How to Run a Flower or Plant Sale Fundraiser + Example!

We see hundreds of thousands of fundraiser ideas on Cheddar Up, but one that always stops our scroll is a well-orchestrated, absolutely-gorgeous flower sale fundraiser or plant sale fundraiser. (We are Midwesterners at heart, after all. Our founder grew up on a farm in Iowa and can detassel corn with the best of ‘em.)

This fundraiser is sow great for any group — schools, community groups, sports teams, bands and music associations, high-school agriculture classes — but two organizations that crop up most are FFA and 4-H. Many ag teachers and advisors found Cheddar Up during the pandemic when they needed a simple, virtual way to show off and sell greenhouses of their students’ hard work. They’ve stayed (and told colleagues) because the ability to collect money and customized online forms in one transaction, plus have all payments and quantities tracked automatically, has changed the plant sale logistics game.

Want in? Here’s how to set up an easy online flower or plant sale fundraiser.

Why a Plant Sale Fundraiser?

We love a flower or plant sale fundraiser because:

It requires minimal effort upfront.

Seasonal items help increase sales because they’re immediately relevant. Your community is probably already thinking about them! Plus: 

Buyers love to support their communities with a purchase they’d make anyway. 

There’s potential to raise a lot of funds in a short amount of time.

Our research suggests that a flower or plant sale fundraiser typically results in a 50% profit margin — it depends whether you’re selling bulbs or fresh plants and on your markup.

Plant sale fundraisers on Cheddar Up earn an average of $3,758. The highest earned has been a whopping $36,384.

How to Start a Plant Sale Fundraiser

While there’s no one-vessel-fits-all plant or plant sale, this general to-do list will help you get started.

1. Pick a season and the items you want to sell.

Can’t decide? Here are three primary considerations:

Are you planting them yourself? Pick a future season based on growing time.

Do you need to get this off the ground quickly? Pick this season!

What items will draw interest (and grow well) in your community? Choose the season based on what you want to sell.

 

These are some of the most popular items, by season.
  • Fall — mums, leafy vegetables, and bulbs
  • Winter/Holiday — trees, garland, wreaths, and poinsettias
  • Spring — vegetables, herbs, ferns, annuals, and perennials
2.  Find a vendor.

Your choice will depend on your timing and accessibility, and whether or not you need seeds or full-grown plants. We think these are good starting points:

1. It’s you (and your students and members)! We think that’s awesome — take it away. If you still need to source seeds, then … 

2. Check out your local library. Some offer a seed bank, where you can “borrow” seeds. At the end of the season, you harvest your best seeds and “return” them for other patrons to use. (Talk about a win-win to support the community!)

3. Visit the local farm supply store. There’s typically a large inventory of seeds — and plants, if you shop early!

4. Partner with a local nursery. Some may have provided plants for fundraisers before, and if not, they may be willing to consider this team approach to shopping local.

5. Find a wholesale store, like Costco or Sam’s Club. They have great bulk pricing! But note: You may be limited to their available inventory, which can change.

6. Use an online resource that ships nationwide. This is a popular seed source, and we personally love browsing these bright bulbs.

3. Determine your ordering process.

This is where Cheddar Up comes in! While you can always go with paper forms and manual tracking, an online system broadens your reach. You can contact multiple people at once; you don’t have to worry about printing (or losing) paper forms (or the money with them!); your orders will automatically populate into a spreadsheet. But the Internet is full of options — why Cheddar Up? Let’s get into that.

Cheddar Up Tools for an Effective, Efficient Plant Sale Fundraiser

Think of Cheddar Up as your plant-sale logistics coordinator. You’re responsible for setting up your free webpage, choosing your products, and delivering. We cover everything in the middle — taking orders, organizing them into a spreadsheet, collecting money, and tracking quantities. Here’s how we can specifically benefit your flower and plant sale fundraiser.

 

1. Attach a custom order form to payment in the same transaction.

This is the Cheddar Up power duo: Purchasers can fill out necessary forms and pay at the very same URL — and all information received is grouped by payer in your backend reporting center.

2. Upload photos of each plant and/or flower being offered.

Being able to see a product is not simply helpful for sales, it’s essential. People like to know what they’re getting, and a few extras may catch their attention!

3. Track quantities automatically.

Nothing is worse than tallying paper form orders and realizing you oversold. Save the stress and follow-ups: Cheddar Up’s “available quantity” feature is a foolproof enforcement for first-come, first-serve.

4. Accept credit cards for online and in-person purchases.

Yes, the convenience of being able to pay with a credit card can increase sales, but we take that convenience up a notch with our point-of-sale capability. You can set up a “check out” counter for in-person sales, and everything you sell will integrate with your online orders — remaining quantities and all.

5. Create a custom URL and/or QR code.

Not only can you disperse it to multiple people at once, but all your sale information lives on one web page. Simple for you to organize, simple for buyers to find. Plus, you can link to it from your website or social media sites!

6. Require purchasers to select a pick-up time, and easily organize requests.

You can either create an item question or include a pick-up time selection on your custom order form, and in both instances, you can require a response so that no one checks out without choosing a pick-up time.

7. Message all purchasers when orders are ready.

Speaking of plant sale pick-up: You can also use the message center to communicate about pick-up times or any necessary updates.

Want to learn more about managing a Cheddar Up flower or plant sale fundraiser? Check out these additional guides:

The Cheddar Up support desk is always open too! Contact us for 1-on-1 consultations.

In short, before you go

A flower or plant sale fundraiser is an effective way to raise money because your community may already be shopping for these seasonal products. Managing the sale online increases convenience — and potentially earnings. Cheddar Up plant sales average $3,758. Our features make your sale easy to find, easy to shop, and hands-off to run!

Collect for FREE

Whether you’re collecting dues and fees, fundraising, managing an event, creating a sign up, or selling something online or in-person, you can do it with a Cheddar Up collection.

You’ll want to ask your group’s organizer for a link. For privacy reasons, it’s not possible to search for this on Cheddar Up.

Learn more about paying on Cheddar Up

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