Every school is different.. .some schools have a yearbook class that includes the creation and sale of the yearbook, while others have a group of students that meet outside of class or before and after school. Some even have just one faculty or parent volunteer handling it all. Whatever the case may be, our guide will help you organize your team so you know exactly what (and who) you’ll need to create a great yearbook – even if that team is just you!
ROLES DEFINED
As the yearbook adviser, you have been chosen to be the project manager of the publication. As project manager, your primary responsibilities lie in two areas:
PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT (the creation of the yearbook) and
FINANCE MANAGEMENT (the sales and finances of the yearbook).
Production managers usually have to do or assign someone to the following tasks, along with a completion deadline for each item:
- Decide what will go onto each page
- Photograph key school events
- Write headlines, stories, and captions
- Choose a cover design
- Choose page designs
- Choose type/texVfont specifications
- Troubleshoot production issues
- Establish design custom page design
- Review/proofread page designs and stories
- Complete pages in a timely manner (if applicable)
- Complete advertisement pages
- Work with your yearbook representative
- Work with your school photographer
- Work with club sponsors and coaches for photos and more!
Tip:
Don’t overlook possible professional assistance from your portrait photography studio and the technical support team of your yearbook publisher. They can be great resources to share examples of what has worked for other schools.
Develop a small focus group of students that represents everyone on campus. Pass ideas by them if you do not have a student staff to rely on for input. What adults find appealing versus what students find appealing can be different.
Finance managers typically have to do or assign someone to the following tasks, along a completion deadline for each item:
- Balance the yearbook budget
- Develop and implement a plan for yearbook sales
- Develop and implement a plan for advertisement sales (if applicable)
- Develop and implement, if necessary, a plan for fundraising
- Track all sources of income
- Manage and track production and operation expenses
- Promote and sell yearbooks to the school population and parents
- Fundraise if necessary and more!
CHOOSING YOUR TEAM
Creating a yearbook can be a monumental process. An organized team can help you manage deadlines and milestones so it doesn’t feel so overwhelming. There are about six basic responsibilities in most staffs, but how you organize your staff to best meet your style of management is up to you.
Depending on how large or small a team you have available for your yearbook staff, there may be one or two people with the same responsibility, or one person responsible for many areas. Below is a breakdown of some of the most common responsibilities:
- Overall Yearbook Production
- Finance, Marketing & Sales
- Design
- Pagination
- Reporting
- Photographing
TRAINING
Most students have not had experience running a business, marketing, selling or creating a product within a specified deadline. Returning yearbook staff members could be used in key leadership positions to assist in the management and training of new members.
To train new students, identify senior-level students or teachers with skill sets that translate into yearbook creation and sales. Set up times where tutorials and teaching sessions can be run for things like desktop publishing, yearbook software, photography, writing, sales and marketing.
Of all the positions in the yearbook staff, the most important one to fill is the
business manager role. Learning sales and marketing, as well as the tracking and
reporting of both advertisement and book sales revenue, will probably require the
most amount of work. If you are going to put a student in charge, ask your fellow
colleagues to recommend a student who might do well in this role or look for a
student who may have taken accounting, business or marketing classes.