How to Fund Your Summer Program: Smart Fundraising Ideas for Students

Fundraising for a summer program abroad as a high school student can open the door to life-changing experiences, whether it’s through creative fundraising events, engaging the school community or leveraging personal networks to make your dreams a reality.

Fundraising is about bringing together your community to make an investment, financially or otherwise, in your specific idea, goal or project to positively shape the world.

When making donations, people are investing in two things: the person and the project. When fundraising for a summer program abroad, studying abroad or any cause, your mission is to convince potential donors of the power of your purpose and the depth of your interest in it.

Where there’s a will, there’s a way.

Ten Creative Fundraising Ideas to Raise Money

This list should help you brainstorm creative fundraising ideas for your own fundraiser. Remember, though, that it’s not as much what you do, but how you do it. Stay motivated. Try a few different methods. Have fun!

1. Run a “service-a-thon” in your local community

Help out elderly neighbors, volunteer at a youth center, or serve meals at your local homeless shelter. Per hour you serve, friends and family can sponsor you and donate funds that will allow you to do even more community service in another country!

2. Organize a party, concert, dinner party, or movie screening

Presidential fundraisers are $1000 a plate (and the food isn’t any good)! Asking for $50 in exchange for some great local cuisine (and a worthy cause) seems much more reasonable.

3. Make the most of your birthday

On your birthday, sacrifice a few gift cards and knitted sweaters to ask for cash towards your trip. Showing the selflessness to give up gifts in order to help others will often make people even more generous.

4. Don’t forget the classics (fundraising events)

Car washes, bake sales, raffles, and garage sales are a great way to bring people together, have fun, and raise money for your cause.

5. Create a community service organization at your school

Get together a group of like-minded students who are also interested in community service based travel. Invite students, lead the group and work together to raise money for a “community service trip fund.”

6. Find a part-time job

Look for part-time work at your local businesses or odd jobs like yard work for your neighbors and a babysitting gig for weekend nights. If you work a job that pays $8/hr for ten hours a week for thirty weeks you’ll have saved $2400, enough to cover the cost of most Rustic service trips!

Related: Best Online Jobs For Teens

7. Apply for financial support: Travel & service grants and other financial aid

Many high schools and towns have scholarships set aside for community service and travel financial assistance. Also check out websites that offer grants and funding to service-oriented high school students.

8. Log-in and start an online fundraiser

Use websites like fundmytravel.com, indiegogo.com, fund-raising.com and gofundme.com to organize and simplify your fundraising effort. Include photos and a heartfelt note in your campaign explanation and then share your campaign link via email and social media channels.

9. Get moving with sports & physical activities

If you like to run, bike, play soccer, or shoot hoops, put those efforts towards a good cause. Ask your friends or family to pledge $1 for every mile you run in a marathon, $1 for every goal you score this season in soccer, 25 cents for every point scored on the basketball court, and so on. This keeps you motivated to do well in your physical activities and people like it when sports serve a higher cause.

10. Start a letter writing campaign

Start by creating a mailing list of everyone you think might be willing to donate. Then, draft a standard letter or a link to your fundraising page and personalize it to each potential donor. Make sure to include a self-addressed return envelope! Don’t forget to thank the people who donated or helped you with your efforts.

Four Basic Keys To Bump Up Your Fundraising Efforts

The four basic keys to bumping up your fundraising are setting a goal, don’t be afraid to ask, be enthusiastic and know your stuff. Doing these four things can make all the difference between a successful and unsuccessful fundraiser. Here’s more:

1. Set a goal

Begin your efforts with a fundraising goal in mind. How much money do you need to raise for program fees for your summer or study abroad program? By when do you need to raise it? What are your most effective fundraising networks? Take an hour to sit down and make an action plan moving forward.

2. Don’t be afraid to ask

If you believe in what you’re doing, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Pursue every reasonable lead and contact that you come across. Remember that fortune favors the bold; you’ll never get something you don’t ask for!

3. Be enthusiastic

You should be proud of the great work you want to do; let it show! Stay positive and motivated as you work towards your goal. Speak from the heart in letters and presentations. Make eye contact when speaking with potential donors and find a way to show them just how exciting this opportunity really is.

4. Know your stuff

Make sure you know as much as you can about the area you’re visiting and what you’ll be doing there. Taking time to educate yourself about the project will show donors how committed you are to your work.

Five Steps To An Effective Letter Or Email to Raise Funds

Writing an effective letter or email to aid your fundraising efforts uses the same key concepts of effective communication. We told you that ‘just asking’ was one of the four basic keys of fundraising. That’s true, but it really helps to ask the right way raising money. Here are five essential steps to raise funds for your trip as a high school student:

1. Make it personal

Try to make a connection with the potential donor (i.e. “My father told me last year you visited a struggling community in Costa Rica with your church…”).

2. Keep it simple

The shorter the letter, the more likely the potential donor will read the whole thing. Use clear, simple language so it sounds natural and from the heart.

3. Talk about the problems

Appealing to the ‘right brain’ by giving facts, stats, and numbers is helpful, but don’t forget the majority of people are moved by personal stories. Find out more about someone you’ll be helping on your trip and tell a short, relevant story about him or her.

4. Explain your goals

Emphasize the importance of what you’ll accomplish and learn. Be sure to tell the potential donor why you’re interested in the particular problem you’re trying to address (“I have developed a passion for environmental conservation over the past year…”).

Also mention how you plan to move forward after your trip (i.e. After I return to the States from Thailand with firsthand knowledge of the issues, I plan to…).

5. Ask for help

Tell the donor what they can do to contribute and don’t be afraid to ask for a specific amount!

Potential Donor Checklist: Family and Community Members

• Your extended family (aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents)
• Family friends (ask your parents’ friends, parents, grandparents, or other family members for their holiday card lists)
• Members of your church, congregation, synagogue, mosque, or other religious group
• Professional acquaintances of your parents or family members (co-workers, clients, suppliers)
• Members of any social, charitable, or professional organization, to which your parents or family members belong (PTA, Rotary Club, country club, sports team)

In the upcoming months, you’ll need to dig deep, work hard, and take advantage of every opportunity to raise funds. Don’t get discouraged by the big number you need to raise. Have no doubt, it is going to be tough, but determination is the most common characteristic of any person who’s ever achieved something great.

Sample Letters to Help Raise Funds