How Does Product Fundraising Work?

Product fundraising is when a group sells a product, chocolates, lollies, or in our case premium Australian dried fruit, and keeps a share of every sale to fund their cause. With CommuniTea, your group shares its own online campaign link, supporters buy dried fruit, and 20% of every sale goes straight to your cause, with no upfront cost and no stock to carry.

What is product fundraising, exactly?

Instead of simply asking people for donations, product fundraising gives supporters something real in return for their money. Your group earns a set share of each sale, so the more your community buys, the more your cause raises. It's the model behind the classic chocolate drive and the school lolly box, just brought online and made a lot less hassle.

The old version meant boxes of stock in the staffroom, cash floating around in envelopes, and kids door-knocking the street. CommuniTea keeps the part that works: people happily buy something they'd want anyway, and drops the parts that don't. There's no upfront cost, no stock and no door-knocking; everything runs through a link you share.

How does product fundraising work, step by step?

With CommuniTea, a fundraiser runs in four simple steps:

• 1. Set up your campaign. Tell us about your group and your goal. We create your own dried fruit fundraiser page with a unique link: no sign-up fee, no minimum order.
• 2. Share your link. Send it around your community: the parent group chat, the footy club, the school newsletter, your socials. Anyone, anywhere can buy.
• 3. Supporters buy dried fruit. They choose their mango, pineapple or sweet chili mango, pay online, and we pack and post it directly to them. Your group never touches a box.
• 4. Your cause gets paid. 20% of every sale is set aside for your cause and tracked live, so you can watch the total climb in real time.

As a rough guide, if 50 supporters each buy a $25 pack, that's roughly $250 to your cause, and you can keep the link running as long as you like.

How is it different from donation or event fundraising?

Most fundraising falls into three buckets. Here's where product fundraising sits:

Donation fundraising

You ask people to give money and they get nothing back but a thank-you. It works when people already feel strongly about the cause, but it's a harder ask: you're competing with every other charity in their inbox.

Event fundraising

Think trivia nights, raffles, sausage sizzles and fun runs. These can raise good money, but they take real organising: a venue, volunteers, tickets, a date everyone can make, and you only earn on the day.

Product fundraising

Supporters get something they actually want, so it's an easy "yes." There's no event to run and no upfront spend, just a link to share. Because it lives online, people who can't make it to a stall or an event can still chip in from anywhere.

Why do groups choose product fundraising?

Schools, sports clubs, community groups and P&C committees pick a product drive because it removes the friction that makes fundraising a chore:

• No upfront cost or risk. You're not buying stock and hoping to sell it, nothing is paid until a supporter orders.
• No stock, no door-knocking. Everything ships direct to the buyer, so there are no boxes in the boot and no kids on the footpath after dark.
• A healthier option. Dried fruit is a feel-better alternative to a traditional chocolate or lolly drive, an easier sell to parents and the tuckshop crowd.
• Live tracking. Your total updates as orders come in, so the whole group can see progress and stay motivated.

Want the full picture before you start? Our fundraising guide walks through choosing a goal, rallying your community and getting the most from your campaign.

Ready to give it a go?Start your fundraiser today, it's free to set up, takes minutes, and you could be sharing your link this afternoon.