Here's why educators, students, and families love Mixbook classroom fundraisers

One of the biggest challenges in education is figuring out how to cover the extra classroom costs. Educators often use personal money to ensure the classroom is inviting, inspiring, and fully stocked with necessary supplies. It's a tall task, indeed. Mixbook wants to make it easier with a classroom fundraiser that benefits educators, students, and families.

Making a custom photo book as a classroom fundraiser is a great way to inspire your students' creativity and sense of pride. It also offers families a cherished memento as a valuable exchange for their financial donations. Best of all, Mixbook's unique tools make the process stress-free for educators.

How a Mixbook classroom fundraiser works

Mixbook helps educators create classroom-themed photo books. These custom books showcase school achievements and are appealing items to sell to family members as a classroom fundraiser.

As a No. 1-rated photo design tool and photo product service, Mixbook offers endless customization options to make any classroom fundraiser one of a kind. The online interface is easy to use and has hundreds of professionally designed themes for your fundraising project.

Here's how it works.

Come up with a fun photo book concept

The first step in organizing a Mixbook classroom fundraiser is creating a photo book concept. This is an excellent opportunity for your students to brainstorm ideas and vote for their favorite. It could be a year-in-review photo book, a student art portfolio, or a memories book showcasing the best moments of the school year. (We have more suggestions below.)

Collect photos and text elements

Collect photos that fit your chosen idea. You could photograph artwork and other projects, scan schoolwork, or set up a "photo booth" for special student headshots. Have students write captions and other text to go alongside the images. Next, upload all your materials and design the book in the Mixbook Studio.

Educators can use the Mixbook app to save photos throughout the school year. This will give you a whole library of images to choose from when making a photo book. You might also ask for photo submissions from parents, or ask a volunteer parent to be the "official" photographer for field trips and other events. Save these images in a dedicated folder so they're easy to access.

Design your photo book

Depending on the kids' ages and skill sets, educators might involve students in the process or design the photo book themselves. The Mixbook Studio is easy to use and intuitive, so this is a great way for students to learn about design concepts, typography, and photo editing skills.

If you have chosen a photo book idea that will feature students' writing, incorporate lessons into the process. Brainstorming, creating first drafts, listening to feedback, and editing are valuable skills that students can learn while putting the book together.

Are you new to Mixbook? Check out this recommended read: Getting Started Mixbook 101

Connect with Mixbook's volume team

Before ordering any photo book, connect with Mixbook's volume team to discuss a bulk discount. A team member can also help you select the best size, cover, and paper types. On orders of more than TK, teachers get a free book to keep for themselves, plus 20% back in cash for the classroom.

For a classroom fundraiser, you have the option to also add a slight markup to the discounted bulk order price. This step enables you generate extra profit for the classroom (in addition to the 20% back) when selling the books to families.

Mixbook invites educators to place an order for a classroom fundraiser with no money upfront. Payment can wait until after you've created the book and learned how many orders you'll place. At Mixbook, we know that educators deserve a straightforward fundraiser without much guesswork.

Classroom memory book ideas

Classroom memory book options are endless, and educators will want to get students involved in such a creative project. Here are some ideas to get the brainstorming started:

Organize classroom memories by month or semester. Each student could write about their favorite memorable moment.
Create a collection of the fun field trips your class has enjoyed, including write-ups about what the students learned and experienced during the trips. Ask a parent chaperone to take plenty of photos during the field trip.
Design spreads for each student, showing their growth. This could be something educational, such as improved reading or writing skills, or social, such as sharing and being a good friend to others.
Have sports teams and clubs create fundraising books with a fitting theme. A few examples include the Volleyball Sports Collection, the Cheerleading Photo Book, and the Robotics Club Yearbook.

Download the in-school marketing kit

Mixbook provides a special PDF download kit with everything a teacher needs to develop a classroom fundraiser. The kit includes the following:

Printable backpack stuffers to send home with students, including an introduction flier, reminder flier, and last chance flier.
A free digital order collection form to help process orders.
Email designs to send to families.
Social media graphics and text to share with families.

The downloadable marketing kit makes it even easier for educators to run a classroom fundraiser, for students to get involved, and for families to place their orders.

Reasons to use Mixbook for a classroom fundraiser

Many classroom fundraisers try to sell products that families don't want (weird-shaped pasta, anyone?). Trying to sell uninspiring items is a chore for everyone involved, making it less likely to be a financial success.

In contrast, a Mixbook photo book designed by and for students to showcase their impressive achievements is a genuine treasure. It promotes classroom cohesion, shows families how well their kids are doing at school, and provides an easy way for families to contribute financially to the classroom.

Ready to use Mixbook for a classroom fundraiser?

Educators, we'd love to hear from you about your classroom fundraiser needs. If you have any questions, reach out to the help center or start a live chat with a team member today. Experts are available 24/7.