Fundraising ideas that have worked

Here are some fundraising ideas that past students have used to pay for their trips. Give them a try!

• Contact your high school alumni association to see if they have scholarships.
• Contact philanthropic organizations in your home town (Elks, Moose, Lions, Kiwanis, Rotary, etc.) to see if they have funding available.
• Contact your local radio station and newspaper; if you do a feature item for them when you return, perhaps they could help support your trip.
• Contact professional organizations related to your field of study.
• Contact churches, clubs, etc., to see if they'd be interested in supporting your trip in exchange for which you'll do a presentation after you're returned.
• Ask people who wrote references for you to refer you to their clubs and organizations.
• Request funding from your academic department.
• Sponsor a disco with donated DJ services.
• Give a "Help Me Discover (name of country)" party.
• Have a bake sale, car wash, rummage sale.
• Ask a sorority, fraternity, or campus organization to sponsor a party for you.
• Ask the Development Office at your school for ideas and contacts.
• Rent a booth at a mall and sell items.
• Offer photos of people, landscapes, animals from the country where you are going for a $10 donation.
• Ask friends to join you in selling a service such as painting, cleaning, etc., and split the profits.
• Have a performance by local talent and split the profits.
• Offer to bring back light-weight items (baskets, jewelry) for a donation.
• Let your family know of your efforts and ask each member for a donation in exchange for a unique photo upon your return.
• Set up a coffee-and-doughnuts booth in the morning with a sign stating your purpose.
• Sponsor a walk-a-thon.
• Write personal letters to friends requesting a small loan, repayable in your lifetime.