Rummage sales take a couple weeks' planning, but they are a great way to fundraise since everything is donated and there are no costs to cover.  

Get the word out

A couple of weeks before the rummage sale, put flyers up around school to get people thinking the rummage sale and what they can bring in. A really great time to do this is springtime, because many people actually do do ‘spring cleaning’ and clean out their garages and closets at this time of year. Give them ideas of things they can bring in: old CDs and DVDs, clean clothing in good condition, books, artwork, gadgets, jewelry, electronics, etc. Something else you might want to put on your flyer: a collection period. Maybe you’ll be able to collect stuff for an entire week, or maybe just a couple of days. It really depends on the amount of free time you have during your school day to organize any incoming items in a designated storage space.

Is it a date?

Once you’ve set your collection period, you can set a date for the actual sale. You’ll need to first secure a selling area, especially if you have a lot of stuff. Talk with a member of administration about getting some tables set up either in the gymnasium or another large space. Figure out the best time to hold the sale- before school starts in the morning, after school ends in the afternoon, all throughout the day, on a weekend… It would be ideal if you and a few of your friends can swing covering different shifts during the day so that your stuff isn’t sitting unattended for any period of time. Be sure to make your cause known—let them know where the proceeds are going to go.

Need a hand?

It might be a good idea to enlist the help of a teacher or member of administration. Do you have a class advisor or club leader who is free during your selling day? You will be dealing with a lot of cash, and you might feel a little more comfortable if there is an adult around to make sure things go smoothly. Either way, you’re definitely going to need help from a few of your friends- this is not a one-man job! You’ll need help with the collection, the set-up, the selling, and eventually the clean-up.

Set-up

This might be the most time-consuming part of the sale. It’s a good idea to separate your goods into like items. This will make it easier for you to price things, set things up, and it will make it easier for your rummagers. Have a table set up for each group of items. Or, if you want to, you can set tables up by price. Either way, it’s a good idea to have some sort of system. Are you going to put price tags on each item, or use color-coded stickers to mark the price? Are you going to allow people to bargain, or are all items priced as marked?

Sale Day

Make announcements on the intercom a few days before the sale, just to make sure everyone know it’s going on and knows to bring extra cash so they can contribute to the cause. On the day of the sale, have some starting cash, either from your own pocket (just make sure to take it back at the end of the day, or leave it in as a donation) or from a petty cash fund for your class- your class advisor should be able to help you with this. You’ll want to designate one or two people to handle the cash the day of the sale, and a couple of other people just to be on the lookout and keep the tables organized.

Everything must go!!

If you planned to keep your sale going for more than one day, maybe you’ll want to mark everything half off the second day, just to clear things out. The more you sell, the more money you’ll have and the less you’ll have to clean up! Even if you didn’t plan to keep your sale going for more than one day, maybe you’ll be able to extend it for that sole purpose. Remind everyone that their money is going to a GOOD CAUSE.

Clean up, clean up…

Okay so even though you had a super sale half-off everything day, you still have some leftovers that just couldn’t find a home. You will have to get these to a church, a Salvation Army, or a Goodwill in your area. If you don’t have means of transportation, you can ask friends, parents, or teachers.

Sweet, sweet success…

It’s time to count up your money— since everything was donated, there are hopefully no costs for you to cover. Let everyone know how well your rummage sale went either by putting up posters or making an announcement on the intercom. Tell them again what you plan on doing with the money, and thank them for their donations and their support.

Want more ideas on how to fundraise?