Before you dive right into planning your food truck fundraiser, you probably have some questions about how they work. Take a look at the answers we’ve compiled to frequently asked questions about food truck fundraisers:

How Do You Raise Money at a Food Truck Fundraiser?

There are a few different ways you could raise money by partnering with a food truck: 

• Charge a flat fee. A simple way to raise money at a food truck fundraiser is to charge the food truck upfront. You could also let them choose their donation amount, but you’ll want to tell them a suggested minimum if that’s the case.
• Request a percentage of their sales. Most food trucks will be willing to contribute a portion of either their total sales or each individual purchase that occurs during the event to your cause. This way, the more people that show up, the more you can raise.
• Sell tickets in advance. Create vouchers (physical or online) that represent a meal from the food truck and sell them ahead of time. This option is best if the food truck wants to get an idea of how many people to prepare food for.

Talk to the food truck you’re partnering with to see which fundraising methods they have used in the past and which they think will be best for your event. You can even combine different methods to create your own unique fundraising strategy. 

How Do I Find a Food Truck That Is Willing to Partner with My Organization? 

Looking for a food truck to partner with is often a little more tricky than finding a restaurant to partner with. Whereas chain restaurants typically have fundraising programs in place, local food trucks may have less experience working with nonprofits. However, there are several ways you can go about searching for a food truck to partner with:

• Search directly for food trucks in your area. To start, do a simple Google search for “food trucks” to see what comes up near you. 
• Look on a food truck or restaurant review website. Believe it or not, there are websites out there dedicated to helping you find food trucks. An example of one is Roaming Hunger. You could also scout out food trucks on more traditional restaurant websites such as Yelp, Trip Advisor, or Zagat.
• Scour social media. Food trucks are unique in that they often go from place to place. Considering that, they’re more likely than regular restaurants to announce their current location on social media to get people to visit. Try searching #foodtruck, #foodtrucks, or other similar hashtags and concepts on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok to find them.

Of course, it doesn’t hurt to use all of these methods, especially if you’re looking to work with multiple food trucks!

What Types of Organizations Can Host a Food Truck Fundraiser? 

Many different organizations can host a successful food truck fundraiser, including:

• Schools
• Nonprofits
• Clubs/community organizations
• Companies
• Churches
• Sports teams

Food truck fundraisers are a great way to bring your community together and raise money for a great cause.

How Do I Plan a Food Truck Fundraiser? 

You can follow these four steps for the ultimate food truck fundraiser: 

1. Find a food truck to partner with and discuss the event. You’ll want to come to an agreement on the type of food you’ll serve, your fundraising plan, and a date for your event.
2. Book a location. Make sure you find a place with plenty of parking spaces and enough room for the truck to set up. Usually, a school parking lot or park works best.
3. Spread the word. Promote your event far enough in advance so people can plan to come. Also, ask your food truck partner if they’re willing to post on their own social media for double the advertising.
4. Thank everyone for coming. Show your appreciation to your attendees and especially your food truck partner.

Now that you know the basics of a food truck fundraiser, it’s time for some tips!