April 27, 2016

Fundraising Tips and Ideas

FUNDRAISING TIPS

START EARLY.

The earlier, the better! We recommend a year in advance. This will give you time to plan multiple fundraisers over the course of the school year.

ADVERTISE.

Posters, flyers, newsletters, school announcements - everywhere you can! Reach out on social media to really get the word out.

FORM A COMMITTEE.

Establish a fundraising committee made up of teachers, tour participants, and interested parents. You shouldn’t have to do this all on your own!

GET MOTIVATED.

Keep fundraising students and donors motivated with fun prizes for those who collect or donate the most money.

SET A GOAL.

Set an overall goal, plus interim ones to keep you on track. Showcase a fundraising goal thermometer so everyone can see your progress!

THANK YOUR DONORS.

They are helping your students pay for the experience of a lifetime, after all! have participants send each one a personalized note so they know how much it means to them.

FUNDRAISING IDEAS

TRAVEL PHOTO PRE-SALE

Create a sign-up sheet with a list of all the places you will visit on tour. Before leaving for your trip, have friends, family, and neighbors sign up to order photos of the places of their choice. Charge a set price for each photo. On tour, check off each place as you take a picture of it. Then download, print and distribute your photos once you return to the states.

RECIPE BOOK

Reach out to parents, students and teachers for tried-and-true international recipes. Then compile them in a cookbook, either by hand or using one of the countless recipe book fundraising sites online. Sell them to family, friends, colleagues and community members!

HANDPRINT MURAL

A great way to celebrate diversity in your community, and raise some money besides! Prep a wall at school, buy several different colors of paint, and charge for each handprint. In the end, you’ll have a masterpiece for everyone to enjoy for years to come!

SCHOOL SITTER

Set a classroom aside for a daycare area during Parent-Teacher Conferences, Meet the Teacher Nights, PTA meetings or Open Houses. Parents will be eager to donate money in exchange for childcare, and your volunteers are bound to have lots of fun!

SCHOOL DANCE

Host a dance at the school, inspired by your passports tour! Going to France? Make it Parisian-themed! Visiting Spain? Play Latin music! Charge for admission, with all proceeds going to your group’s tour. Who knows, maybe other students will be inspired to sign up for the trip too!

RENT-A-STUDENT

Have your travel group create a sign-up sheet with their names and when their free periods are. Teachers can then “rent” a volunteer for a class period on a designated day. Grade papers, re-arrange desks, or clean the classroom! They will be happy to donate to a good cause, and get something invaluable in return.