How to Plan a Church Garage Sale

Proper planning prevents stress when organizing a church garage sale.

Garage sales --- often called rummage or yard sales --- can be the most profitable fundraiser of the year for some churches. They're easy to plan, inexpensive and quick. Plus, it gives churches exposure to their communities, and most people feel good about purchasing goods from a charitable organization. Catering to the bargain shoppers in your community will bolster your church's general fund, your missionary budget or other needs.

Things You'll Need

• Pens
• Jumbo markers
• Pricing stickers
• Scotch tape
• Duct tape
• Staple gun
• Posterboard
• Colorful computer paper
• Cash box
• Grocery bags
• Newspaper
• Empty cardboard boxes
• Tables
• Clothing racks
• Hangers

Instructions

1. Form a committee. Name two or three others who will together decide the time and place for your sale. If at church, decide whether to hold it inside or outside. Outdoor sales draw more attention but plan it indoors if you anticipate bad weather. Also, decide where you will store donations until the big day. Set the date about one to two months ahead so you will have ample time to collect donations. Make the starting time as early as 6 or 7 a.m., but don't plan on staying later than 2 or 3 p.m. Plan a pricing party the day before the sale where you will make final preparations.

2. Coordinate donations. Tell church membership about the sale and what the proceeds will benefit. Ask the pastor to add it to the weekly announcements. On colorful computer paper, print flyers and post them on church grounds. See if you can add a reminder to the church's website. Communicate a starting and ending date to bring donations and where. Arrange to pick up the donations that donors cannot bring.

3. Recruit volunteers for specific roles, such as pricing and sorting donations at the pricing party. Also place a sign up sheet for volunteers in a prominent location. Ask the able-bodied to set up and move tables. See if the youth group can make large posters and signs. Get a few math whizzes to act as cashiers. Recruit someone with a truck to haul away the leftovers to a charitable organization of your choice.

4. Advertise. A week prior, post a message on the church's exterior sign. Run a small ad in the local paper or post a free online classified listing. Ask permission to hang flyers at grocery stores, libraries, coffee shops and other locales. Ensure the flyer mentions any high-quality items and the purpose for the funds.

5. Purchase and procure supplies. A few days beforehand, start gathering items you will need for the pricing party and sale, grouping them together logically. Put all the pens, pricing stickers, tape, empty boxes and hangers aside for the pricing party. Arrange for enough tables and clothing racks to display all the items. Make a pile of poster board and jumbo markers for the sign makers. Put the cash box, grocery bags and newspaper aside for the day of the sale.

6. Assign volunteers arriving for the pricing party to specific tasks. Have sorters group similar items together, keeping them on the same tables or in the same boxes. Pricers should ensure that every item or group of items has a clearly marked price. If you have a few valuable objects, you may want to mark them "best offer." Have a group of sign makers design posters you can use the next morning. At the end of the party, all the tables, boxes, clothing racks and signs should be ready for the sale.

7. Make final preparations. Confirm with volunteers who signed up to help the morning of the sale. Go to the bank and get cash. Depending on the size of your sale, try to have at least $30 in $1 bills and about 10 $5 bills.

8. Arrive early on the day of the sale so you are there when volunteers arrive. Pray together that the sale is successful and everyone stays safe. If your sale is outside, quickly move the stocked tables, boxes, bins and clothing racks outdoors. At the same time, send out a team of people to place signs on street corners, using cardboard boxes or duct tape. Don't forget to take the signs down in the end. Stave off early bird buyers with small cups of coffee until you open for business. Relax and enjoy the sale. You are well prepared.

Tips & Warnings

• Check donated clothing, wallets, purses and books for money or trash.

• Make a "free box" for items people would not pay for, such as broken or damaged objects.

• Plan a logical layout for your sale so buyers can browse easily. If space is limited, only display what fits comfortably and bring out additional items later.

• Play background music to set an enjoyable, relaxing tone.

• Test electrical items beforehand and mark objects that do not work. Have an outlet available for anyone wanting to test objects.

• Prepare cashiers for haggling; have ground rules established in advance.

References

• Get Rich Slowly: A Yard Sale Checklist: Ten Tips for Garage Sale Prep

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish