Creative Ways to Fund Author Visits

With economic times being as tough as they are, funding programs for schools is harder than ever. Author Alexis O'Neill has a great article posted on her website on how to secure funds for school author visits. She talks in very specific (and helpful!) ways about exactly how to go about partnering with a corporate sponsor for just such an event. Some of the steps are as follows:

Estimate the cost (honorarium, transportation, lodging, food, books)

Write a short letter on school letterhead, bulleted with clear headers, describing:

The need. (What educational objective will this address? Also include a statement from the heart about what you see as the short-term and long-term effect on kids.)

How the school would like to fill that need(i.e. author/illustrator visit).

The specific request. (Money? Time? Promotion?)

What the school will contribute as a partner. (Share expense? Promote the organization? Take photos? Offer volunteer opportunities to the organization’s staff or members?)

The expected outcome? (Include how many or what kind of students will be served by this program.)

Anyone interested in learning more about how local businesses might be of help to schools might want to jump on over to this article. It's well worth reading!