I've been asked by a friend to help out with a local volunteer fire-fighters association charity event. I jumped at the chance, but now that I am getting details, I'm not sure how to proceed.

First of all, I suggested that I make a cake to be served at the event, so people there know the quality of my work... and then I would make up a gift certificate to be auctioned off for a cake to be made for the winner in the future.

Now I'm finding out that the event traditionally hosts 100-150 people. (I'm a small beans baker... that's a lot for me ) So... where I become lost is this... do I charge for the cake to be served, and donate the gift certificate... OR because this is a charity event, do you think it's going to be expected that I donate the cake to be served as well??

Any thoughts on this??? Thanks in advance!!

I guess it depends on what your friend meant by "help out", so I'd ask her. You might explain that donating the cake to be served AND a gift certificate is a lot, then ask her which she'd rather have. Maybe then they'd offer to pay for the served cake and let you donate the certificate. Or, they might prefer the cake for the gathering and skip the certificate.

Based on my experience with charity events, I doubt you'll get them to pay for anything. But, since you are the one donating/helping out, you get to decide what you'll give. That means you can donate a cake for the event. But it doesn't mean you have to make cake to serve everyone attending.

Let them know you will be donating such & such size cake and certificate. That way they can plan to find additional dessert donations to supplement.

I would bet they are wanting you to provide enough free cake to feed everyone and give a gift certificate.

Pick whatever you are most comfortable doing. If you can only afford to donate the certificate then do that. Or let them know how many servings you are able to provide.

Be firm and they can either take it or leave it.

You were the one who came up with the idea of a cake to serve so I would doubt that they have funds to pay you for it. Skip the cake to serve and just donate the certificate. You can provide pictures for display.

I recently did a cake for a local village day. I made a sculpted cake as a prize in the weigh the cake competition (this recouped the cost of the cakes ingredients) took some pictures and also baked a square cake that I cut up into little bit size pieces to offer out.