Site owners, submit your site for inclusion in our fundraising ideas directory.

Women's Missionary Union Cookbook Fundraiser -- my pet project!

(TN, usa)

Our Women's Missionary Union group at church was discussing fundraisers to fund our "good deeds." I have always LOVED cookbooks, and I suggested we do a cookbook, and before you could blink, I was in charge! Oh, my! But, it actually was not a difficult task, and with more people computer-savvy now, it would be much easier. I received all these little scraps of paper from people with scribbled recipes, and had to transcribe them, which was the hardest part. We have a small group and a small church, but we still produced a nice cookbook. Even though it was thinner than the usual, using one of the professional publishers of fundraising cookbooks, we produced a nice end product we were proud of. We used a beautiful cover which made up for the slightly smaller volume. I think the most fun part was choosing the cover and binding; we chose Mary Engelbreit, which was very popular at the time. We ordered slightly above the minimum amount, priced them very reasonably, and sold most of them. The great thing is that if you do have some leftover, they will sell years later. Just recently we needed some money to pay for our missionary magazines and we sold the rest of them, and they actually sold quicker this time! Some of the recipes, like old wine, become more treasured as the folks move away or pass away. So, your organization really doesn't need to worry about having some that don't sell right away. These types of fundraisers become treasured gifts and keepsakes. I have one stashed away for my daughter when she gets married. The recipes within are from family and friends she remembers fondly from her childhood at church. Cookbooks practically sell themselves. I recommend this as a fundraiser. You can send for samples from the different cookbook publishers and determine which price point and product is right for your group.