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During these long, snowy days of winter, there’s nothing like a big bowl of hot chili to warm the heart. That’s why a chili feed is a terrific fundraiser at this time of year. Another option is to schedule your event for February 22 since this is National Chili Day!
Here’s how:
- Get your volunteers together and prepare several crockpots of chili using a variety of recipes. You’ll find a few of our favorites at the end of this post.
- I suggest you serve primarily traditional chili, but it’s also fun to add a few specialty recipes. There are lots of options: no-bean, vegetarian, chicken, fiery hot, or venison.
- Provide a variety of toppings such as shredded cheese, sour cream, diced onion, and crushed tortilla chips. We find it works best to have volunteers measure out the toppings for each person, as some guests are overly generous when piling on their toppings. This helps prevent running out of toppings, and it also assures your event is a good fundraiser.
- Add sides such as bread, crackers, a beverage, and a light dessert (cookies, brownies, etc.) to complete the meal.
- A good way to determine how much to charge for the meal is to multiply the cost of your ingredients and supplies by 3, then divide by the number of servings you make.
- Post signs explaining the project for which you’re raising money. You might also want to place a tip jar on the cashier’s table in case people wish to make an additional donation.
Favorite Slow Cooker Chili
- 1 lb ground beef
- 2 yellow onions, (diced)
- 1 green pepper, (diced)
- 1 jalapeno pepper, (finely chopped)
- 1 14 oz can Mexican style tomatoes
- 2 8 oz cans tomato sauce
- 1 cup black coffee
- 1 14 oz can kidney beans, (drained)
- 1 14 oz can black beans, (drained)
- 2 Tbsp cumin
- 2 Tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp paprika
- Saute ground beef and onion until meat is browned. Mix all ingredients in a slow cooker. Heat for 6 hrs. on the low setting.
Best Vegetarian Chili
- 1 15 oz can red beans, (drained and rinsed)
- 1 15 oz can cannellini beans, (drained and rinsed)
- 1 11 oz can condensed black bean soup
- 1 16 oz can vegetarian baked beans
- 29 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 15 oz can whole kernel corn, (drained)
- 1 medium yellow onion, (chopped)
- 1 green pepper, (chopped)
- 2 medium zucchini, (chopped)
- 2 stalks celery, (chopped)
- 2 cloves garlic, (minced)
- 1 4 oz can chilis, (diced)
- 1 jalapeno, (chopped)
- 1 Tbsp chili powder
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 Tbsp dried parsley
- 1 Tbsp dried oregano
- 1 Tbsp dried basil
- Saute onions, peppers, zucchini, and celery in a buttered saucepan. Place in crockpot. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cook on low setting for about 6 hours.
Slow Cooker Chicken Chili
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
- 1/2 yellow onion, (chopped)
- 1 clove garlic, (minced)
- 1 1/2 Tbsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp mustard powder
- 1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 dash hot sauce
- 1 15 oz can black beans
- 1 15 oz can cannellini beans
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- Spread olive oil over the bottom of the slow cooker. Place chicken in the slow cooker.
- Mix all remaining ingredients except beans and yogurt. Place in the slow cooker and cook for 6 hrs on low.
- Remove chicken and shred with a fork. Return to slow cooker and add beans. Stir, then cook for 30 more minutes on low.
- Stir in yogurt just before serving.
For another great cold-weather fundraiser, check out my previous post on how to do a soup day fundraiser.
Have you ever hosted a chili feed? Please add your tips in the comment section.
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