Butter fundraiser (Westgold)

Sell 250g blocks of butter, a staple families buy anyway, with one bulk order and delivery.

Typically raises

$500

$200–2,000 per campaignest.

About $83 per organiser hour

Based on about 500 blocks sold

Is it right for us?

Money: $500–2,000
Work: An afternoon
Helpers: 1–2 people
Lead time: 2–3 weeks
Red tape: None

Uncommon: unexpected but practical, so it gets noticed

People: 1-2 plus distribution helpers
Organiser time: 4-8 hours (estimate)
Lead time: 2-4 weeks (estimate)
Up-front cost: Nothing up front. Pre-order; one order, one delivery (Westgold)
Risk: Low; needs chilling on distribution day.

Suits: Kindy or early learning, Primary or intermediate school

Less usual for: High school, Scouts or Guides, Sports club or team, Church

When: Summer (Dec–Feb), Autumn (Mar–May), Winter (Jun–Aug), Spring (Sep–Nov)

How big a job: An afternoon, 1–2 people

How it works

The money, as an example sum

Sell at $5.15 a block, keep about $1 of each, so 500 blocks = $500. That’s about the typical result.

Using the figures on this page. Your prices and costs will differ.

Where the money figure comes from

Westgold: group receives $1 per 250g block sold at $5.15. Darfield High: $32 profit per slab of 40 blocks sold at $4.95. Totals are estimates (e.g. 500 blocks = $500).

Last checked October 2026. Ran this? Tell us what you raised and we’ll use real results to improve the figures.

Step by step

Register with Westgold.
Use its toolkit to collect pre-orders.
Submit one order.
Receive one delivery.
Distribute same day.

Getting the word out

Even a well-run plan fails if nobody hears about it. There are two asks, and the first one goes out first.

Ask for help: Members to pass the order form to family, friends and workmates.
Ask people to buy: People to order before the cut-off.
When to start: Ask for helpers first, as soon as the date is set. Start the public ask about 3–4 weeks out, and book newsletter and paper notices before that: small newsletters close early.

Where to put it

Asking people yourselfMost yeses come from someone asking directly. Give every member a short message they can send to family and workmates.
Email lists and group chatsYour members’ email list and the class, team or church group chats. Short, with one date or one link.
School, club and church newslettersYour own newsletter is free and read by the families most likely to say yes. Check when it closes.
Local Facebook pages and community groupsPost in your town’s community page and local groups (check their rules), and share from your group’s own page.

The full guide to getting the word out: every channel from flyers to the evening news, with lead times and costs.

What you’ll need

Place: Not neededNone needed
Landowner’s permission: Not needed
Council permit: Not needed
Food rules: Not neededNo food sold
Alcohol: Not neededNo alcohol sold
Gambling rules: Not neededNot gambling

Pre-packaged by the supplier; keep chilled if not handed out straight away. No permits.

What you can get donated

Chiller space.

Tips

Selling full slabs to bakers and cafés lifts volume (Darfield High offered slab pricing).

Watch out for

Lower margin per item ($1) means you need volume.