Participation is open to any traditionally published author and/or illustrator who professionally presents programs for grades k-12 within any school district, AND who is interested in promoting Earth Day and the event’s conservation message, AND who is willing/able to donate their entire fee for the event.
The event must take place on Thursday, April 22, 2010 and be a full day school visit. Each participant is expected to charge their normal fee (minimum $500) and donate the entire amount to the conservation organization selected by the student vote.
Each participant will be responsible for scheduling and coordinating their own Authors for Earth Day school visit, as well as overseeing the vote to decide their school’s donation recipient; however, Authors for Earth Day will provide support materials.
Picking the Nominees:
The author chooses five 501(c)(3), not-for-profit organization “nominees” that strive in some area of conservation, and which they are passionate about supporting. The list should include a brief synopsis about each organization with its IP address, so the kids can research them. There is a Nominees Template with a list of conservation organizations on our downloads page.
The author/illustrator chooses the content of their presentation(s). They may offer their normal school program or develop a special Earth Day program, in order that they may visit that school again in the same year.
Above the rewards of serving as a community leader and the tax write-off for donating their fee, each Authors for Earth Day participant will benefit in three ways:
1. Once their event has been confirmed, they will be listed on the Authors for Earth Day website. See meet our participants.
2. They (and the school that hires them) will be part of a larger effort, driven by dedicated authors/illustrators and enthusiastic students nationwide. The total amount of raised funds will be promoted on the website and in any Authors for Earth Day marketing materials.
3. They will enjoy recognition for their efforts through potential media opportunities for Authors for Earth Day.
If you are a children’s author or illustrator interested in participating and do not already have a visit scheduled for April 22nd, 2010 we can assist you in securing a school for your event. You may send or email this A4ED Sample Information Letter to any school contacts you already have—it briefly explains the event and encourages interested schools to contact you for more details.
You may also be listed (by state) on our schools page under Join Us. This page allows interested schools to email you directly if they are considering an event. To be included, you must commit to availability for a full day school visit on April 22, 2010. Please fill out and email the Available Author Form, accessed under downloads.
Once you have your Earth Day school visit booked, we will include you on our Authors for Earth Day meet our participants page with a headshot, link to your website/email, brief bio and sampling of your book titles. Simply complete and email the School Visit Confirmation Sheet, accessed under downloads.
We hope you will share in the power of our mission and we look forward to working with you! If you have any questions, please email us at info@authorsforearthday.org.