Samosa fundraiser

Pre-sell frozen packs of samosas from a specialist supplier.

Typically raises

$1,500

$300–26,000 per campaignest.

About $200 per organiser hour

Is it right for us?

Money: $500–2,000
Work: A few evenings
Helpers: 3–6 people
Lead time: 1–2 months
Red tape: None

Uncommon: a tasty change from pies that stands out

People: 1-2 coordinators plus pickup helpers
Organiser time: 5-10 hours (estimate)
Lead time: 3-4 weeks (estimate)
Up-front cost: Nothing up front. Pre-order model; pay supplier from collected orders (estimate)
Risk: Low if pre-paid.

Can suit, but rarely run by: Kindy or early learning, Primary or intermediate school, High school, Sports club or team, Team going to a tournament or tour, Church, Community group, marae or service club, Kapa haka, choir, theatre or band

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

How big a job: A few evenings, 3–6 people

How it works

The money, as an example sum

Sell at $25 a pack, keep about $10 of each, so 150 packs = $1,500. That’s about the typical result.

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

Where the money figure comes from

Tasty Foods: buy packs at $15, sell $25+, at least $10 profit per pack of 10; its record group made $26,000 profit from 33,000 samosas. Surti reports about $970,244 raised across groups since July 2021 (approximate, its own figure). Low and typical 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 Surti (online fundraiser site) and Tasty Foods terms.
Set flavours and price.
Take pre-paid orders.
Submit order; arrange pickup.
Distribute 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 is the registered food business; the group only distributes sealed frozen packs, so no Food Act registration is needed. Keep packs frozen at pickup.

Make more from it

Run alongside a pie or other frozen-food order
often $500-1,500 more per round (estimate)
the same order form and pickup day

Stack it: on its own, about $1,500. With the add-on above, roughly

$2,500est.

What you can get donated

None typical.

Tips

Ask about halal options for your community (Tasty Foods FAQ covers it).

Watch out for

Freezer logistics on pickup day.