School photographer commission and extra photo days
Choose a school or ECE photographer who returns a share of sales, and add a family or sibling photo day where the session fees go to the school.
Typically raises
$1,200
$300–4,000 a yearest.
About $200 per organiser hour
Based on about 300 families at $40 average
Is it right for us?
- Money
- $500–2,000
- Work
- An afternoon
- Helpers
- 1–2 people
- Lead time
- 2–4 months
- Red tape
- None
Fairly common: many schools take a photo cut without noticing
- People
- 1-3: office or PTA contact to book, notify families and help on the day (estimate)
- Organiser time
- 4-8 hours incl. comparing quotes, notices and day-of help (estimate)
- Lead time
- Book 1-2 terms ahead; photographers fill school photo seasons early (estimate)
- Up-front cost
- Nothing up front. Inspire says its service 'costs nothing to organise' (Inspire). Families pay for photos directly.
- Risk
- None: the photographer carries print and sales risk.
How it works
The money, as an example sum
Sell at $20 a family photo session, keep $20, so 60 family photo sessions = $1,200. That’s about the typical result.
Using the figures on this page. Your prices and costs will differ.
Where the money figure comes from
Inspire Photography returns 10% of sales to schools and ECEs (Inspire) and 12% at some centres (Amesbury School notice); AJ Photography returns 10% of bookings and sales for 3 months (AJ Photography); Photography by Kirsten passes the whole $20-30 session fee to the school plus 10% of package sales (Kirsten Walsh). Dollar totals are estimates: e.g. 300 families spending $40 average at 10% is $1,200. No NZ benchmark of totals found.
Last checked October 2026. Ran this? Tell us what you raised and we’ll use real results to improve the figures.
Step by step
- Get 2-3 written quotes covering print prices, digital file prices and the percentage returned to the school.
- Compare total family cost, not just the commission: a high rebate on dear photos may cost families more.
- Ask whether the rebate covers late and online orders, and for how long (AJ Photography counts sales for 3 months).
- Get the deal in writing and have the board approve it.
- Add a weekend or after-school family or sibling session where the session fee comes to the school (Kirsten Walsh).
- Promote order deadlines and early-bird prices in the newsletter and app.
- Help on the day with class rolls, siblings and absentees.
- Ask for a sales report and invoice for the commission after orders close; bank it and tell families what it funded.
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 take a shift, and someone with the gear or the site.
- Ask people to buy
- People to come along, or book, and pay on the day.
- When to start
- Ask for helpers first, as soon as the date is set. Start the public ask about 6–8 weeks out, and book newsletter and paper notices before that: small newsletters close early.
Where to put it
- School, club and church newslettersYour own newsletter is free and read by the families most likely to say yes. Check when it closes.
- PostersPosters at the school gate, the clubrooms and shop windows, with the date, place, price and how to pay.
- 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.
- Email lists and group chatsYour members’ email list and the class, team or church group chats. Short, with one date or one link.
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
- NeededYour own grounds or hall
- 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 the commission in writing, have the board approve the supplier, and invoice for and bank the rebate. Follow the Privacy Act 2020 on sharing class lists.
Make more from it
Weekend family or sibling photo session
$20-30 session fee per family to the school (Kirsten Walsh)
families want whole-whānau photos the class shoot does not cover
Stack it: on its own, about $1,200. With the add-on above, roughly
$1,200est.
What you can get donated
Ask the photographer for a free family session or framed print as a raffle or auction prize (common practice in UK PTAs; estimate for NZ).
Tips
- Early-bird pricing lifts orders: Inspire's early-bird small print was $16 with discounts for 3 or more (Amesbury School notice).
- A family photo day before Christmas suits gift buying (estimate).
- Sports clubs can ask their team photographer for the same deal on team photos (AJ Photography).
Watch out for
- Choosing a photographer for the rebate alone and getting complaints about quality or price.
- Forgetting to claim the commission; it often arrives only if the school invoices (estimate).
- Pushing families to buy undermines goodwill; keep it low-key.
School photographer commission and extra photo days: checklist
0 of 10 done
Before
While it runs
After
Get the commission in writing, have the board approve the supplier, and invoice for and bank the rebate. Follow the Privacy Act 2020 on sharing class lists.
* 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