So you've been given the responsibility of gathering the material for your organization's fundraising cookbook? Don't despair, here are a few tips that will make your job a little easier.

Make It Easy:

When you are putting together a fundraising cookbook, and you are the person in charge of gathering recipes, you are pretty much at the mercy of your contributors. As they go, you go, and their participation can make the difference between a cookbook that succeeds and one that doesn't quite work. How, then, do you go about getting as many recipes as possible? The first thing you will want to do is to give your potential contributors plenty of time, but not so much that they forget about the project. Stand up at your next meeting and announce what the project is and how your organization members will be able to help, and when you will need to have their recipes in hand in order for them to be included in the book. Place a short announcement in your organization's next newsletter. If feel that you need to, go ahead and use this time to sell them on the merits of having their masterful gourmet works included in the book.

To get the best participation, you need to make the process as easy as possible, and to do that you need to give them many options as to how to contribute. At the first meeting, for instance, you may want to hand out a sheet that contains a space for them to write or type in their favorite recipe, along with a mini bio and perhaps even a photo of the finished dish. You can also create a Word document or PDF and email that around for the vast majority of your organization that will likely find this easier.

Be A Pest:

Once your deadlines are known and everyone who needs one has a contribution sheet, send out reminders every couple of weeks (depending on the level of participation you are receiving). To make this easier, put an email list together, where you praise those who have contributed and lean a little bit on those who have not yet. Also, stand up in any meetings your organization has during the process and give them a gentle reminder. You may think you are merely annoying people, but you should always keep in mind that the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Or perhaps the olive oil in this case.

Deadlines, Proofreading, and Organization:

Remember that your deadline will be different from that of the cookbook. You will want to give yourself plenty of time to gather the recipes, as well as to type, edit and proofread them (very important) and to organize them into categories based on the types of dishes they are ( desserts, appetizers, main courses, etc.)

If at all possible, get as many fingers as you can in on the typing of the recipes, and as many eyes in on the proofreading as you can. Not only will this ease your burden, it will help the job go more quickly and make the book free of grammar and spelling errors.

fundraising cookbook Bookbinding binding