Five Ways to Raise Funds for Your Exchange Program
1. Ask friends and relatives
One of the most effective ways to do grassroots fundraising is letting as many relatives, friends, teachers, counselors, physical therapists, etc. as possible know about your interests. Try to send a letter to 100 or more explaining the program and what you hope to accomplish while you are on it. Ask for a specific amount of money- $50 is a nice round figure, but for older, more established relatives and friends $75 is not too much to ask; for peers and fellow students, perhaps $10 to $25. You may want to break your potential supporters into two, three or more groups, sending a customized letter to each group, based on your relationship with them, or the amount of money you are asking for. If you send out 100 letters asking for $50 on average, and one-half respond, you have raised $2500. Often a few people will be very excited by what you are doing, and many give much more.
Have the people closest to you act as your fundraising committee. A good idea is to have them write letters on your behalf and distribute pledge forms to their co-workers, immediate family and good friends. They might even take their fundraisers role seriously enough to officially organize something like ‘The Committee to Send Julie to Burkina”- which is personal, catchy, and shows you have organized support. It also shows that you are serious about participating in the exchange program.
2. Seek out scholarships
3. Ask local businesses, service clubs, religious centers or disability organizations
You might also want to approach groups your parents are involved with or religious centers. These contacts may help take up a special collection at a religious service or a general meeting when coordinated through the proper channels. It is important to educate the members about what you are doing before the collection is announced, via written material and preferably featuring a personal appeal by you during the service/meeting.
4. Have a rummage sale or sell door-to-door
A rummage sale is a good way to sell your possessions and gather support for your cause. Ask others to clean out their garages and closets to donate to you for this purpose. Raffles at the site of the sale or auctions work wonderfully, especially if there is a natural group that would support you in this endeavor (parent’s workplace, church, club, etc). The traditional candy sale can work if you mark everything up enough. Volunteers with artistic abilities can produce their own items (t-shirts, mugs, pins, etc.) to sell, but should try to calculate appropriately the sale price in relation to the cost of the materials and the time spent making and selling the products. Such items could also be sold at a fair or similar event.
5. Hold an Event
Try to get the owner of an entertainment spot (such as recreation venue, movie house or all age nightclub) to give you a certain percentage – or even all – of the cover charges for the night, in return for you guaranteeing a larger than usual crowd that will buy drinks, food, games, etc, at regular prices that night. This is best done in conjunction with a popular band, a guest speaker or something to convince the owner that there will indeed be a large turnout.
(Adapted from www.volunteerinternational.org)
How One Person Raised the Funds
Some years ago, Frank Hernandez was accepted to participate on a yearlong European tour with Up with People, a multicultural leadership program for young adults which served communities around the globe through musical performance and community service. He had to raise a significant amount of money to pay his participant fees. Hernandez, who is blind, took on this fundraising challenge with confidence and with a supportive group of friends. He employed a variety of tactics and projects that enabled him to achieve his goal.
Hernandez, who is blind, took on this fundraising challenge with confidence and with a supportive group of friends. He employed a variety of tactics and projects that enabled him to achieve his goal.
One enterprise that proved particularly successful, and provided a needed service, was yard-sale cleanup. Hernandez assembled a group of his friends, some of whom had trucks, and watched the local papers for yard sale notices. He then sent cards to people planning yard sales, offering to cart away whatever items were still unsold at the end of the day. Exhausted homeowners were happy to call on Hernandez' crew to carry away their leftover merchandise and to help with his fundraising. Once a month, Hernandez and friends organized a yard sale of their own, and sold these items -- with the profits going toward Hernandez' exchange fund.
Hernandez also contacted various clubs, church groups and service organizations, asking for the opportunity to come and make presentations at their meetings. He told his audiences about himself and his background, and about Up with People. He would appeal to these groups to contribute to his tuition fund. He also pledged to return after completing his yearlong tour to do a presentation for the group with stories and photos.
Finally, Hernandez organized a high-quality musical show at a local theater and charged admission. Hernandez’ performance displayed the talent that had convinced Up with People to invite him to join the group for its tour of Europe. He also recruited several other local performers. He advertised the show and sold tickets in advance. The show was a hit and brought Hernandez closer to his goal.
Hernandez doesn’t have a corner on the fundraising market. Many other people with disabilities have implemented creative ideas to raise funds for international exchange programs. Here are some examples:
Photo Caption: Create your own awards show or raffle contest to support your international journeys.
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Preparing a dinner featuring foods of the destination country at a local school or community center.
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Arranging an evening of readings by local writers and poets.
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Putting together a mini-film festival, featuring videos about the host country.
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Giving a dance and ice cream social.
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Organizing a weekend market full of used and donated items to sell.
These suggestions are merely a jumping-off point to think of ideas. Each individual has unique talents, connections and interests. Use these to plan and carry out an exciting, successful event! You can contact the National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange (NCDE) for further resources and tips about fundraising. Information about scholarship opportunities is also available. International exchange is within the reach of you and other people with disabilities – don’t let finances be a barrier to international dreams!
Excerpted in part from Survival Strategies for Going Abroad: A Guide for People with Disabilities by Laura Hershey and NCDE.