A brimming basket of fresh, seasonal fruit is a family treat anytime of year. It always makes a warm and welcoming table topper, and works great as a hostess gift in lieu of flowers for your next dinner party invite.
Many people don't have time to go to a fresh farmer's market to pick from the seasonal bounty of fruits and farm-fresh vegetables. That's why a fresh fruit basket is an easy fundraiser to sell anytime of year. Everyone appreciates an apple or orange in their brown bag lunch after all!
When it comes to organizing a fresh fruit basket fundraiser, your biggest decision will be what to sell. Apples and citrus fruits are big sellers because they are readily available regardless of the time of year.
For instance, sell a fresh mixer of citrus fruits – such as oranges, grapefruit, tangerines, tangelos, lemons, and limes. Or offer a basket of fresh apples in a variety of tastes – McIntosh, golden delicious, red delicious, Spartan, and granny smith.
Many charities will utilize a fundraising company who specializes in crafting fresh fruit baskets. You can take orders from customers using the fundraising sales brochures. However, you can also offer a selection of fruits from a local farmer.
Just keep in mind that many buyers will be encouraged by the visual of big juicy tangelos, globe-sized grapes, and crispy apples, so it's a good idea to provide a visual (such as a brochure) when selling door-to-door.
Tips to Chew on when Selling Door-to-Door
Regardless of if you are selling fresh fruit or candles door-to-door, you will want to remember a few important rules of sales:
What organization do you represent? Sure you are selling a fundraising company's fruit baskets, but if you are doing a fundraiser for your church you need to let your customers know.
Sure the fruit is a great incentive for people to take notice of your fundraiser, but sometimes it's the cause and not the fruit that buyers are most interested in, so remember to always mention the name of your charity organization as well as the specific reason you are raising funds.
Schedule Delivery around a Holiday
Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving – anytime of year that donors are expecting house guests is a great time to offer fresh fruit baskets. Also, a fresh fruit basket is a great gift for work parties, secret Santa gift exchanges, hostess thank-you gifts, and etc.
In addition, holidays are always busy times of year, so providing free home delivery within a scheduled timeframe will allow buyers to sit back and wait for their fruit to arrive. And you know they will be looking forward to next year's annual fresh fruit fundraiser!
Offer Fruit Flexibility
Choose a fundraising company that allows you to offer more than one type of fruit, and even mix fruits together. Take for example a charity only selling apples. Apples are great, but apples are hard to chew for much of the population (babies, toddlers, and seniors). You will want to offer the widest variety of fruits possible to compliment all donors' tastes.
Diversify the Fruit Basket
This means you can offer fresh flowers, candy, or nuts to compliment your wares. Again, not everyone is crazy for fruit. So this offers a wide range of products that will further encourage people to purchase something from your charity catalogue.
Door-to-door Convenience
The key word here is “convenience”. Many people don't have time to shop, or don't have access to a car. So offering home delivery is a bonus for seniors and busy households that do not have the time to pick up their basket. Cut your trips by collecting your payment upon delivery. You can also add to your funds by offering paid delivery for an extra $2 donation.
