Using Printed Materials to Maximize Fundraising Income for Schools

To get people excited about the calendar, the band printed people’s birthdays and anniversaries over photos throughout it. Each birthday, anniversary or “in memory” listing cost $1. With the purchase, people listened to local radio stations and a local TV station to hear their names announced on air on their birthdays and special occasions. One daily winner from the birthday listings received a free meal from a local eatery, and one weekly winner from the anniversary listings received two movie tickets at a local cinema.

Out of 500 printed calendars, the band sold most at $5 each and gave copies to those buying ads. It sold 10 $25 ads on most of the inside pages, as well as a total of almost 1,000 birthday, anniversary and “in memory” listings. Since the calendar cost $1,200, it netted the band more than $3,000 in profit while generating much excitement and involvement in the school and community.

“We’re thinking about adding a CD of band music to a future calendar, or posters with scheduling and advertising,” Garner says. “You’ve got to keep trying new things to keep things fresh. The entrepreneurial skills the kids are learning from creative fundraising will serve them well both in school and out of it.”

Rounding up almost $8,000
The Hawaii High School Rodeo Association printed a 15-month calendar to raise money and showcase students in the high-school rodeo program. Each of 15 graduating seniors received his or her own page with a description of his or her future plans.

To incorporate other students in the calendar, smaller student pictures bordered the calendar’s top pages each month. The bottom pages were simple and clean, each with a different anti-drug slogan. A community photographer donated the photography.

When the Rodeo Association sold the calendar around the community and at rodeo events for $15, 700 were sold out of 750, generating $10,500. After paying for the printing cost, the Rodeo Association netted almost $8,000 while honoring its graduating seniors.