Macmillan Coffee Morning ideas

The World's Biggest Coffee Morning happens on the last Friday of September, though Macmillan are clear that you can hold yours whenever suits. Register on the Macmillan website and they'll send a free fundraising kit with posters and bunting.

The format is simple: coffee, cake, a donations tin. Everything below is about making that raise more than it would otherwise - pricing, a raffle, and the two or three extras that double the take.

There's a running order at the end for a two-hour morning at work or in a village hall.

What to bake (and what actually sells)

• Traybakes - one tin, twenty-four portions, no icing to melt. The highest earner per hour of effort.
• Victoria sponge, cut into slices rather than sold whole.
• Brownies and millionaire's shortbread - always sell out first.
• Cupcakes with a topper on each, easy to price at £1.50.
• Scones with jam and cream, made that morning and worth £2.50 as a plate.
• Flapjack and rocky road for anyone avoiding the sponge table.
• Gluten-free and vegan option clearly labelled - you'll sell every one.
• Sausage rolls, if you want the people who don't eat cake to spend anything.
• Shop-bought is completely fine. Nobody is judging, and Macmillan certainly aren't.

Pricing that raises more

• Skip individual pricing: 'coffee and a slice, £3' moves faster and raises more.
• Round to whole pounds. Change slows the queue and people round up anyway.
• Put a card reader out - contactless donations are typically higher than cash ones.
• Have a QR code to your JustGiving page on every table for anyone who can't attend.
• Suggested donation signs beat fixed prices: 'suggested £2, give what you can'.
• Ask your employer about matched giving before the day. It is the single biggest lever available.
• Sell whole cakes at the end rather than binning leftovers - £5 a tin clears the table.

Games and extras that add to the total

• Guess the weight of the cake - £1 a guess, winner takes the cake.
• Name the teddy, or name the cake, at 50p a go.
• Raffle with prizes donated by local businesses; ask two weeks in advance.
• Bake-off competition with a judged winner and a badge as the prize.
• Guess the number of sweets in the jar.
• Coffee morning quiz, ten questions, £1 entry.
• Silent auction for one good prize - a hamper or a day off from the boss.
• Sponsored silence, sweepstake or wear-what-you-like day running alongside.

Decorating the table

• Bunting or a banner across the table - it makes a trestle table look like an event and it photographs well.
• Green is Macmillan's colour: green tablecloth, green napkins, green ribbon on the tins.
• Cake toppers to label each bake, especially the allergen information.
• Table confetti scattered down the middle for two pounds' worth of effort.
• Chalkboard or card signs with prices, big enough to read from the queue.
• One clearly marked, sealed donation tin, not four random pots.

Hosting at work

• Book the biggest room and run it from 10am to 12pm, either side of the mid-morning slump.
• Ask each team to bring one bake - it spreads the cost and the effort.
• Email the week before, then again the morning of. The second email raises more than the first.
• Ask senior staff to judge the bake-off; participation goes up sharply.
• Check whether your employer matches what's raised.
• Send a thank you card to whoever did the baking and the setting up.

Hosting at school or in a village hall

• Run it straight after drop-off - parents are already there and won't come back later.
• Ask for donations of bakes on a signup sheet rather than a general plea.
• Have a children's table: decorate a biscuit for £1.
• Label allergens on every plate; schools will require it.
• Set up a corner with chairs so people stay and spend rather than buying and leaving.
• Recruit two volunteers on tills and two floating - the queue is what loses you money.

A two-hour running order

• 8:30 - tables up, bunting hung, prices written, floats counted.
• 9:00 - bakes arrive and get labelled with allergens.
• 9:45 - urn on, first coffee made, raffle tickets on the door.
• 10:00 - open. Two on the till, one on coffee, one floating with the tin.
• 11:00 - raffle draw and guess-the-weight result. This is the peak.
• 11:45 - half price on everything left, then whole cakes for a fiver.
• 12:00 - close, count up, photograph the total for the group chat.
• Same day - post the total and thank everyone by name.

Shop thank you cards

Cards for volunteers and organisers

Thank you and well done cards, blank inside, posted first class.

How to write it so it lands

• Register with Macmillan first - the free kit saves you buying posters and collection materials.
• Ask about employer matched giving before the day, not after. It can double the total.
• Photograph the table before anyone eats anything. It's what gets shared and brings in late donations.

Where to shop next

• Macmillan Coffee Morning ideas
• Bake sale ideas
• Red Nose Day ideas
• Children in Need ideas
• Charity fundraising ideas
• Buy party supplies
• Bunting and banners
• Cake toppers
• Table confetti
• Pin badges
• Thank you cards
• Work party ideas
• Celebration ideas
• Celebration cake ideas and toppers
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

When is the Macmillan Coffee Morning?

The World's Biggest Coffee Morning is held on the last Friday in September, but Macmillan encourage you to hold yours on any date that works for your workplace, school or group.

How do you register a Macmillan Coffee Morning?

Sign up on the Macmillan Cancer Support website and they send a free fundraising kit with posters, bunting and donation materials, plus a link for online donations.

How much should you charge at a coffee morning?

A flat 'coffee and a slice for £3' raises more than pricing each bake. Add a raffle at £1 a strip and a guess-the-weight at £1 a go, and put a card reader or QR code on every table.

What sells best at a Macmillan Coffee Morning?

Traybakes, brownies and scones sell out first because they're easy to eat standing up. Always label one gluten-free and one vegan option - they go quickly.

Do you sell Macmillan fundraising products?

No - Macmillan send their own branded kit when you register. What we make is the bunting, banners, cake toppers and thank you cards that dress the table and thank your volunteers afterwards.