I have been trying for years to get someone to do this fundraiser and finally our school's middle school (We're k-12) dance team is trying it with more success than they first thought they might have. They aren't finished yet and are only doing it with the parents and families right now but so far it's good.

The idea is this: Have everyone bring unwanted items to school on a specific day or days or have the items dropped off at the business under your school's name to one of those internet "sell-it-for-you" companies. Most of them will do a funraiser and anything they can't take is likely to be appreciated by Good Will. I cleaned out two closets last year and made $300 by myself. Now admittedly they were jampacked closets but...

Just a thought.

We held one a few years ago..never again! We had limited space to store what parents had brought in. The office ladies were gracious enough to offer some of their space in the corner. When the volunteers showed up to price, we ended up throwing much of it in the dumpster from the start, what should have been thrown away at home and not brought to school. Afterwards, the office had roaches BAD! We also had offered the Rent a Space for parents who wanted the opportunity to make money from the sale. No one rented space...they just donated their junk and critters ! :eek:

Last year was our first year trying a Garage Sale and we made $1077!! We started advertising for garage sale donations starting at Open House. The garage sale was held in May. We sent home flyers several times through out the school year, always had a blurb about it in the montly newsletter, posted flyers around the school at the post office, ect. and advertised a few times in the local paper. We had an empty room at the school where we could store items. We individually priced everything, which took a lot of work. We also asked for donations of paper and plastic sacks. We sold 12 tables to home businesses ie. Avon, Pampered Chef, etc. and had these set up in the hallway. The garage sale was set up in the school's gym. We ran it on a Sat. from 8am-3pm.
This year we are holding another garage sale in May. We've already advertised in the paper for donations and have sent home flyers. We are also selling tables to home businnesses and already have 6 tables sold. The businnesses loved this last year!! This year the sale will run from 8am-1pm, 3pm was just way too long. We will not price clothes or books this year. We hold a bag sale for clothes and books $1 per bag. Price your items cheaply. You'd rather sell everything cheaply than not sell it at all. Around 11am or so start offering better deals like bag a clothes/books for .50 cents. Everything a quarter, etc.
It was an amazingly easy fundraiser and didn't cost us much. Around $10 in pricing stickers and approx. $20 for advertising at the beginning of the year and two weeks before the sale in the paper. I would recommend this to all schools!

Of course all sales vary, but what's a typical fee for a parking spot?

Our elementary school has an annual PTO garage sale where they sell spaces. Sometimes the PTO has a spot and they collect goods for sale and sometimes they just organize it without having their own space.

Some years they've recruited other organizations (Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts) to sell concessions. Sometimes that's a piece the PTO does to add to the fundraising. (Coffee, donuts, breakfast tacos, soft drinks, cookies.)

Tips:

1) If concessions are involved, be clear who can do what. If you want that piece reserved for PTO, be clear if people who rent a space can/cannot also sell food. If designate specific groups to sell food, decide if you want to coordinate who does what or is it just a free-for-all.

2) The best part of the setup is that the PTO arranges with Goodwill or Salvation Army to park an unstaffed truck at the lot the night before. It's furthest from the street with the PTO booth being next to it. That morning the truck door is opened. As people leave (some close up earlier than others), they can choose to donate any unsold items to the PTO booth, put it in the truck, or cart it off. At the end of the day, all the PTO unsold items go right in the truck which is sitting a few feet away. Makes it so easy!

[ 09-08-2006, 06:23 PM: Message edited by: JHB ]

Ademom74 - outstanding results! I agree that having a set price for like items is the easiest route; have done that for private sales and it works famously. I am not expecting that large of an end result ($86K) the first time out of the block. Right now my thought is that if we were lucky to raise a few thousand on our first attempt I think we'd all faint!

Rummage sales are a pretty common here. Does anyone have any thoughts about timing? Would it be better to have an off season sale or have the sale around the same time of the year they are popular here (we are in the Midwest)? I can see both arguments.