How yearbook fundraising works for a PTA
A yearbook fundraiser adds a small amount to the price of each book: families pay it at checkout, and your PTA keeps it, so what you raise is that amount times the number of books sold. A typical fundraiser is $2–5 a book, which comes to about $600–1,500 on 300 books, less a 5% payment-processing fee on any of it you take as cash.
At a glance
- You choose the amount per book. $2–5 is typical.
- Families pay it inside the book price. The store shows how much of each book goes to your PTA.
- Nothing upfront. $0 setup, no deposit, no order minimum, and only books families order are printed.
- Paid after delivery. Available within 60 days of the last books being delivered.
- Two ways to use it. Buy more books with it (no fee), or take it as cash (5% processing fee, charged by the payment processor).
- Regular ordering only. Summer ship-to-home orders don’t carry a fundraiser.
How do you raise money with an elementary school yearbook?
Add a small amount to the price of each yearbook: families pay it when they order online, and your PTA keeps it. Most schools add $2–5 a book, and because only the books families order are printed, there is nothing to pay upfront and nothing left unsold. Here is how it runs:
- Choose your amount. When you set up your yearbook, you choose what the PTA keeps per book. The family price is the book’s cost plus that amount.
- Families order online. They pay by card at checkout, and the store shows how much of every yearbook goes to your school’s PTA, so families can see where the money goes.
- Only ordered books are printed. You don’t front money for a print run and you aren’t left with boxes of unsold books.
- The money becomes available after delivery, within 60 days of all your books being delivered, less any refunds or chargebacks.
- You decide how to use it: apply it to more books, or have it paid out to the school or PTA.
How much can a yearbook fundraiser raise?
Multiply your amount per book by the number of books families buy. On 300 books:
| Amount per book | Raised on 300 books | If all of it is taken as cash (after 5%) |
|---|---|---|
| $2 | $600 | $570 |
| $3 | $900 | $855 |
| $5 | $1,500 | $1,425 |
Two things move the total, and one of them is easy to overlook.
- The amount per book. Each extra dollar is worth one dollar per book sold.
- How many families buy. Every extra book carries the same amount. On a $3 fundraiser, 100 more books raise $300, the same as adding $1 to 300 books, without raising the price for anyone. That is why a book families want to buy matters to the fundraiser as much as the margin does. How much of a shared yearbook is each child’s →
How much could your PTA raise?
Enter your school’s numbers for a quick estimate. A typical fundraiser is $2–5 a book: on 300 books that’s $600–1,500 before the 5% processing fee, or about $570–1,425 if it is all taken as cash.
| Students | Share ordering | Books | Amount per book | Raised before fees | 5% fee | Funds raised |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 600 | 50% | 300 | $2 | $600 | $30 | $570 |
| 600 | 50% | 300 | $3 | $900 | $45 | $855 |
| 600 | 50% | 300 | $4 | $1,200 | $60 | $1,140 |
| 600 | 50% | 300 | $5 | $1,500 | $75 | $1,425 |
| 400 | 50% | 200 | $3 | $600 | $30 | $570 |
| 800 | 50% | 400 | $5 | $2,000 | $100 | $1,900 |
| 250 | 30% | 75 | $4 | $300 | $15 | $285 |
How this is worked out. Books ordered (students × the share you expect to order) × your amount per book. If you take the money as cash, a 5% third-party payment-processing fee comes off; if you put it toward books, nothing does. The amount is the same on every book a family orders, whether it’s a traditional softcover or a personalized hardcover, so the edition families choose changes what they pay, not what your PTA raises.
What this doesn’t include: summer ship-to-home orders, which don’t carry a fundraiser; sales tax; and any early-order discount your school chooses to offer. It’s an estimate, not a quote. Your real per-book cost comes back with your quote.
Not sure how many families will order? You don’t have to guess right. We print only the books families order, so there’s no print run to commit to and nothing left over. How many yearbooks should we order? →
What is the 5% processing fee, and when does it apply?
It applies only to fundraising money paid out to the school. The payment processor charges it, not Rethink, and we keep none of it. If you use the money to buy more books instead, there is no fee.
So a PTA that raises $900 and takes it all as cash receives $855. A PTA that spends $300 on books and takes the rest as cash pays 5% of $600, which is $30.
When does the PTA get the money, and how can it use it?
The fundraising balance is available within 60 days after all your books are delivered. From there:
- Apply it to more books. Copies for teachers and staff, for the school library, or for families the PTA wants to help. No fee.
- Take it as cash. Paid to the school or your designated PTA or PTO, less the 5% processing fee. If you ask for a check, it is mailed within 120 days after all purchases for the year are complete.
- Split it. Some to books, the rest as cash.
Claim the balance within two years of it becoming available. Ask your treasurer how the PTA should record the income; we don’t advise on its tax treatment.
Is there any upfront cost or risk?
No money upfront and no inventory risk. There is no setup fee, no deposit and no order minimum, families pay online when they order, and only the books they order are printed. The one decision that matters is the family price: an elementary softcover yearbook usually costs about $20–35 a copy, and a fundraiser moves your price up within that range. What a yearbook costs →
Should we add $2 or $5 a book?
Pick the amount your families will accept without buying fewer books.
- $2–3 keeps the price close to the book’s cost. A good start for a first yearbook or a school where price is a concern.
- $4–5 raises more per book, and works where families already buy readily.
- Early-bird pricing. You can offer a lower price early in the season that keeps a smaller amount per book, then move to the full price. Early orders raise less each, and give families a reason not to wait.
- Discounts don’t raise money; books do. A lower price only helps the fundraiser if it sells more books than it gives away.
When to open ordering and when to send reminders: the yearbook timeline →
Does the fundraiser apply to summer orders?
No. Summer ordering is optional, runs after the main order closes, and ships to families’ homes. Summer orders are the book’s base price plus $5 — the fundraiser margin no longer applies — and ship to your home for a flat $9. A $22 book at a school with no fundraiser is $27 in summer, and so is a $35 book built on a $22 base with a $13 fundraiser. Summer pricing →
What other ways does a yearbook raise money?
- Paid dedications. Families buy space for a photo and a short message to their child, often for graduating 5th graders. The PTA sets the price, limits and deadline and collects them with a form. The free dedications form and guidelines →
- Business ads. Local businesses buy an ad page or a sponsor line, priced and sold by the PTA.
Both are optional, and both need a page in your ladder. Flyers, forms and templates: free yearbook resources →
Yearbook fundraising, answered.
How does yearbook fundraising work?
You add an amount to the price of each yearbook, families pay it at checkout, and the PTA keeps it. With Rethink, only ordered books are printed, and the balance is available within 60 days of delivery to spend on more books or take as cash, less a 5% processing fee on cash.
How much can a PTA raise with a yearbook fundraiser?
A typical fundraiser is $2–5 a book: about $600 to $1,500 on 300 books, before the 5% processing fee on any money taken as cash. Selling more books raises more at the same price.
Is there any upfront cost or risk?
No. There is no setup fee, no deposit and no order minimum, families pay when they order, and only ordered books are printed.
Does Rethink charge the school fees on fundraising?
No. The only deduction is a 5% processing fee on money paid out as cash, which the payment processor charges; Rethink keeps none of it. Money applied to more books has no fee.
When does our PTA get the fundraising money?
Within 60 days after all books are delivered. A check, if you ask for one, is mailed within 120 days after all purchases for the year are complete.
Can we use the fundraising money to buy yearbooks?
Yes, for teachers, staff, the library or families the PTA wants to help, and there is no processing fee when you do.
Price your book and
fund your PTA.
Want to see your numbers? A per-book quote and a sample, with no setup fee, no deposit and no order minimum.