Fundraising

Fundraising is a great way to make your Student Discoveries tour more affordable. Not only does it teach innovation, organization, and cooperation, it also places more value on the experience as it gives students a sense of pride for financially contributing to their trip.

• Determine the project’s goals and scope. Do you want to raise the entire amount for your tour or just a portion? Will you rely on a large single event or several smaller ones?
• Be clear about what your travel program entails and how donations will be used. People are more willing to donate if they understand what they’re contributing to.
• Have each student sign a fundraising contract. This keeps everyone involved in the fundraising process and working toward a common goal.
• Combine fundraising ideas. Why not hold an auction that also features a dinner and raffle?
• Track your progress. It can motivate potential contributors if they know how much money you’ve raised to date, especially as you get closer to your goal.
• Keep contributions in a savings account. Interest can accrue, which adds to your bottom line. Also remember: some checks are automatically canceled after a certain period of time, so deposit checks quickly.
• Promote your fundraising efforts by creating a Web or MySpace page and e-mail the link to everyone you know. Then, when you have an event coming up, promote it via e-mail and remind people with instant messages, text messages, and “tweets.”

Auction Raffle Bake Sale Walk-a-thon Garage/Yard Sale Sell Stuff on eBay, Craig’s List, or Amazon.com Create & Sell a Cookbook

Yard Work Dog Walking Pet or House Sitting Babysitting Car Washing Recycling