Back To School Fundraiser Part 4: Write a Book, Raise Money and Become Famous

Updated Post: All schools contain a wealth of wisdom, encompassing a wide range of subjects, interests, and skill sets. Every day and every year, teachers write lessons, create experiences for their students; tell stories, share recipes and victories with colleagues, and so much more. They make amazing visual presentations showcasing their student’s work and they create seasonal themed displays to enliven classrooms and hallway atmosphere, and then they do it all over again each and every year.

Often times, the work and the wonder of the displays and efforts vanish and become at best a vague memory.  Veteran teachers pass on wisdom and help mentor new teachers. New teachers attend trainings and pass on knowledge to their successors.  Each year, things are repeated anew, and the cycle continues relatively unchanged.

What I mentioned above, is only a fraction of what goes on in a school and classroom throughout a year. My point being, so much happens in a classroom, let alone an entire school, that it is hard to keep track of and it is very difficult to document.  Sure, parents take pictures, some events get filmed, and some work gets saved, for a time anyway.

Why not capture as much of your schools flavor, wisdom, and insights in a more lasting format? Write a book! “Sounds good, but that also sounds like a lot of work just to capture memories, right?”  “Why else should we take the time and effort to do the extra work?” Good questions!

A project like this can help unite faculty, students, parents, PTO/PTA, and administrators in a new and dynamic way.  It can help foster a sense of school pride!  A well produced book can also help the profession of teaching receive more well deserved notoriety and positive attention. It may even help encourage some healthy competition with neighboring schools that want to make an even “better” book than yours.  New schools and new teachers could turn to your book for inspiration and even use it as a blue print to navigate their year.  Teacher training programs can look to your book as a tool to show prospective teachers what a great school looks and feels like.  Maybe it will lead to talk shows, news reports, documentaries based on your book and even a Hollywood movie!   “Ok, that all sounds nice, but it still sounds like a lot of work just to create a feel good product.”  All right then, how about making some money so you don’t have to spend your own!

Many schools across the country are in desperate need of money, that’s no secret.  Programs have been cut, classroom budgets are shrinking, and teachers are spending their own money. Your book can become a fundraising tool to help get the resources you and your students need and deserve.  Maybe now you are thinking this is not such a bad idea, but that it is still too much work. Don’t worry! There are numerous companies out there that provide tools and services to help you from beginning to end if you want.

The following is a list of companies that will help you and your school self publish your book and in some cases help with the writing by offering you templates to work from and some will even help you with the fundraising.  You might want to consider introducing this book idea to your classroom or school at the beginning of the year.  If your students know that what they do, say, and produce will be making its way into a book that will be sold and shared with others, that may inspire them to greatness.  Who doesn’t want to look their best when represented in book?  It could also help frame your curriculum objectives.  The possibilities are endless!  The following resources will help get this book off the ground:

• Maybe you want to focus your books content on just sharing teacher’s favorite recipes. Check out heritagecookbooks.com and their Fundraising Cookbooks Program.
• For those teachers who just want to make a book with their own classroom and use it as a fundraising tool, check out Scribblitt.com and the teacher projects.
• Author House Book Publishing Company
• Xlibris Book Publishing
• Outskirts Press
• 48hrs Books, Easy Book Printing for Self Publishers
• If you still need guidance on how to self publish your book, check out this awesome Slide Share Presentation; Self Publishing 101 

I should mention that most of the above services can be used by an individual i.e. you! Teachers are loaded with stories, wisdom, and humor. Maybe you will write the next great book and make a little extra money while you are at it. Best of luck!

Thank you for reading and for sharing! Hope you found the information useful.  Let me know when your book is on the shelf!

Image Credit: Bartek Zycynski/ Shutterstock.com