Kissing booths can be a great way to raise funds for a charitable cause, but don’t come without obstacles.

Perhaps the easiest and often most overlooked way to raise money is a kissing booth. Not only does the booth proprietor not need to sell a physical product, it also involves virtually no preparation time beyond a sign, cash register, and optional booth. A kissing booth also sells a very unique, hard-to-find service that many people would otherwise be unable to acquire.

So why are kissing booths fairly rare? The answer is simple: society may consider them somewhat taboo, and the featured kisser(s) could be seen as floozies.

Here’s how to get around the awkwardness and run a successful kissing booth at your school, church, or organization’s next fundraising event.

Reasons to choose a kissing booth as your means of fundraising

• As previously stated, a kissing booth can be thrown together in mere minutes. All that is truly needed is a volunteer, some sort of sign or advertisement, and perhaps the makings of a booth, which could be as simple as a table, a chair, or a podium.
• A kissing booth has the greatest return on investment of any possible fundraiser. As opposed to a bake sale or car wash where items must first be purchased in order to operate the fundraiser, a kissing booth has virtually zero overhead or startup costs. The only stipulation would be if a “talent” needed to be hired to be the featured kisser.
• Kissing booths have infinite supply, whereas a bake sale has a finite number of goods that can be sold. And given the short amount of time it takes to kiss someone, a kisser could conceivably kiss up to a dozen patrons per hour!
• Kissing booths could charge a premium and no one would hesitate to pay it. $20 for a kiss from an otherwise unattainable woman, for instance, may be a no-brainer decision for a down-on-his-luck acne-ridden high school boy.
• In theory, a kissing booth provides something other fundraisers cannot—the feeling of pure joy for the recipient. A clean car or a tray of brownies may make someone happy, but not as much so as those few seconds of sucking face.

It all sounds glamorous, but there is bound to be some objection and backlash from others in your group and society in general. Parents, teachers, pastors, and others may put the kaibosh on a kissing booth, believing it to be unsavory. Some believe a kissing booth can bring about feeling of lust which would be deemed terribly inappropriate for some events. The spreading of germs is another concern.

Mentioning the items above should help your cause and selling the idea to those who object.

Running a successful kissing booth

Once you’ve convinced anyone who needs convincing, it’s time to get to work. Here are some items to consider when setting up your kissing booth.

• By far the biggest concern is who will be the featured kisser(s). Will you choose one person? Will there be a man and woman option? It’s up to you. Remember that the kisser has to be really “into” the idea and won’t turn anyone down. The kisser also should be someone desirable to potential patrons. Some gimmicky booths may also present the option of a dog or baby.
• Make it very clear what the patron should expect! You could have levels of kisses. For $1, a peck on the cheek. For $5, a lip-to-lip kiss. Perhaps for the high rollers, $25 gets you a full makeout session. Consider what you’ll charge and what service you will provide, and then make sure it’s clearly communicated to avoid any unhappy clients or refund requests.
• Make sure that whomever is the featured kisser is prepared for possible deflation. There is nothing more embarrassing than running a kissing booth and not getting any customers. This would obviously be heartbreaking and totally demeaning to many people.
• Make sure the cause is well-known. Let everyone know that the funds are going towards a noble cause. When people see that proceeds are benefitting a local animal shelter or youth group trip to Mexico, that could be an individual’s rationale to “go for it”. “Well, it’s for a good cause, honey” you can tell your wife as you slap down your $10 bill.
• Though we have established that a booth can be thrown together on the fly, you might have better success if you go all out and build a nice booth with bright colors, lots of hearts, and perhaps even an announcer that can lure passersby into stepping up!
• Make sure that your booth won’t get shut down by getting proper sign-offs beforehand. If your booth isn’t approved, perhaps try setting up for business just off official grounds.

Now that you know the ins and outs of kissing booths, get to work! Let us know in the comments how much you made and share the highlights and lowlights of your experience for a chance to win $30 cash!

My Hot Take

Believe it or not, yours truly once operated a kissing booth. My friend Joe and I put together a makeshift booth at an employee event on the fly. We had several very interested customers take advantage in the first minute of operation before we were shut down by an angry manager. “I don’t like this,” she said, and tore up our sign.