Meat pack pre-order (butcher or supplier programme)
Supporters pre-order meat packs from a butcher or meat supplier at retail price; the group keeps a margin per pack.
Typically raises
$1,000
$300–3,000 per campaignest.
About $111 per organiser hour
Is it right for us?
- Money
- $500–2,000
- Work
- A few evenings
- Helpers
- 1–2 people
- Lead time
- 1–2 months
- Red tape
- None
Fairly common: butcher pack drives are known, mostly in rural areas
- People
- 1-2 coordinators plus chilled pickup helpers
- Organiser time
- 6-12 hours (estimate)
- Lead time
- 3-4 weeks (estimate)
- Up-front cost
- Nothing up front. Pre-order model (estimate)
- Risk
- Low if pre-paid; chilled or frozen storage on pickup day is the main risk.
How it works
The money, as an example sum
Nothing to pay up front, and the typical result is about $1,000 per campaign.
From the typical figure on this page. Your result will differ.
Where the money figure comes from
Estimate. No published NZ butcher fundraising margins were found. Basis: comparable NZ product fundraisers return about 20-40% (Go Raise It 20-30%; context research doc). For Goods Sake, the publisher of this guide, runs this model with Gilmours packs; its terms are not used as evidence here.
Last checked October 2026. Ran this? Tell us what you raised and we’ll use real results to improve the figures.
Step by step
- Ask 2-3 local butchers for a fundraising price and pack list.
- Agree margin per pack in writing.
- Take pre-paid orders.
- Send one order; agree delivery time.
- Keep packs chilled; hand out in a short window.
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
The supplier must be a registered food business and the group should not re-pack raw meat. Homekill or hunted meat cannot be sold for fundraising.
What you can get donated
Chiller or freezer space.
Tips
- Ask the butcher to pack orders by name to save sorting.
Watch out for
- Pickup day without chilly bins or a chiller.
Meat pack pre-order (butcher or supplier programme): checklist
0 of 8 done
Before
After
The supplier must be a registered food business and the group should not re-pack raw meat. Homekill or hunted meat cannot be sold for fundraising.
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