Below are a few ideas to help you raise money for your Volunteer Program.
- • Craft a personal letter that explains what you are doing and why you have chosen to volunteer in a village with Village Volunteers. After you have applied, been accepted, and provided a $100 USD deposit, you will gain access to a fundraising templates that contain our US 501(c)(3) tax ID number and our logo. Donors can deduct their contributions.
- • Make a presentation in your community; clubs, place of worship, schools, family/friends, and workplace.
- • Make sure the letter is limited in length to one page and it describes the village or program you are visiting and what you hope to do while you are there.
- • Explain how this journey will positively affect your life and the people you are helping.
- • Provide stamped return envelopes with each letter. Remember, you want to make the donation process as easy as possible for your sponsor. All they should have to do is write the check.
- • Contact your local publications with a press release. If you provide your contact information and a special interest factor, you might have a feature article written that would bring in more donations!
- • Create a brochure for yourself.
- • Create a website or e-mail distribution list and send out frequent e-mails about your fundraising experiences, dollars raised, and details of your journey while you are gone and after you return.
- • Hold an event, silent auction or even a series of bake sales. Make sure that people know what the money from the bake sale will accomplish. Be sure you put out a donation jar. We can send you photos to print.
- • Contact your school’s Financial Aid or Study Abroad Department. There might be funds available for you to tap into.
- • Apply for a scholarship, grant or fellowship. Below are a few suggested sites.
- • Scholarships, Grants and Fellowships
- • Glimpse Correspondents Program for young writers and photographers who will be abroad for at least 10 weeks: http://glimpse.org/correspondents
- • The Levinson Foundation: www.levinsonfoundation.org/
- • American Association of University Women:www.aauw.org/education/fga/
- • The J.W. Saxe Memorial Fund: www.jwsaxefund.org/
- • Scholarship, Grant, and Fellowship Banks
- • The Foundation Center: http://foundationcenter.org/findfunders/
- • Stanford University Library: www-sul.stanford.edu/depts/ssrg/africa/grants.html
- • Get Recognized:www.actionforchange.org/getrecognized/scholarships.html
- • Advice
- • Fund-Raising.com: www.fund-raising.com/
- • Create a Donation Form. This form will list all of your contact information and several donor amounts your sponsor can choose from. Start off with an initial modest amount ($25) but also request large donation amounts ($100+) and any amounts in between.
