the type of plants and baked goods available. It is usually much easier if you are not the only person with knowledge.
People love to chat about plants, so it’s good to have enough people to chat whilst others take the money and help customers get plants to their cars. Some people are born to sell, while others would be behind the scenes. Find out the length of time that people are happy to help, and if you have plenty of helpers and jobs, ask them what they would enjoy doing the most.
Breaks and refreshments. Factor in some cover for breaks and refreshments to keep the energy up, as well as somewhere to sit down.
Set up and pack down. Although not quite as fun as the selling, it is always worth asking for a hand. Allow some extra time to make your sale look great and see if you know anyone with a flair for a window display that could lend a hand.
To curb the spread of Coronavirus, consider how to ensure your event complies with latest Government regulations for your area. This probably means thinking about signage and a queuing system. More support on this will be available closer to the time.
As the profits are going to charity, you don’t have to be super cheap, but people often buy more if they are getting a bargain. Think about pricing items at amounts that make giving change easy.
It’s probably better to sell most of the items than having lots left over at the end, so price to sell. If something isn’t selling, then think about dropping the price, especially if you are getting towards the end of your event.
Easy to read. Pricing the items at your sale needn’t be tricky providing you keep things simple. Make sure that all items have a clear price on easy-to-read labels. If you label items in advance, your day will be simple and stress free.
Lots of items? Try a colour-code system. When you’ve got lots of items to price, then you could use a colour-code system. Use adhesive colour dots. Make a few colour-price keys to post around the sale area, and all that’s left to do is stick a dot on each item.
You could even just ask your customers to donate what they think each item is worth. People tend to be extra generous when food is involved.
Have a small float by exchanging some £10 and £20 notes for small change. Get a cashbox to put it in. Get more change than you think. If you expect people the first five customers to want change from a £20 note, then you won’t have to go in search for extra change.
No cash? Some people may not have brought enough cash, especially with recent events we have moved to card payments. You can ask people to pay via the Care for Veterans website and mention your event in the message box. We will then add it to your total – Donate page
Consider what you will do in different types of weather? How will you keep cakes dry from a rain shower or stop things blowing away if it gets windy?
A quick text or social media post just before and during your event can help increase the number of customers on the day.
Don’t be afraid to tell people you need help spreading the word and ask them to share your post and tell their friends/family.
Encourage your helpers and customers to take photos/videos and share their experience on social media and tag us – find our social media links at the top of this page.
Every penny raised at your event helps make a big difference to our brave ex-Service personnel, so however much you sell or make, have fun too!
If someone makes a donation (rather than makes a purchase) and they are a UK taxpayer, then we can claim Gift Aid on that donation. This means the charity can claim 25p on every £1 donated from the Government at no extra cost to the person donating. A Gift Aid form is available to download – Gift Aid form.