At last, after months of anticipation and hard work leading up to yearbook delivery, the day comes when you can distribute the school’s yearbook with pride! Here are more ideas to consider when planning for this special day.
HOW WILL YOU DISTRIBUTE THE BOOK AND HOW WILL STUDENTS BE NOTIFIED OF ITS AVAILABILITY?
- Will books be delivered to each classroom or homeroom in the way that ensures that each student that ordered a book gets one?
- Will there be designated pick-up times that students are asked to pick up their yearbooks in a central or convenient area of school?
- If you decide to create and publicize a signing party to coincide with the yearbook delivery day, are you prepared for it? After many months of curiousity, kids are especially anxious to see the book and, of course, never wnat to miss an opportunity to socialize with their friends!
DEPENDING ON THE BOOK DISTRIBUTION METHOD YOU CHOOSE, HOW WILL YOU KEEP TRACK OF WHO HAS RECEIVED THEIR BOOK AND WHO HASN’T TO ENSURE EVERYONE HAS RECEIVED WHAT THEY PAID FOR?
- This is where it’s critical to have a detailed tracking mechanism (either manually or computerized) that allows you to quickly find and record each student who is given their yearbook. It’s helpful to have the yearbook distribution list sorted and available in a multitude of ways so you can easily find the purchaser’s name and check them off the list. Common sorting methods include alphabetical by last name, grade, classroom or homeroom.
You’ll also want to make sure that you have a method of tracking any additional sales that are made once the yearbook is delivered (versus the advance sales) since many others will want to order a yearbook after seeing it!
Regardless of whether you’re distributing a book that was ordered in advance or ordered on the spot, it’s critical that you collect the money prior to handing over the yearbook to the purchaser. Otherwise, it’s difficult to collect the money afterward.
Once the mad rush of book distribution is over, it’s crucial that you reconcile your records to ensure that every person who ordered a yearbook received what they paid for. If for some reason, someone paid and didn’t get their yearbook as a part of your normal distribution process, you’ll want to make alternate arrangements right away to get it to them. Hopefully, it’ll be easy enough to track them down in school without having to locate them over the summer or fall. It’s also important that all money collected be kept in a safe place.