A kettle corn fundraiser for a Northern California school works one of two ways. A national program ships you pre-bagged boxes to sell, or a local vendor like us brings the kettle and pops fresh right at your event. We give schools and sports programs a percentage of the sales. Here’s how we run ours.
Ship-a-box vs. bring-the-kettle
Search “popcorn fundraiser for schools” and almost every result is the same setup: a company mails you pre-bagged kettle corn (or a brochure to collect orders), your group resells it, and you keep a cut. KGW Kettle Corn is a good example. You collect orders, they freshly pop and ship cases of 20 bags to one drop-off, and your group keeps 55 to 80% of what you sell (KGW Kettle Corn). It works. It’s also a box of bags showing up in a hallway.
We do the other version. We load up the kettle, drive to your event, and pop fresh on-site while people watch. The smell does half the selling. Instead of asking families to buy a bag off a table, you’ve got a fair-booth moment at your own school.
Both models can raise real money. The difference is whether the corn shows up in a box or gets popped in front of you.
How a Baker’s Kettle Corn fundraiser works
Three steps, and we handle the hard parts:
- You reach out: tell us your group, your event, and your date (start one here).
- We show up and pop: booth, kettle, and crew. We bring everything and pop fresh the whole event.
- Your group gets its share: a percentage of every sale goes straight back to your cause.
The give-back for schools, sports programs for community groups like churches, clubs, and charities. We work football seasons all fall, and that money goes right back to the kids. No boxes to store, no leftover inventory, no chasing down order forms.
We also run two kettles, so on a busy weekend we can cover two events at once. If your date lines up, we can usually make it work.
Why fresh kettle corn sells at a school event
Fresh-popped kettle corn draws a line, and a line is the whole point of a fundraiser. Game nights, carnivals, fall festivals, open houses, band and booster events: the crowd is already there, hungry, and standing around. A kettle popping in the corner is hard to walk past.
You can even ask for Game Day Colors so the corn matches the team. It’s a small thing that makes the booth feel like part of the event instead of a table in the back.
A quick, honest note on ingredients
Our classic kettle corn is four ingredients: mushroom-kernel popcorn, cane sugar, oil, and salt. Corn is a gluten-free grain, so the classic is naturally gluten-free. That’s worth knowing at a school, where families ask.
Two honest caveats. Our flavored batches each have their own additional ingredients, so if someone’s avoiding something, ask us at the booth and we’ll tell you exactly what’s in that day’s batch. And while we keep our booths nut-free, we’re a mobile popper working events, not a certified nut-free facility, so we can’t promise a lab-clean kitchen. We’d rather tell you straight.
Where we go
We’re based in the Yuba-Sutter area (Yuba City and Marysville, California) and have been popping since 2015. We work events across Northern California and out toward Reno, Nevada. If your school or program is in range and the date is open, we’d love to bring the kettle.
To get one on the calendar, email [email protected] or call Adam Baker at 530-315-8603. You can also start a fundraiser here.
FAQ
How does a kettle corn school fundraiser work? With us, it’s simple: you tell us your group, event, and date, we bring the kettle and pop fresh on-site the whole event, and a percentage of every sale goes back to your cause. We work with schools, sports programs, and community groups
Do you ship boxes like the national programs? No. National programs like KGW mail pre-bagged boxes for your group to resell. We pop fresh in person at your event instead. Our online store is coming soon, but fundraisers are on-site.
What kinds of groups can do this? Schools, sports teams, churches, clubs, and community organizations like churches, clubs, and local non-profits.
Where do you travel for fundraisers? We’re in the Yuba-Sutter area and work across Northern California, out toward Reno. Reach out with your location and date and we’ll tell you if we can make it.
Is the kettle corn gluten-free? Our classic is: it’s just mushroom-kernel corn, cane sugar, oil, and salt, and corn is a gluten-free grain. Flavored batches each have their own additional ingredients, so ask us at the booth.
Ready to raise some money the fun way? Start a fundraiser and we’ll bring the kettle to you.