Popcorn Tasting

You've heard of wine tastings, coffee and tea tastings, even dessert tastings. Why not a popcorn tasting? It's a unique way to hold a popcorn fundraiser that's much more fun than simply going door to door, or sending order forms home with kids. First, find a place to hold your popcorn tasting. If you want to make it extra fun, combine your fundraising event with a movie night. What better time to try flavorful popcorn than when watching a good movie? Then, set out your popcorn samples and let everyone choose the ones they want to try. What also makes this great is that popcorn for fundraisers used to come in three basic flavors—butter, cheese, and caramel. Now, many companies that sell popcorn for fundraising offer a wide variety of flavors such as chocolate, butter pecan, jalapeno, sour cream and chives, and even fruit flavors like grape and spiced apple. As people arrive, hand them an order form that they can fill out as they sample the popcorn and decide which flavors they like and want to order. Don't forget to offer beverages to wash down all that popcorn they'll be trying. You can make your money in several ways. Host the event for free and rely on the popcorn orders that will result from it; charge a small attendance fee; charge for the movie; provide water for free, but sell soda—it's up to you. You can even stipulate a minimum order amount in order for people to attend if you want to ensure some return on your event. If your popcorn tasting event is a success, you can hold one a couple of times a year, especially near the holidays. Tins of flavored popcorn make great gifts!