Digital Yearbook Committee Organization Structure

With any project as complex as the yearbook, organization is the key to success. Therefore, we highly recommend using job descriptions to organize the yearbook team and allocate production tasks. Assigning work by job description ensures that each team member understands what is expected of him or her, and also allows the faculty adviser to see to it that all jobs needing to be completed are covered by a member of the team.

Fortunately, the production team required to publish an Odyssey Interactive eYearbook is very similar to that needed to publish a traditional paper yearbook. Included below are the most common eYearbook team member titles and their job descriptions. When preparing to assign these positions, consider the size of the staff and the talents and capabilities of each team member. Advisers at smaller schools may need students to double-up on duties, while advisers at larger schools may reformat the staff organization chart yearly depending on the number of people and their skills. For example, the yearbook team could be managed by one editor-in-chief who oversees everything and reports to the faculty adviser. Or, the editor-in-chief position could be split among two, three or four co-editors who oversee various functions, and they all independently report to the faculty adviser. Another format would be to have section editors at a more managerial level like co-editors, and have specific tasks delegated to assistant editors or reporters. The business manager is a person who could use assistants, if available, to handle the commercial ad sales, senior ad sales, book sales, budgeting, and accounting. Business manager also can be at the level of a co-editor.

The best way to determine optimum structure is to review the yearbook tasks and timeline, look at your available staff, and then decide how to organize your staff for maximum performance and productivity.

Job Responsibilities:

Editor-in-Chief
This is the student ultimately responsible for overall development and content of the eYearbook.

Among the duties:

• Delegates staff assignments
• Recruits staff and assigns jobs with adviser
• Sets and enforces a production schedule
• Edits every page and proof
• Leads staff meetings
• Trains and coaches staff
• Decides theme, design and coverage with adviser and other editors
• Reports to yearbook faculty adviser

Managing Editor
This is the assistant who keeps the staff operating efficiently and most effectively.

Among the duties:

• Maintains supplies
• Fills out production forms
• Checks individual deadlines
• Reports to editor-in-chief and faculty adviser

Co-editors
This structure is sometimes used instead of Editor-in-Chief and Managing Editor. There can be more than two co-editors; section editors and business managers can be at this level. 

Among the duties:

• Same as editor-in-chief and managing editor but are split among co-editors
• Report to adviser

Copy Editor
This is the student that proof-reads all copy before pages are due, checking for style and accuracy.

Among the duties:

• Provides constructive feedback to improve writers’ work
• Establishes copywriting styles with editor-in-chief
• Compares copy on all pages to prevent repetitiveness
• Suggests coverage ideas to designers and photographers
• Reports to editor-in-chief

Photo Editor
This is the student who assigns photographers to cover all events and stories.

Among the duties:

• Edits photos and cutlines
• Ensures no photo runs twice and the same people are not photographed too often
• Runs the club/sports team Picture Days
• Works with professional photographer to coordinate senior and underclass portraits
• Manages the darkroom, organizes negatives, contact sheets and finished prints
• Reports to editor-in-chief

Business Manager
This is the student that leads eYearbook and ad sales campaigns. Larger staffs may have a team that includes a bookkeeper, sales manager, promotions manager and ad designer who report to this position. Smaller staffs may use the advertising/index editor in this position.

Among the duties:

• Balances the budget
• Provides a monthly report of income and expenses
• Organizes additional fundraising efforts if necessary
• Prepares billing statements
• Writes receipts
• Makes daily deposits into the yearbook account
• Reports to editor-in-chief and adviser

Design Editor
This student is the creator of the layouts and graphic designs for all covers.

Among the duties:

• Organizes computer folders for templates
• Trains staff on design software
• Creates the style guide for design consistency

Section Editor
This student is responsible for completion of all pages within his section.

Among the duties:

• Assigns spreads to other staff members if needed
• Edits and proofreads every spread in his section
• Section editors can include academics, sports, clubs/organizations, student life or people, and ads/index
• Designs spreads if there is no design editor
• Reports to copy editor, design editor and photo editor

Technology Director
This student is the technology expert and knows how to operate all hardware and software.

Among the duties:

• Ensures staff is saving text and photos in the correct format
• Keeps desktops and hard drives organized
• Sometimes creates, scans and manipulates all the graphics, freeing up the designers
• Reports to editor-in-chief and adviser

Photographers/Videographers
These students take all requested photographs/video.

Among the duties:

• Shoot assigned event before, during or after school
• Develop and print photos
• Write appropriate cutlines
• Reports to photo editor

Reporters
These students cover and submit stories on events.

Among the duties:

• Conduct interviews
• Cover assigned event before, during or after school
• Write and submit stories by deadline
• Reports to section editor or copy editor