How READcycle™ works, step by step

A fundraiser by kids for kids! Here's how to create your own READcycle.

Tips and Tricks

• Communication.

  • We did a LOT of advertising and it worked

• Timing.

  • We planned sale for conference week because every parent comes to school that week, so we got student and parent customers.

  • Could also assign shopping times for each class

• Teachers.

  • We told teachers that we would be having the sale before, and during the sale we sent out a special announcement to them to come and buy for their classrooms

• Keep the Change!

  • Remind every possible buyer that their money goes to support student council doing good

  • Have a tip jar or BUCKET!

• Add Raffle

  • This year, we added a raffle with 1 ticket for $1 and 6 tickets for $5. Prizes included secret safes that look like books, book-themed leather goods, book plates and amber-colored book lights. This added some great additional income, and excitement

• Mix of Books.

  • We got a big mix of books. Some sold better, like current books for older kids, chapter books, fiction and non-fiction, graphic novels

• Sales tricks.

  • Some books sell best when they are bundled together with ribbon - you can do this ahead of time

  • We discovered tricks like the “mystery box” - a box that looks like a book, with a secret pair of books inside

  • We gave a Hershey kiss with every sale, which little kids love.

Organize, Donate, Sell

Get team together

• Create team of student volunteers, plus one parent to oversee

• Talk to librarian, teachers, counselor, principal, and custodian, to get their help and advice

Pick dates and make communications plan

• Pick dates for sale

• Make communication plan: include class parent emails, teacher emails, posters, flyers, Instagram posts, school newsletter announcements

Organize donation week

• Get cardboard boxes for collection, attach signs, find storage space at school

• Collect donations for 1 week ahead of sale, at drop off and pick up, and in between

Sort and arrange

• Sort books at the end of donation week into different categories and boxes

• Store at school

• Get rid of not-great books - recycle or donate to charity

Set up

• Get banners, posters, tables, tablecloths, risers, signs, other display details like bookends

• Make signs for categories and prices ($1 and up)

• Ask custodian for tables and tablecloths

• Put big READcycle poster behind tables

Sell, sell sell!

• Plan to sell for 3-4 days 4 days noon to 3pm, or whatever works with your school schedule to get maximum purchases from parents and students

• Good idea: sell during conference week, because all the parents come by!