| Cookbooks can be a great fundraising tool. Here are a | | | | contribution. If that is the case, just gent;y inform them |
| few tips for getting your cookbook ready to publish | | | | that the cookbook was created to raise funds for |
| and for selling as many of the books as you can. | | | | your organization, and that you have a certain amount |
| Finishing Touches: | | | | of costs to cover before the book actually starts to |
| It should go without saying, but it is going to be said | | | | make money. This should be enough for most people, |
| anyway: before you get to selling your cookbook, | | | | but if it doesn't work, simply tell them that once costs |
| before you even print the final version, you need to go | | | | are covered they may have one cookbook for free. |
| through the book with a fine tooth comb and find any | | | | Of course, you can help to avoid this situation entirely if |
| and all grammatical and spelling errors. If at all possible, | | | | you state beforehand that no books will be given out |
| get a number of people with some sort of writing or | | | | for free. |
| editing experience to work on this project, or hire the | | | | Local Businesses: |
| services of a professional proofreader. Print the pages | | | | Go back to the businesses that advertised in your |
| as they will appear in the final version so you can | | | | cookbook, and if at all possible, ask if they will help you |
| make adjustments for photo placement and margins | | | | to sell the book in some way. In some cases, they |
| and whatever else as well. If you are working with a | | | | may be able to give you a small display area, or at the |
| printer or small publisher, they should be able to print up | | | | very least, you might be able to put up a flier with |
| a sample copy for you to look at. Just remember that | | | | information on how and where to find and purchase |
| there is no worse feeling than having boxes and | | | | the cookbook. Ask if the businesses have a |
| boxes of books that contain some egregious error, | | | | newsletter and whether they would mind including |
| and your advertisers and sponsors will be very upset | | | | some information about the cookbook in the next |
| if their ads or pages contain any errors too. | | | | issue. Offer to write the article for them. If your |
| Just remember, the more professional your cookbook | | | | organization has a website, make sure that there is a |
| looks, the easier it will be to sell, and the more | | | | way for people to order the book from there. |
| successful it will be as a fundraising tool. | | | | Press Release: |
| Your First Line Of Attack: | | | | Send out a press release that gives the details about |
| Fundraising cookbooks tend to sell well among those | | | | the project, including information about your |
| who contributed recipes to the book, because hey | | | | organization, who contributed to the book, and where it |
| make great gifts and allow the contributors to show | | | | can be purchased. If there was a specific |
| off a little bit. You may find that some contributors | | | | organizational goal that the book was produced to |
| expect free copies of the cookbook for their | | | | meet, give some details about that too. |