The Top 19 Yearbook Fundraising Ideas for Schools

Publishing school yearbooks can be costly, so many schools look for yearbook fundraising ideas to help pay for them. A school yearbook is an enduring record of each school year that is treasured by students and staff for years to come. To make the school yearbook a comprehensive and high-quality keepsake, it helps to have a decent budget to fund the yearbook.

This guide provides 19 fundraising ideas for yearbooks that schools can use to raise money to put toward yearbook content, publishing and distribution costs. The difficulty of the ideas range from easy to hard and the costs from low ($), medium ($$) to high ($$$).

So if your school could use funding to support your yearbook, keep reading for some great ways to raise those funds.

1. Raffle

• Cost: $
• Difficulty: Easy 

Sell raffle tickets and offer prizes such as a gift card or a technology device. Have your volunteers sell tickets in advance so people can buy them before the day of the raffle. 

Allow students and staff to sell tickets and offer incentives for the top sellers. Offer incentives such as discounts or extra chances at winning if they buy multiple tickets. Consider offering different levels of prizes, with smaller items for lower ticket prices and larger items for higher ticket prices. 

You could even host an online raffle with virtual tickets. Participants can buy through CashApp or another specialized payment service. 

2. Customized Water Bottles

• Cost: $$ 
• Difficulty: Easy 

Partner with a local vendor to create customized water bottles with the school's logo. Sell them to students and parents for a profit. Not only will you be raising money for the yearbook, but you'll also promote school spirit. 

Calculate the cost of each water bottle, such as design and printing fees, to ensure that your profit margin is high. 

Consider having volunteers sign up to help at events and spread awareness about your water bottle fundraiser by handing out flyers or talking to potential donors. Offer incentives for those who buy extra bottles or offer discounts on bulk orders. 

Be sure to promote your event in advance through social media and school bulletin boards so you can maximize the profits from this fundraiser! 

3. Personalized Ads

• Cost: $
• Difficulty: Easy 

This is one of the most popular yearbook fundraising ideas you'll come across. Sell space in the yearbook for personalized ads. Parents, family members and local businesses can buy space to congratulate a specific student or advertise their own business. It's a win-win situation! 

To improve your profits, offer discounts on bulk orders or more benefits like an extra shout-out if they buy more than one ad. Create flyers and post them around the school to promote the fundraiser in advance. Have volunteers sign up as advertising agents and have them approach local businesses about buying ads. 

Advertise online through social media so parents can easily access the website with information about purchasing ads. 

4. Movie Night

• Cost: $$ 
• Difficulty: Medium 

A fun fundraising idea for yearbook expenses is to host a movie night on the school's football field. Charge admission and sell snacks and drinks. It's a fun way to unite the community while raising money for the yearbook. 
 
One great idea for a movie night is to have volunteers create fun activities related to the movie. You can also organize contests or raffles during intermissions and invite local businesses to take part. 
 
Consider offering prizes such as gift cards or school-related items, like yearbooks! Make sure you promote the event ahead of time using social media and bulletin boards around the school so everyone is aware of your fundraiser. 

5. Car Wash

• Cost: $
• Difficulty: Easy 

Organize a car wash in the school's parking lot. Advertise it to the community and charge a set fee per car. It's a classic yearbook fundraising idea that never gets old. 

Assign volunteers different tasks, such as scrubbing the cars or managing the money, to ensure that everything runs smoothly on car wash day. 

6. Bake Sale

• Cost: $
• Difficulty: Easy 

Organize a bake sale and sell homemade treats to students and staff. It's an easy way to raise money for the yearbook while showcasing your baking skills. 

The key to a successful bake sale is organization and promotion. Before the day of the sale, be sure to plan what types of baked goods you will sell, how much each item will cost, and how many of each item you should make. Consider having a variety of treats so there's something for everyone. Ensure your treats are well-packaged so they don't get damaged or messy. 

Also, promote the event in advance using social media and school bulletin boards. Have volunteers sign up to help set up and run the bake sale on the event day. 

7. Yearbook Page Sponsorship

• Cost: $
• Difficulty: Easy 

Sell space in the yearbook for page sponsorship. Businesses or individuals can sponsor a specific page in the yearbook for a set fee. It's a great way to promote local businesses while raising money for the yearbook. 

Offer discounts on bulk orders or extra benefits, such as an extra shout-out if they buy more than one page. Make different levels of recognition in the yearbook. These can be called Bronze, Silver, and Gold plans. Each plan will have different amounts of visibility in the yearbook. 

8. Talent Show

• Cost: $$
• Difficulty: Medium 

Another great yearbook fundraising idea is to host a talent show and charge admission. Students and staff members can perform, and the winner can receive a prize. Showcasing the school's talent while raising money for the yearbook is fun. 

To make the talent show memorable, organize different activities or challenges related to the talent show. You could invite local businesses or organizations to be judges and sponsor prizes for the winners. You could also create a photo booth with props for people to take pictures as a fun memento of their experience. 

9. Spirit Wear

• Cost: $$
• Difficulty: Medium 

Partner with a local vendor to create customized spirit wear with the school's logo. Sell them to students, parents and staff for a profit. It's a great way to promote school spirit while raising money for the yearbook. 

When creating spirit wear, create different styles and colors so everyone can find something they like. Consider offering discounts on bulk orders or having a contest to encourage people to buy more items. Speak with your vendor about design and production factors that might affect the profitability of the spirit wear. If you're screen-printing shirts, a one-color design will be the most profitable. 

10. Auction

• Cost: $$$
• Difficulty: High 

Auctions can be profitable fundraising ideas for yearbook programs. They are high-cost fundraisers but can yield high profits if they’re done right. 

Get creative with your auction ideas and include items that may have special meaning to the school community. Consider offering: 

• Signed memorabilia from alumni 
• Artwork created by students and staff members 
• Tickets to local sporting events 
• Gift certificates to local restaurants 
• Online experiences 

Research the latest fads and add a desirable item to the list! 

Advertise the auction well in advance so participants have time to consider their bids. You can even offer online bidding for a wider reach and convenience. 

11. Trivia Night

• Cost: $$
• Difficulty: Medium 

Host a trivia night and charge admission. Participants can form teams and compete against each other for a prize. It's a fun way to unite the community while raising money for the yearbook. Consider a theme and invite people to dress up. Some ideas for trivia night themes are: 

• Decades 
• TV and Movies 
• Pop Culture 
• Sports 

Consider creating a mystery round with a special prize to add some excitement. 

Organize different activities or challenges related to the trivia event to make it more memorable. For example, you could invite local businesses or organizations to be judges and sponsor prizes for the winners. You can reach out to local businesses to sponsor prizes or donate snacks for the event. 

12. Photo Booth

• Cost: $$$
• Difficulty: Medium 

Rent a photo booth and charge students and parents for a fun photo opportunity. You can customize the photo booth to include school logos or colors. It's a unique yearbook fundraising idea  that creates a fun experience for students and parents. 

Add special touches to make the experience more fun. You can use school logos or colors to decorate the props and backgrounds. Some examples of fun props include: 

• Hats 
• Wigs 
• Mustaches 
• Glasses 
• Masks 

You could also offer discounts for multiple prints. Or create custom frames with the school's logo to make the experience more special. You could also provide a special discount code for people who buy their photos online. This will help to spread the word about your fundraiser and increase profits. 

13. Pancake Breakfast

• Cost: $
• Difficulty: Easy 

Host a pancake breakfast and charge admission. Students, staff and community members can enjoy breakfast while raising money for the yearbook. 

One unique way to make the pancake breakfast special is to offer a variety of pancakes with different toppings and fillings. Consider offering traditional pancakes with syrup, but also sweet and savory options such as: 

• Bacon pancakes 
• Pumpkin spice pancakes with cream cheese icing 
• Chocolate chip pancakes with peanut butter sauce 
• Banana pancakes with honey and walnuts 
• Apple cinnamon pancakes with caramel syrup 
• Strawberry pancakes with whipped cream 

You can even offer crepes for a French-inspired breakfast. This way, everyone can find something they like! By offering a variety of options, you can cater to different tastes and make the pancake breakfast a memorable and profitable fundraising idea for yearbook costs. 

14. Crowdfunding

• Cost: $
• Difficulty: Easy 

Crowdfunding is one of the easiest yearbook fundraising ideas. GoFundMe is a crowdfunding platform that many people are already familiar with. Set up an online platform and promote it to the school community. Invite family and friends to donate funds to reach your goal. 

One way to get people to donate to your crowdfunding platform is to use social media and digital marketing. Encourage supporters to share the campaign on their own social media accounts to help spread the word and reach your goal. 

You can also offer rewards or incentives for those who donate. Send a special thank-you card or a discount code for the school store. This will help to encourage more people to donate and reach your fundraising goal. 

15. Yearbook Subscription Drive

• Cost: $
• Difficulty: Easy 

Hold a subscription drive to presell copies of the yearbook. A subscription drive is a simple way to raise money for the yearbook program. It involves preselling copies of the yearbook before distribution. 

People can pay up front at a discounted rate and receive their copies when the yearbook is released. This offers an easy, low-cost solution, as it requires minimal effort from staff or volunteers to organize and execute. Here's what you need to do: 

1. Design a flyer with pricing options 
2. Distribute them among students and faculty 
3. Collect payments before distributing the yearbooks. 

Offer incentives for those who buy early and promote it to the school community. It’s an easy yearbook fundraising idea that gets people excited about the upcoming yearbook while raising money for the program. 

16. Walk-a-thon

• Cost: $ 
• Difficulty: Medium 

Do a walk-a-thon to raise money for the yearbook. Everyone at school can take part. A walk-a-thon is an event where people raise money by walking. They all walk the same route. You can hold it over a specific distance or for a set duration of time. Participants can collect pledges from family members and friends to raise money for the yearbook program. 

Set a fundraising goal and offer prizes for the top fundraisers. To make it more interesting, create themed walking routes with different activities. This can add fun and excitement to the school event while raising money. 

17. Talent Marketplace

• Cost: $
• Difficulty: Easy 

Organize a talent marketplace where students can offer their services in exchange for donations. It's an excellent student learning experience and an effective fundraising method. You might consider: 

• Walking dogs 
• Baking cookies 
• Helping with yard work 
• Tutoring younger students 

You can also request local businesses or restaurants to take part in the talent marketplace and donate proceeds from sales. This helps to engage the entire community while also raising money for your yearbook program. 

18. Ice Cream Social

• Cost: Low 
• Difficulty: Easy 

Host an ice cream social to raise money for your yearbook program. You can host it on campus for students and faculty, or in a public space to attract more people. Offer a variety of ice cream flavors and toppings at an affordable price. You can also add a variety of other snacks and drinks to the menu. 

To encourage more people to attend, offer door prizes or a raffle for those who buy items. This can help to raise extra funds while also engaging the community. It's an easy, low-cost way to raise money for the yearbook. With a little creativity and planning, an ice cream social is one of many yearbook fundraising ideas. 

19. School Fundraising Software

Looking to maximize your revenue for yearbook fundraisers? The solution lies in the specialized school fundraising software offered by Vanco. This user-friendly platform allows schools to create customizable yearbook fundraising pages and set clear fundraising goals. With easy online donation options and detailed reporting capabilities, schools can track progress in real-time and optimize their fundraising efforts. Efficient communication with donors and seamless promotion of fundraisers is also ensured. Trust in the power of fundraising software, and watch your yearbook fundraising revenue soar, ensuring a memorable keepsake of every student's school year. 

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