Consider these 3 yearbook fundraising ideas…
The School Carnival, Field Day, Movie Night, Candy Bar Sales, Talent Show… All these have helped schools fundraise over the years, but during the COVID-19 pandemic, these options⏤and countless others⏤are simply not possible. With schools across the country needing more money than ever given they are receiving less state funding, this school year is going to be tough.
I might not have all the answers, but I have 3 unique, simple ways you can use your yearbook to raise money for your school.
1. Add a Fundraiser to Your Yearbook Price
Once you understand the actual price of your yearbook, simply add on an additional cost. If you don’t know the price of your book (fees and all) use this simple yearbook calculator to figure it out. Let’s say your yearbook costs $20, but you charge parents $25 for the book. If you sell 600 yearbooks, you’ve just raised $3,000 for your school. Given this year is one for the history books (and hopefully not repeated), your school community will be more motivated than ever to purchase this year’s book.
Many yearbook companies offer to manage this for you. Keep in mind this service only costs the yearbook company 5% in bank transaction fees to provide, so they shouldn’t charge you more than that. You can add $0.01 to $1,000,000 to the price of your book, the choice is yours (it’s a memorable year, but I’m not sure I’d recommend adding a million dollars to the price of the book).
2. Sell Recognition Ads
You’ve likely already thought of Senior Ads or Shout Outs that parents and grandparents can share with their children, but consider letting other people share a little love. Students regularly participate in activities outside of school. Reach out to these organizations and ask if they would like to recognize their students. Every student organization is struggling this year; they more grateful than ever to their students. The soccer stars who are showing up to virtual training or the art students who are taking their projects to their homes and Zoom calls, each of these leaders has someone at your school to be proud of. Not only will they enjoy sending some kudos to their students and the students enjoy the recognition, but these are memories and moments that might not have otherwise made it into the yearbook.
Again, this is something that your yearbook company should be able to do for you for nothing more than a bank transaction fee. You can offer full, half, quarter, or eighth page ads all at different price points so everyone can participate in a manner that is comfortable to them.
3. Sell Ads to Local Businesses
Local businesses rely on your school community for business. The realtor needs to show prospective home buyers what the schools are like. The dentist needs all those candy-loving children to keep his cavity business busy. Even the local pizzeria needs families to stop by and enjoy their celebratory za with them every week. It’s safe to assume that during this pandemic, all these businesses have adapted their models to meet the needs of their community and its safety. Let them share how they are helping your students out during these challenging times, be it through outdoor dining, to extra safety protocols. Again, these ads won’t just take up space in your yearbook, but they will tell your communities story of how everyone worked together. If you struggling to decide which businesses to ask first, start by finding out where your students hang out, or where they work on the weekends.
Each of these 3 options could lead to thousands of dollars for your school, uniquely beautiful memories in your yearbook, and are fully supported by your yearbook company to make it easy. For more ideas on how to get your community involved with the yearbook during the COVID-19 pandemic, check out this list of ever-growing ideas.
