High tea
A ticketed afternoon tea with baking, often themed for a cause, at a home, hall or café.
Typically raises
$2,000
$500–6,000 per eventest.
About $67 per organiser hour
Is it right for us?
- Money
- $2,000–10,000
- Work
- Weeks, part-time
- Helpers
- 3–6 people
- Lead time
- 1–2 months
- Red tape
- Some
Fairly common: a popular ticketed event, run now and then
- People
- 5-12
- Organiser time
- 20-40 (estimate)
- Lead time
- 4-6 weeks
- Up-front cost
- $100–$1,000. Food, crockery hire; venue if not donated.
- Risk
- Low.
How it works
The money, as an example sum
Sell at $40 a ticket for two, keep $40, so 60 tickets for two = $2,400, or about $2,000 after about $400 of costs. That’s about the typical result.
Using the figures on this page. Your prices and costs will differ.
Where the money figure comes from
Estimate. Ticket prices seen: Lions club $40 for two; Abel Estate Pink Ribbon champagne high tea $139 a head. Results not published.
Last checked October 2026. Ran this? Tell us what you raised and we’ll use real results to improve the figures.
Step by step
- Pick a venue and a theme.
- Set a ticket price and numbers.
- Sell tickets.
- Organise baking and service.
- Line up a speaker and raffle.
- Host the event.
- Thank bakers and guests.
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
- Helpers for the day or night, and local businesses for prizes.
- Ask people to buy
- People to book tickets or tables, and turn up.
- 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
- 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.
- Facebook events and what’s-on listingsMake a Facebook event people can say they’re going to, and list it on your council’s or town’s what’s-on page.
- Community newsletters and magazinesResidents’ newsletters, village magazines and other churches’ bulletins often run community notices free. Small ones close early.
- Other groups sharing itAsk the school, kindy, church, sports club or marae down the road to share it in their newsletter or page. Offer to share theirs back.
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
- NeededA hired venue
- Landowner’s permission
- Not needed
- Council permit
- Not needed
- Food rules
- CheckNo registration if you sell food to fundraise for a good cause up to 20 times a calendar year. It must still be safe and suitable, and your council may need a stall permit
- Alcohol
- Not neededNo alcohol sold
- Gambling rules
- NeededClass 2: prizes up to $5,000 and all tickets printed worth up to $25,000. Run by a club or society, with the money going to community or charitable purposes. Prizes at least 20% of ticket value; sold in person only, every ticket numbered (our rule: on paper). Prizes over $5,000 need a Class 3 licence
- Health and safety
- CheckA simple risk check and briefing
- Insurance
- CheckCheck your cover
Home baking is fine under the Food Act fundraising exemption. Serving bubbles in the ticket price at an unlicensed hall needs a special licence (apply 20 working days ahead), so many high teas stay alcohol-free.
Make more from it
often $300-1,500 (estimate)
the crowd is already there with cash or cards out
Silent auction of donated items
often $1,000-5,000 at a 100-person event (estimate)
guests browse between courses or acts
Take-home cake and preserves stall
often $200-500 (estimate)
guests want to take baking home
Stack it: on its own, about $2,000. With the 3 priced add-ons above, roughly
$6,300est.
What you can get donated
Baking, venue, florals, crockery, a guest speaker.
Tips
- Donated baking keeps the margin high.
Watch out for
- Overselling a small venue.
High tea: checklist
0 of 16 done
Before
On the day
After
Home baking is fine under the Food Act fundraising exemption. Serving bubbles in the ticket price at an unlicensed hall needs a special licence (apply 20 working days ahead), so many high teas stay alcohol-free.
Also pairs with: Raffle, Guest speaker
Sources
* General fundraising information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Money figures are examples and estimates, not promises. Check current official requirements before you commit. About this guide