The Bunnings sausage sizzle: how to book one and run it well

Bunnings asks for community requests in writing, on the organisation's letterhead, sent to the nearest store and addressed to the Activities Organiser. In practice that means a short letter or email that says:

• who you are: the club's full incorporated name, how many players, and the suburb
• what the money is for: “new goals for our MiniRoos” lands better than “general funds”
• two or three dates that would suit, ideally weekends
• a contact name and mobile number

Popular stores can be booked out a long way ahead, so ask early and be flexible on the date. If you don't hear back in a week or two, drop into the store and ask for the Activities Organiser by name. Ask them at the same time what the store supplies on the day and what you need to bring.

Wherever you are, the basics are the same: keep raw sausages cold until they go on the barbecue, cook them right through, wash hands (bring a water container with a tap, soap and paper towel if there's no sink nearby), and keep raw and cooked food apart. The NSW Food Authority has a free Food Handler Basics course if anyone on the roster wants a refresher.

A sizzle runs smoothly with about six people on at once. Two-hour shifts are long enough to be useful and short enough that parents will say yes.

There's no magic number. The best guide is a club that's done the same store before, so ask around your association. Otherwise, start from the number of sausages you think you'll sell and work everything else out from that:

• Sausages: your estimate, plus a few spare for volunteers.
• Bread: one slice per sausage. Count the slices in a loaf before you buy.
• Onions: sliced the night before and kept cold, saves a lot of crying in the car park.
• Sauce: tomato and barbecue at a minimum, mustard if you're feeling fancy.
• Drinks: cans or bottles of water, sold unopened, keep it simple.
• Gear: tongs, gloves, napkins, bin bags, a gas bottle if you're bringing a barbecue, a cooler with ice, a cash float in small notes and coins, and a card reader.

Some butchers and supermarkets will give a community discount or take back unopened stock, and it costs nothing to ask. Check the store's gift card and product donations too: Bunnings also donates to community raffles.

Underneath. In 2018 Bunnings suggested that sizzle groups put the onion under the sausage, because onion falling off the top was a slipping hazard on the store's floors. It caused an uproar at the time, but it's a sensible idea, and it's worth asking your store whether it expects it.

For the other ways clubs raise money, see our grants guide.