Bake for a Cause and Fund-Raise like a Pro

Someone very close to me has Multiple Sclerosis, a chronic disease that affects the nervous system with no known cause or cure. Since their diagnosis, I have participated in my local MS Walk with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society Chapter to help raise awareness about this condition. The NMSS is a non-profit in need of donations and support to improve the quality of life for those affected by MS, and to go towards research to help those regain function and to end MS.

The first time I participated, I wanted to make a donation and raise awareness outside of the walk itself. I reached out to students and friends at my university with a bake sale, I had already had a reputation for baking some awesome stuff among my group of friends. After raising over $100 in a few weeks, I learned some valuable ways to have a successful bake sale that I’d like to share so you can raise money and awareness for the causes that are important to you.

The first step is to choose what you’re going to bake, which can be the most difficult. Variety can be beneficial for selling more, but it’s harder on the baker. Keep it simple! Hopefully you’ll be cranking out cookies faster than the Keebler factory, so set your self up with some simpler recipes, or recipes that yield a lot of goods. For my project, I decided on chocolate cupcakes with mint butter cream, chocolate chip cookie covered oreos, and Chocolate Crack.

I picked these things because they are appealing and delicious, easy to make, and easy to transport! Lugging this stuff around campus to deliver it to hungry students was a chore, don’t make it harder on yourself by making something that can expire without refrigeration. Packaging is another important part, but can be pretty expensive. Cupcakes were the hardest part, their frosting is easily smooshed and you want them to look pretty. Instead of buying expensive boxes, a woman in my local craft store gave me a genius idea: put the cupcake in a plastic cup and wrap it in cellophane with a bow.

This keeps your cupcake pretty and protected, and leaves a little weight for your wallet! Orange is the color for MS, so I used orange Tulle Ribbon to close all my bags and keep some nice branding in there. So reach out to your friends, make a Facebook event page for your bake sale, and do some good for your favorite non-profit!