BEYOND THE BAKE SALE, THE ULTIMATE SCHOOL FUND-RAISING BOOK

All the ideas and step-by-step instructions you need to raise thousands of dollars for your school are right here in Beyond the Bake Sale.

This comprehensive guide will walk you through:

Setting up a fund-raising team
Finding national organizations that will support your school
Putting on events that leave bake sales in the dust
Finding and keep volunteers
Accounting for and distributing the money you raise

With school budgets slashed, parent-driven fund-raising is needed to keep classrooms stocked with computers and supplies, school libraries with books and teams with uniforms and equipment. Complete with school year timelines, Beyond the Bake Sale is the one book you need to start making money for your school this year.

It will pay for itself many times over.

Kirkus Review:

“A comprehensive guide to adventurous and successful school fundraising. This second, updated edition of Joachim’s (Hanukkah Hearts, 2019, etc.) 2003 nonfiction debut lays out a blueprint with numerous strategies for getting the most out of fundraising for schools. It starts with the basics: Establish good relationships with teachers, administrators, and staff; issue a newsletter to keep parents in the loop and a handbook laying out the dates of various fundraising events; try to create a fundraising reserve fund for unforeseen setbacks; and so on. Joachim raises all kinds of possibilities for events, including car washes, book fairs, and themed dances, including nostalgia-tinged sock hops, and she breaks down the conception, organization, and execution of each with a clarity and enthusiasm that’s encouraging and infectious. She outlines the timing of various types of pledge drives, from the initial announcements to the managing of volunteers to the sending of follow-up thank-you notes. The marvel of this book is how the author seems to forget no detail, no matter how small, and local school administrators and boosters of every stripe will find a wealth of information and innovative thinking in these pages, as well as an extensive, updated list of websites for further research. Joachim’s methods and ideas are premised on the awareness that problems can occur at any time during the fundraising year, and she thankfully refrains from saying that every strategy will be successful. However, the author—who served as a board member of parents’ associations for New York City elementary, middle, and high schools for 16 years—does supply an assemblage of cheerful battle plans, always making sure that the processes are never overbearing or obnoxious. An encouraging, comprehensive fundraising manual.” –Kirkus Reviews

BOOK LIFE REVIEW (PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY)

Reviews

Joachim’s deeply informative guidebook takes readers through the inner workings of school fundraisers, ranging from small ventures such as wrapping paper sales to much larger fairs and auctions. Created to assist schools and parent associations in planning and execution, the table of contents is divided into seasonal and year-round events, taking readers through which ideas are best suited to each season and when to begin preparations. For each potential fundraiser, readers are walked through everything that will be needed: how and where to set things up, how many volunteers will be needed, how best to handle money, and how to maximize return on investment.

Using the in-depth knowledge gleaned from her 16 years of fundraising for schools, Joachim includes helpful perspective on best practices, potential pitfalls to be avoided, and how to improve from year to year. Additional notes at the end of each section detail ways the fundraiser can be stripped down to free or low-cost components, aimed specifically at making these ideas accessible to schools that may be starting from scratch and have limited financial resources available in advance.

Some of Joachim’s fundraiser suggestions will be difficult to implement outside of her home base—the New York City school system—without significant alteration, if at all: big indoor events may not be possible for open campuses where much of the school is outdoors, restrictions on sharing contact information would impede a school directory, strict policies around protecting students with food allergies would rule out homemade food, and so on. However, the sheer variety of ideas offered throughout the book allows readers to pick and choose, tailoring their fundraiser toolbox to the unique needs of their school. Thoroughness and attention to detail make this step-by-step manual one that organizers will regularly return to for inspiration and direction.

Takeaway: Parents and school staff engaged in school fundraising will appreciate this extensive guide to achieving a successful outcome from a multitude of fundraisers.

Production grades
Design and typography: A-
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A

Print Date: 07/27/2020