A Claytons Cake Stall is the cake stall you have when you’re not having a cake stall?
Confused?
Put simply, instead of asking families in your school or club to bake a cake which you then sell to raise funds, you ask families to donate the equivalent cash that they would have spent on making the cake, and the amount of money they would have spent buying a cake.
In theory, you raise as much money without anyone actually having to do anything.
Of course, no one actually gets a cake either.
The term became widely used in the 1960s and 1970s when a brand of non-alcoholic carbonated drink (Claytons) which was packaged to look like whiskey, advertised itself as ‘the drink you have when you’re not having a drink’.
I found this poem in the school newsletter from Cleve Area School in South Australia (2012) which nicely describes how the Clayton’s cake stall operates:
A bit of news we have today
a Claytons cake stall’s on the way.
In these busy days now, who can bake
pies, cookies or even a cake?
So we’ve thought of a plan that’s really grand
and feel quite sure you’ll understand.
Into the envelope please put the price
of a pie or a cake or anything nice.
Without fuss or bother, you’ve done your part
we’re sure you’ll give with a willing heart.
This is the end of our little tale
so wish us success with our Claytons mail.
Personally, I think I would rather bake (and eat) a cake, but it certainly is an interesting option for raising money with the bare minimum of effort.
What are your thoughts on the Claytons Cake Stall?