How Restaurants and Takeaways Can Benefit From Fundraising Partnerships

Meal vouchers are a fundraising favourite — and for good reason. A restaurant voucher fills seats, fills quiet nights, and brings in families and groups who might never have tried you.

Here's the short answer: offer a voucher that works at your emptiest times — a midweek dinner, a lunch special, a family feed — at a price that covers your food costs with margin, give the fundraiser a share of at least 10%, and let their community fill your calendar. The redemption itself usually brings extra spend: a $60 voucher against an $80 meal is a $20 bonus sale.

Why restaurants and takeaways fit fundraising

Everyone eats. A meal voucher is the most universal product a fundraiser can sell — no sizing, no fitting, no "will they like it" hesitation. And unlike retail, a restaurant's cheapest asset is its empty seats: a Tuesday night table costs you almost nothing whether it's full or not, which means vouchers can be genuinely win-win instead of a discount.

For takeaways, the maths is even simpler: a "family feed" voucher — fish and chips for four, a pizza pack, a curry night — is a high-value, high-frequency offer that sells itself to busy families.

The maths that works

Let's price a $60 midweek dinner voucher with a 15% share:

What happens	Amount
Buyer pays	$60.00
Fundraiser's share (15%)	$9.00
Platform fee (5% + GST on the sale)	~$3.30
You receive	~$47.70

If the meal costs you $22 in food, that's a ~$25 margin — on a Tuesday table that might otherwise have sat empty. And the average table spend on voucher redemptions tends to run above the voucher value, because the voucher gets people in the door and the menu does the rest.

Not sure whether 10% or 15% is right for you? Our guide to choosing the fundraiser's share walks through the decision.

What makes it work

• Design the voucher for your quiet nights. Monday-to-Wednesday, lunch service, or an early-bird window. This is the single most profitable choice you'll make — it turns an empty table into revenue without stealing from your busy times.
• Set terms that protect you. "Valid midweek only", "one voucher per table", "not valid on public holidays" — short, clear conditions prevent the Saturday rush. See how to write terms that work.
• Price for the upsell. A voucher that covers a main but not drinks or dessert invites the natural add-on — which is where your margin lives.
• Make redemption a warm experience. A table card, a thank-you for supporting the cause, a free kids' scoop or garlic bread — the small gesture is what gets shared on Facebook.
• Follow up with regulars. Add redeemers to your loyalty list or newsletter so one voucher visit becomes many. Here's the full playbook.

Which fundraisers to choose

Schools, sports clubs, churches and cultural groups are the strongest partners for restaurants — they have families, teams and congregations who eat out together. A season-long or term-long campaign keeps your name in front of the whole community, not just on the night of the fundraiser.

If you want to spread your support across several causes without juggling, read how to choose which fundraisers to back.

A few honest notes

Food costs are your floor — price the voucher above them before adding the share, and never let the share push you below cost. Keep the voucher count limited if you're worried about a redemption rush, and remember takeaways work best with a collection window ("valid for Friday–Sunday pickup") so you can prep ahead.

Meal vouchers are one of the most reliable fundraisers in New Zealand — reliable for the cause, and reliable for the restaurant that prices them properly.

Frequently asked questions

What's the minimum share I have to give?

At least 10% of each sale on Generous.nz. Restaurants commonly offer 15% because the midweek capacity makes it affordable.

Who pays the platform fee?

You do — 5% + GST on the sales your partnership generates, fee-free on your first $1,000, and nothing to pay if nothing sells.

Can I restrict vouchers to quiet times?

Yes — and you should. "Valid midweek" or "lunch only" terms protect your weekends and fill your emptiest service.

What happens if a voucher isn't redeemed?

You've already been paid for it, so there's no loss — and you can invite cardholders to visit or extend the window to encourage redemption.

Do voucher customers spend more than the voucher value?

Usually, yes — the average redemption spend runs above the voucher amount, which is exactly why the model works for restaurants. Track it with the ROI scorecard and you'll see it in your own numbers.