Having a garage sale is GREAT fundraiser. In just a few short minutes I'll give you all the important details you need to take your garage sale to the next level.
I knew that I was going to be having a garage sale, so a few weeks before it I started letting my friends and neighborhood know that I was having a sale as a fundraiser, and that if they had any donations and junk that they wanted to get rid of they could bring it over to my house and I'd sell it! This is a great way to get people involved in your fundraising efforts. Not everyone is able to give financially, so taking their junk off their hands is a great way for them to feel apart of your mission. Within a few weeks my garage was FULL of things from many different people. I bet only 25% of the things in the sale were actually mine!
Setting up took awhile. But it all came together just fine.
The night before my sale as I was finishing setting up, I posted pictures on the invite page I had made a few weeks prior on Facebook. I posted these pictures on facebook and instragram, to get people excited about the sale, and give them a visual of the kinds of things that were for sale. This is a great way to play up the event. I also expressed frequently how important this sale was. It was not an ordinary garage sale…. it was a fundraiser for a worthy cause. By letting everyone possible know that this was a fundraiser and informing them of what I was doing, it gave a whole new meaning and tone to the event. Here are the photos I posted the night before to advertise the items!
The next two days went great. The kids in the neighborhood were so excited to help and there bright and early in the morning and added so much enthusiasm to the day. I loved having them there! I set up a table to display information about the ways their money was going to be used. I put it right in the front when they walk in so it was easy for everyone to stop and say hi. I explained what I was doing and the good cause that all they money was going to, to everyone who walked up. It was a great way to start conversations with people and bring awareness to a whole new group of people I would have never been able to reach out to. Here is my table!
We also had a family friend that sold her plants on the yard. We set her up along side the yard and it brought a lot of attention to the sale. She made a donation to my trip after the sale and it was a great addition to the day! 
The kids had a koolaid stand both days. They loved it! The sale gave people many options. They could shop in the garage, buy kool aid on the beautiful hott day, look at the plants in the front yard, and hear about my trip. Giving people more options for all ages is a great way to engage a large amount of people.
Julia, the young girl on our block who has become a little sister to me made these signs and hung them up in the garage. Not only did this warm my heart, but having these hung up showed the people at the sale the support I got from the younger kids. It also added tenderness and emotion. So adorable!
The second day of the sale, we really wanted to get rid of as much as we could. Since it was the second day we knew it might be a little slower than the first day. In order to get rid of it all, we advertised that it would be 'free will friday!' They could take what they wanted for any price that they wanted! When they walked up I told them about free will friday and explained where the money would go. By giving them the option to choose the price, and making the aware of the fundraiser, I made more money than I would have if we would have priced it! When people know their money is going to a worthy cause (especially at a garge sale) I was surprised to see them so generous.
By the end of the weekend we were pooped! With all the donations and activity I raised a total of $1,600 towards my trip! Now THATS a garage sale!!!
