Wouldn’t it be great if you could meet the community in a casual setting and show them, firsthand, the ways in which your school is impacting youth? A way for you to reach even those in your community who don’t have children at the school but who – as neighbors, friends, and business owners – reap the benefits of turning out well-educated children? A way for you to brag a bit while entertaining everyday folks? The Book Report Fundraiser does that and more!

The Book Report Fundraiser partners with local eateries to showcase student’s work by using child-authored book reports as table display cards. The fundraising team can approach the owners of local cafes, coffee shops, and diners to see if they would be willing to place these laminated book report cards on their tables and/or in their check holders or trays and train their staff to point them out to customers when they take their order or leave their bill.

Teachers can be a driving force behind prep for this project; they can have students complete a pre-printed sheet that allows them to write a very short paragraph or two about a book they have read recently: What it was about, why they liked it, and a rating from 1 to 5 stars.

Leave a blank space for them to draw a picture, too. The sheets can be pasted (glue sticks work best) to a piece of construction paper (8.5” x 5.5”, a standard half-sheet) and then slid into upright, clear plastic holders to stand on the table. Laminating is HIGHLY recommended because tables and restaurant counters can get a bit sloppy.

On the front of the card on top, put a line like:  “This Book Review brought to you by a fabulous student at YOUR SCHOOL”. The space at the bottom should allow the student to write their name and their grade. You may even complement the fundraiser with smencils scented pencils.

On the back of the card, put something like:

“Did you enjoy this review? Your support of our local schools is changing kids lives and this community for the better! Make a difference today by making a small donation to our XYZ FUND so more kids can read, write, and succeed in life!

Thanks in advance for changing the world through education. Your donation will be taken by your server or at the cash register. If you have any questions or comments about other ways to make our school great, contact ————”

• Give the restaurant owner and his/her staff a few scripts of what to say and why their help is so appreciated.

• Give them a donation envelope or jar with a sign.

• Pick up donations on a regular basis and let the owners know how it is going.

• Keep things fresh by switching out the story cards they have.

• Send thank you notes to the owners from the Fundraising Team and, if possible, the participating teachers, and a few of the kids.

• If a laminator is not available at the school or proves to be a prohibitive expense, consider partnering with the local library (they often have a laminator) or contact a local college that has an Education Department to see if you can borrow theirs for the cost of the plastic. You can also lobby a major manufacturer to donate the plastic holders.

Print up thank you “Check This Out!” coupons for the restaurant. You can use basic colored copy paper… nothing fancy, but certainly readable and inviting. This is not a traditional coupon; it is a send home piece letting all the parents know that this restaurant takes the efforts of local schools seriously and you want to encourage families to patronize their establishment and catch a book review or two!

Book Report Fundraiser is a post from: Elementary School Fundraising Ideas