Fundraiser Review: Yard Sale Event

Yard sale
preparation time/effort: several weeks preparation/significant effort
event duration: as little as one day
cost: $50-$250 depending on location and advertising
potential funds: $1,000-$5,000
would we do it again: yes!


In June of 2012 we held our one and only fundraising event for our Russian adoption. I still don't know how we pulled it off in such a short amount of time. We had received our referral much sooner than anticipated and were facing the possibility of traveling several months sooner than we were prepared for. We needed money for airfare and in country expenses and weren't sure what we were going to do. I had a random thought to have a garage sale. So I got right to work putting it together. From the day I started planning the event to the day of the event was just 3 weeks. The result was absolutely God-lead (yet again) and we were overwhelmingly blessed. I would highly recommend this type of fundraiser to adopting families who have a limited amount of time but are willing to put in a large amount of effort.

Here's the basic idea:

-begin by asking friends, family, co-workers, and church acquaintances if they have any unwanted items they could donate to a yard sale (we ended up with over 25 families donations of 'stuff').
-choose a sale location. I have seen other families hold this type of sale in their own driveway. We chose to rent the local high school's parking lot.
-advertise, advertise, advertise. Use as many free advertisements as possible and consider spending a small amount on newspaper ads or other advertising for your event.
-get as many friends and family to help actually run the event with you the day of the sale as possible.
-be sure all patrons know your sale benefits your adoption and all proceeds will go toward bringing an orphan home.

Here are some tips:
-if you do not own a truck, ask a family member or friend for help. You will be able to collect far more for your sale simply by being willing to pick it up.
-if you have clothing items for sale be sure to hang them up. We had hundreds of clothing items donated and were able to sell more than I expected. But people don't want to sift through a bin, bag, or table. Your clothing items will sell much faster if they are hung on hangers and can be seen easily. Clothing racks can be rented (although they run about $10 a rack). We actually had friends who own a dry cleaning business that agreed to support our event by lending us 2 clothing racks for the day. If you don't happen to have that connection, your local dry cleaners will likely at least be willing to donate hangers.
-consider asking businesses to 'sponsor' your event to cover advertising, space rental, gas for the truck, insurance (if you rent a location), and other expenses. We offered our vendors on-site advertising and the option to have a 'booth'. Our vendors included: Mary Kay, Cookie Lee, a landscaping company, a realtor, a chiropractor, a dry cleaner, and a local home remodel company. This ensured that even if the sale was a bomb, all expenses were covered. The day of the sale we knew every penny raised would go directly to our adoption.
-advertising is key: part of the reason we chose to rent the parking lot was it's location. The high school is on a very busy road and we were able to place a sign advertising our sale the week leading up to the event on the school's marquis. Also, the day of the sale cars driving by could clearly see us and get a glance at what was available. Other advertising we used: craigslist, local newspapers, online garage sale finders (just google it, there are several), facebook, and pennysaver. We also contacted a local news station and asked if they would consider featuring our event. Another adopting family we know was able to do this. Our event did not make the news, but it is definitely worth asking.
-be prepared to put in a ton of time sorting through donations and setting up your sale. The more organised you can be before the event the smoother your day will go. Because we held our event at the school parking lot all of our saleable items had to be brought in the morning of the event and gone by nightfall. But even if you hold your event in your own driveway there will be an immense amount of set up and tear down.
-every penny counts: Don't be too concerned about getting the most out of your items. Selling your items for less adds up by the end of the day. I am not the type to put price tags on items. Not only did I not have the time, I want people to ask so I can gauge their interest. But be prepared to feel crazy busy if you don't tag everything and consider having someone else you trust answer the "how much?" question for you when you are not available.
-try selling items of higher value on craigslist or ebay. We had things donated like jewelry and fur coats that were not exactly garage-sale friendly. Everyone wants a bargain at a garage sale, so if you think you have something of real value don't bring it out the day of the sale.
-pass along unsold items to other charitable groups: if you have the time to hold another sale and the space to store left over items it is definitely worth it to repeat this event on another day. But when your sale is officially over consider donating unsold items to local charities. There are many organizations that would be grateful for large donations of used clothing and housewares. All of our left over clothing, bedding, and towels went to groups that help foster children, rehab homes, and crisis intervention groups. And there is always Goodwill. Be sure to pass the blessings on.


Because we had rented the parking lot and planned to be there all day we decided to try and add in a few other fundraising possibilities to our event. We had a car wash in the morning, a bake sale throughout the day, and attempted an evening 'party' event with a live band, bounce house, and BBQ. Unfortunately our event ended up happening on the hottest day of the summer (109 degrees) so none of the other components of our event generated significant funds. I would recommend keeping your events specific to one effort. I think a car wash, bake sale, or even party event would have been far more successful if held on their own.

Overall our yard sale event generated over $5,000 total. Many families who do this type of sale are surprised to see how much they can raise in one day. Yard sales require an immense amount of labor, but offer a large payoff. We would definitely do this fundraiser again.