Pantry and gift products (olive oil, cheese, sauces, snack bars)

Sell premium NZ pantry goods or gift packs, often around Christmas, with a fixed amount per item to the group.

Typically raises

$700

$200–2,000 per campaignest.

About $117 per organiser hour

Is it right for us?

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

Fairly common: Christmas gift-pack drives are known but patchy

People: 1-2
Organiser time: 4-8 hours (estimate)
Lead time: 3-4 weeks; Christmas peak (Raised)
Up-front cost: Nothing up front. Mostly pre-order or sale-or-return (The Good Oil allows returns)
Risk: Low.

Suits: Kindy or early learning, Primary or intermediate school

Less usual for: High school, Sports club or team, Church, Charity, Community group, marae or service club

When: Summer (Dec–Feb), Autumn (Mar–May), Spring (Sep–Nov), Christmas, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day

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

How it works

The money, as an example sum

Sell at $12 a bottle, keep about $4 of each, so 175 bottles = $700. That’s about the typical result.

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

Where the money figure comes from

Stated margins: The Good Oil sells at $12 a bottle and the group keeps $4, leftovers returnable; pure delish $4.74 per slab or snack-bar 4-pack (Fundraiser Ideas NZ listings); cheese packs $5-$10 profit (Raised). Totals are estimates.

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

Step by step

Compare 2-3 suppliers' margin and minimums.
Pick one or two products.
Take orders or hold sale-or-return stock.
Order and distribute.
Return unsold stock if allowed.

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

Supplier is the food business; no food rules for the group.

What you can get donated

None.

Tips

Gift packs (The Village Press olive oil, Barker's of Geraldine preserves, Jones Family Farm cheese) suit Christmas giving.

Watch out for

Higher price points mean fewer buyers.