Are candy bar fundraisers still a viable fundraising idea?

I have to admit that the candy bar fundraising business is not what it used to be. Many fundraising distributors have even stopped offering candy bars to fundraising groups. They've done that because of the lack of profit margin available in the candy fundraising sector.

As with all fundraisers, the fundraising group has certain profit expectations. Historically groups have felt like they wanted to earn 50% and deserved that profit level. After all they were the ones out selling. At one time candy fundraisers offered 50% profits. Larger groups could make even more.

However with rising costs the first people to lose their profit margins were the fundraising distributors. They are in business to make money. Of course they want to help their customers choose the best fundraiser. But if they can not make money they will not suggest a program.

The next group to lose margin was the manufacturers themselves. They absorbed rising commodity prices as long as they could. Then they started to shrink the candy bars as small as they could make them.

Now it is the fundraising group that will determine whether candy bar fundraising is viable or not. If groups want to sell one dollar fundraising candy bars in the future they will either have to accept profits well below 50% or understand that they will be selling much smaller candy bars.

The future of candy fundraising really rests on how people respond to the new price point. There are virtually no national brands left in the arena. Even the fundraising specific manufacturers are having difficulties maintaing the one dollar price point.