Children's art on calendars, cards and gifts
Each child's artwork is printed onto calendars, cards and diaries that families order; the school gets a share.
Typically raises
$1,000
$300–3,000 per campaignest.
About $133 per organiser hour
Based on one school's artwork order
Is it right for us?
- Money
- $500–2,000
- Work
- An afternoon
- Helpers
- 1–2 people
- Lead time
- 1–2 months
- Red tape
- None
Common: parents expect the art calendar order form each year
- People
- 1-2 coordinators plus teachers
- Organiser time
- 5-10 hours (estimate)
- Lead time
- Run in Term 3 for pre-Christmas delivery (estimate; Havelock North Primary runs it in Term 3)
- Up-front cost
- Nothing up front. None; parents order online
- Risk
- None.
How it works
The money, as an example sum
Nothing to pay up front, and the typical result for one school's artwork order is about $1,000 per campaign.
From the typical figure on this page. Your result will differ.
Where the money figure comes from
Estimate. Programmes pay a percentage of sales (The Online Printer: 'school gets % of sales'); example retail prices: calendar $17.50, greeting cards $16 (Mt Eden Normal Primary PTA).
Last checked October 2026. Ran this? Tell us what you raised and we’ll use real results to improve the figures.
Step by step
- Choose a supplier and confirm the school's percentage in writing.
- Teachers run an art lesson.
- Supplier scans art and issues each child a code.
- Send proofs home.
- Families order online by the cutoff.
- Bulk delivery to school.
Getting the word out
Even a well-run plan fails if nobody hears about it. There are two asks, and the first one goes out first.
- Ask for help
- Members to pass the order form to family, friends and workmates.
- Ask people to buy
- People to order before the cut-off.
- When to start
- Ask for helpers first, as soon as the date is set. Start the public ask about 3–4 weeks out, and book newsletter and paper notices before that: small newsletters close early.
Where to put it
- Asking people yourselfMost yeses come from someone asking directly. Give every member a short message they can send to family and workmates.
- Email lists and group chatsYour members’ email list and the class, team or church group chats. Short, with one date or one link.
- School, club and church newslettersYour own newsletter is free and read by the families most likely to say yes. Check when it closes.
- Local Facebook pages and community groupsPost in your town’s community page and local groups (check their rules), and share from your group’s own page.
The full guide to getting the word out: every channel from flyers to the evening news, with lead times and costs.
What you’ll need
- Place
- Not neededNone needed
- Landowner’s permission
- Not needed
- Council permit
- Not needed
- Food rules
- Not neededNo food sold
- Alcohol
- Not neededNo alcohol sold
- Gambling rules
- Not neededNot gambling
Get family consent for any child names or photos used. No other permits.
What you can get donated
None needed.
Tips
- The Online Printer issues each student a unique code that stays valid through their time at the school.
Watch out for
- Late orders miss the bulk price (The Online Printer).
Children's art on calendars, cards and gifts: checklist
0 of 9 done
Before
After
Get family consent for any child names or photos used. No other permits.
* General fundraising information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Money figures are examples and estimates, not promises. Check current official requirements before you commit. About this guide