Apple Pie Band Fundraiser
My fundraising experience dates back to high school when we were raising money for our school band to get new uniforms/equipment.
I was part of the colorguard squad and we decided to make and sell apple pies. Since this was near Thanksgiving holiday, we felt apple pies would be a good seller. We worked with a local grocery store who was sponsoring us, and they were able to cook the pies after we made them up. We had samples out on the table, and we were situated near the front of the store, so that was a good draw to our table (the smell of fresh baked apple pie helped a lot, too).
Every now and again, a vocal person in our group would get on the loadspeaker and announce to the whole store a catchy jingle to sway business our way. The jingles seemed to be successful because they were often funny, and at least put people in a good mood to come by and see what we had to offer.
Looking back upon it now, what might have made it a success was that we picked a grocery store in an area of town that was a little more upscale and where people would have extra spending money for "something extra" they didn't plan on getting, but on the other hand, making an apple pie can get messy, so it might have been seen as a lifesaver to a busy person trying to put together a Thanksgiving meal since they wouldn't have to make their own pie.
It was a lot of hard work, but also fun, and I think our enthusiasm won over a lot of people.