Many fundraising organizations throw bake sales because they are an easy, relatively low-cost way to raise money. Get together with the other mothers and discuss what kinds of items you plan to sell. Ask each mother to contribute her own special recipe for the sale; encourage your preschoolers to help you in the kitchen with simple tasks so they feel included in the process. Work out how much money you plan to charge per item based on the cost of ingredients, and try to keep prices reasonably low when possible, to entice more customers. Select a date and time to hold your bake sale at a high traffic location like a sporting event to ensure big crowds will be present.
Consider holding a fashion show that features both children's and mothers' fashions for your fundraiser. Solicit local businesses or start-up designers in your area to donate outfits to your cause; these will be the outfits that both your preschoolers and you and the other mothers will sport on the runway. Find out about hosting the show at a nearby mall or other public space, and advertise your event several weeks in advance using social media to keep costs low and to reach a wide audience. To earn money, either charge admission to the show or simply auction off the outfits seen on the runway. A volunteer MC should announce what each model is wearing to inform viewers and give credit to the donating businesses and designers.
Host a family movie night in your preschool's auditorium or gym; if you decide to fundraise during the summer months, choose a nice night to screen the movie outdoors. Ask around to see if the school has a projector you could use for the night, or investigate the cost of renting one for an evening. Project a family-friendly movie on a large screen, sheet or wall in the space you've chosen to host your movie night. Charge families admission to watch the film, and sell a variety of movie theater refreshments, like popcorn or candy.
Meet with the other preschool mothers and find out each person's strengths and talents to come up with some ideas for hosting kid-friendly classes during the week. For instance, if you have some artists, chefs or actors in the group, host some basic instructional classes that reflect these areas of expertise. Parents can then drop their kids for a few hours while they run errands or have some alone time rather than hire a babysitter. Charge a small admission to cover materials and participation in the classes, and have each mother teach once or twice a month.