Fundraising Out Reach

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Permalink Reply by Vanessa on March 6, 2009 at 10:54am

Hi Amanda,

This is great! I think you are doing all the right things to kick start your fundraising efforts. I know that fundraising can take a long time and also be a bit daunting, but it is definitely do-able. A few things to help you...

Be sure to review the Fundraising, Scholarships, Grants and Matching Gift Program information on the CCS website at: http://www.crossculturalsolutions.org/enroll/funding-your-program.aspx.

If you haven't already, be sure to speak with your Program Manager and ask for fundraising suggestions and support, as well as a CCS Fundraising Guide. You can also ask your Program Manager for the contact details of a CCS alumna/us that has successfully fundraised. You can share ideas and support.

A couple of successful ways to fundraise:
- Host an event that is fun for family and friends! Maybe you have friends in a band and you could have a back yard concert and charge people a suggested donation of $20 for an entrance fee.
- You could also organize a dinner party, where you prepare some Ghanaian style food, including a trivia game, maybe have some drum music playing and get everyone dancing! You could ask for suggested donations of $20 and its a fun night for everyone. If you do this, be sure to limit your food budget to ~$5/person.

One thing that is easy to forget to emphasize is that all donations to CCS are 100% tax deductible, this is a huge incentive for many people! Tax season is around the corner and so saving money on taxes is definitely on peoples' minds lately.

Also be sure to reach out to local news and radio stations and newspapers. Maybe they want to feature an article on international volunteer service and you could request support through donations!

Facebook is also a great way to promote your fundraising and/or a event that you will host. I know that budgets are tight for most people right now, so making your fundraising efforts fun for those are contributing will probably be your best bet! Maybe you can host an event at a restaurant that is struggling right now and you can promise to bring in business, if they donate some food for your event!

You definitely have the enthusiasm and dedication to your fundraising to be successful, keep up the good work and I know you'll get there!

Best of luck,

Vanessa

Partnerships Manager
Cross-Cultural Solutions
vanessa@crossculturalsolutions.org

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