Why Do We Call it a Bake Sale When it’s Not?
No One’s Economic Situation Should Determine Whether They Attend The Retreat
Right now A2WG is in the middle of a fundraising effort to send at least one third of the registrants of the Women’s Recovery Retreat to the retreat center on 
scholarship. We do this every year. We don’t believe that someone’s economic situation should determine whether they attend these sobriety “booster” events or not. The retreat center charges A2WG a good chunk of change per person, but if you’ve ever been to the retreat center, you’d understand why. Look at the pictures on our Retreat page and you’ll get it.
One Third of the Women Will Go On Scholarship
Sixty people will attend the retreat this year. Because the A2WG retreat has become so popular, we “sell out” earlier and earlier every year. Going to one of our retreats is like recovery on steroids.
So let’s do some math (groan). We need 20 scholarships and the cost of the retreat is $175.
20 x 175 = $3500
$
3500 is the minimum we need to raise to meet the goal of offering as many scholarships as possible. Last year we had more requests then we had scholarships. We had to turn a few people down. 🙁
Our biggest fundraising efforts for the retreat are the A2WG bake sales. Whoa… Why did I just call it a “bake sale” when the title of this blog says it’s not? Well, it’s a heck of a lot easier then saying:
“Make a donation to the scholarship fund and then take a baked good off the table as a thank you gift.”
This Is About a Human Experience
This isn’t about cookies, cupcakes, quiche or coffee cake. These are just bonus thank you gifts from us to you. This is about a human experience. You aren’t buying a goodie, you are donating a gift. The value of a cookie is a dollar or two but the value of giving a woman a possible life changing experience is priceless.
What If People Thought of It Differently?
If people think of our fundraiser as a “bake sale” then when they “buy” a cookie, the cost would be $1-$2, right? We would have to have 12 bake sales to get the needed scholarship money to send 
twenty women on the retreat (oh my!)
What if everyone thought of it as a fundraiser and not a bake sale? What would the average donation be? $5? $10? $20? More? Let’s do a ball park figure of $5.
200 people x $5 = $1000
Now A2WG only has to have 3.5 fundraisers to raise the needed scholarship money. That’s less bakers and helpers needed to volunteer. Since you can’t do half a fundraiser (AKA bake sale) you’d have to do a whole one, and that means more scholarships to give away!
We are not telling you what to donate. That’s between you and God. In fact, you can give nothing and still take a baked good off the table
. It’s not about that. What we are asking is when you see us at the Alano Club in the summer with a table full of goodies, please don’t think of it as a “bake sale,” instead visualize the woman you will be helping to fund, and the recovery enhancing experience she will gain from the retreat.
By no means is this blog meant to be “preachy.” The bottom line is the name “bake sale” isn’t the right name for our fundraising effort.
Is there a better name which would make a more impactful statement? Your comments would be helpful.
Peace, Love & Sobriety,
-L
L. chooses to remain anonymous, not because she’s ashamed of being in recovery, but because her ego loves recognition and she doesn’t want to feed her ego.
PS: If you want to be an ingredient partner (donate money toward the cost of the ingredients of the coffee cakes and quiches) or just support the scholarship fund. Donations are happily accepted. 🙂
