Some volunteer organisations require you to raise a substantial amount before you leave for the overseas experience. The ‘experience’ has already begun as you embark on your pre-departure preparations.
Fundraising can be a major part of your life over a period of months. Fundraising is a valuable skill and can be great fun, but also involves hard work, planning and commitment. Rise to the challenge; don’t be put off.
Once interviewed and accepted on to a volunteer abroad program, volunteers usually have access to a fundraising manual. This manual draws on experience and comments collected from hundreds of volunteers who have finished their fundraising. It contains resources designed to support you in your fundraising efforts.
The manual itself does not guarantee success. This will only come through your own hard work and imagination. But the manual should make it easier for you to get started and to maintain your momentum. Keep referring to it as your plan progresses, and always feel free to get in contact with your sending organisation if you need further advice.
What to Consider Before Fundraising
Before you begin fundraising think of the answers to the question, ‘Why is anybody going to give me money?’. Some people will give you money for the cause and the type of thing you are doing, but many will be giving money because it is you. Remember this and constantly demonstrate your commitment and enthusiasm. These are the factors that will ultimately persuade people that you and Volunteer Africa are worth supporting.
The Power Of Asking For Money
Here are some top tips on the power of asking for money to fund your volunteering trip.
Don’t be afraid to ask
It can be intimidating writing to the CEO of a company, sending a tweet to a major retail brand or phoning up Adam in airline sales to ask for support towards your air fare but if you never ask, the answer will always be no. If you need some inspiration before dialling that number or popping that letter in the post, here is Steve Jobs on the power of asking: I’ve never found anyone who’s said no or hung up the phone when I called-I just asked. And when people ask me, I try to be as responsive, to pay that debt of gratitude back. Most people never pick up the phone and call, most people never ask. And that’s what separates, sometimes, the people that do things from the people that just dream about them. You gotta act. And you’ve gotta be willing to fail, you gotta be ready to crash and burn, with people on the phone, with starting a company, with whatever. If you’re afraid of failing, you won’t get very far. Whilst asking for support towards your placement fees may not seem quite the same thing as building a multi-billion dollar tech company, the spirit behind Job’s words rings true for all you budding fundraisers out there. Don’t be afraid to ask, stay positive and don’t get hung up on the fear of rejection. Be bold and put yourself out there – you may be surprised by people’s generosity.
Stand out from the crowd
You will be gaining hands-on work experience volunteering abroad, not going on holiday, so emphasise this and stand out from the letters, requests and CV’s that land on the desks of companies. You are taking the initiative to improve your skills and gain experience whilst contributing to the under-resourced sectors. Your placement is focused on making a positive impact in the local community to the benefit of service users, not on a holiday experience. We are focused on being ethical and sustainable – another big tick for many businesses – and our projects are sourced by and run alongside national team members. You will be working full time during the week in challenging environments and will be responsible for working in a team and organising all project activities. These are all key skills that employers look for so make sure you do yourself justice and tell them why your placement deserves their attention.
Get creative
Why not utilise your creative talents and energies and use the power of video or social media to connect with people on a more personal and direct level? Researchers have found that you have approximately three seconds to grab people’s attention so think outside the box and come up with something that companies just cannot ignore! Do the ‘elevator pitch’ test on friends and family and see if you have engaged them in the time it takes to ride a couple of floors in an elevator. Don’t be afraid to get visual and use an impactful picture or image, who has time to read these days?! Just remember to check with us if you are unsure of images to use and remember never to post pictures where service users can be identified, confidentiality is really important to us.
Top Advice for Fundraising
• Keep the FUN in FUNdraising. Be confident that what you are offering is worth supporting. Often people are happy to give money to something they agree with.
• Your fundraising should approach different sources as described in the manual. Don’t spend too long or invest too much hope on any single area of fundraising, unless you are absolutely certain it will bring returns.
• You will need to work hard, plan ahead and involve your friends and contacts with what you are trying to do. Take into account the payment deadlines and the need to put a lot of work in at the beginning and then maintain the effort until leaving for Tanzania
• Concentrate your efforts on a local or regional basis and talk to people about what you are doing; the contacts will slowly develop.
• Don’t waste too much time writing to big companies and trusts as the response rate is very small (unless you have personal contacts or connections).
• Investigate possible grants from local councils, local trusts, local Rotary Clubs, your old school or college etc. Start thinking about organising parties, a sponsored event or garage/car boot sales. Maybe a friend or relative will undertake a sponsored event for you.
• Be aware of overhead costs incurred in running events or making something.
• Involve as wide a range of people as possible (individuals and organisations) and remember that if they think they are getting something out of it as well, whether it is a service, a meal or just good fun, you are likely to get more support.
• Always tell people you are a volunteer and that you are fundraising. You may be surprised that many people will give discounts or waive fees when they hear what you are doing.
• When selling yourself please take care over how you talk about volunteering and make sure you highlights all the benefits.
• The main point is that most organisations work closely with local NGOs and communities on long-term projects. Point out the differences that exist between organisations and initiatives.
• Be selective about what you send and to whom. They will appreciate it and there will be far less waste.
• If you can exceed your target all extra money raised goes directly to the host NGOs.
• Keep your own records of who has supported you; so you can write to them and show them it was money well spent.
• You can always get in touch with your organisation to let them know how you are getting on or if you need any help.
• Remember you are selling yourself; be honest, enthusiastic and determined!
Top Tips for Asking for Funding Support from Companies
There are so many different organisations and companies you could approach for support towards your placement fees. If you want to get stuck in and write your own, here are some of our top tips to remember when approach a company to ask for funding support.
• Research the company you are applying to and address the letter to a named person. The more personal and targeted, the better! You may have more success with smaller stores rather than large headquarters but it is worth trying both.
• Be specific. The more specific you get the better. This could be with the amount you have already raised, the details of your placement as well as what you are asking for and what it may go towards.
• Use the power of social media! If you are on Twitter, following up the request with a polite and enthusiastic tweet may gain a better response. Something like: Looking forward to hearing back from NAME OF COMPANY about my recent funding application…fingers crossed! #volunteerabroad
• Read up about the company beforehand and see if they have a CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) policy which they use for social and community good. Relate your request to this and it will show that you have really done your research and this is more likely to get a response. Including a sentence referencing their policy/projects they have supported/how much money they have committed to community development and why you admire this would be enough.
• Jump on current trends in the news to raise awareness about the specificity of the placement and why they should support you over anyone else or a charity cause. Placements are a pretty unique volunteering experience and awareness and support is currently a topical news item in the UK and globally. Campaigns are backed by celebrities gained attention in the news. Directing companies towards this will emphasise that your trip and what you will be doing is part of an important broader cause.
• Emphasise the power of positive PR. Remember that the company themselves want to gain something from supporting your trip – usually this will be positive attention in the media/social media that makes their brand or company look inclusive. Emphasise they will contribute to an important community and social development as well as giving you a fantastic opportunity to gain crucial hands-on work experience.
• Offer them something in return. You could write a regular blog on your experience, write them a letter once you return about all the amazing things you have learned, how the experience has helped you in your career goals and how their support has made a big difference to your being able to go out. You could also offer to do a day of bag packing or another activity in return for sponsorship.
• Say thank you! If you get a response write back within three days of receiving it and thank them for taking the time to read your request. If they have given you money say why it is so important and generous they have supported you and what difference you will make whilst overseas and what you will learn. If they have not given you money say thank you for their taking the time to read and for responding to you.
Be bold, be brave and good luck!
Fundraising Success Stories
‘Fundraising is going great, my whole family is getting really involved and are helping so much. We have raised almost $2,000. We have been putting on bookstalls at the local markets, selling preloved books which people in my neighbourhood have donated. It is working fantastically. We are also in the process of organising a raffle in the local tavern to raffle off seafood trays… The markets have been really successful though, we painted a huge sign that has a bit of info about volunteering which we put up at the bookstall, and a lot of people are really interested and come to chat, and once I talk to people for a while about what I’m doing, a lot of the time they are happy to donate money without even buying books. fundraising is proving to be a great experience in itself, everyone is so supportive’. – Ashleigh, Queensland, Australia
‘When I told my workplace that I was leaving to carry out volunteer work in Tanzania, they were really supportive and excited for me. However, I didn’t realise just how practically supportive they would turn out to be! We were all sat in the staff meeting one day, and my manager informed me that the whole staff team had decided to do a sponsored walk on my behalf. I was gobsmacked, and instantly relieved, as I knew it would be a challenge to raise the fee without help. A few weeks later, we set out on an 8 mile walk near Mam Torr in the Peak District. We estimated it would take about 4 hours, but adverse weather conditions and unsteady knees meant that the whole walk took us over 6 hours. For the weeks after the walk one of our team volunteered for the arduous task of collecting the money. On my last day, I was given 603! I couldn’t thank them enough. They even gave me a big bag of leaving presents including a tick remover (nice), an outdoor shirt and water purification tablets. I can honestly say it would have been difficult to go without their help’. – Elaine, Manchester, UK
‘Starting out I was like why do I need to pay to volunteer overseas, and with the project I liked I knew that I was going to need to raise a lot of money in order to make this trip a feasible one for me. I am between colleges, having left one during the winter and attending another for the fall, and so whatever money I am able to earn while working during the off period was going to have to go towards school. Having attempted many fundraisers before for different projects and organizations, I knew one thing very well. Unless you have very great philanthropic connections, the people who know you the best will normally donate the most. For this reason I chose to focus all of my fundraising efforts towards my family and my church. I often times perform musically in church, given my history as a performer, so it seemed obvious to stick with what I know and what other people know of me. I decided to hold a benefit concert, and with the allowance of the church deacons I was able to choose a date and begin announcing my concert which was to be held at the church, making it free of cost for me. Within the first week of my announcement of the trip and of the cause, I was able to raise approximately $1,500 dollars. Throughout the next few weeks I continued making announcements, and many generous people continued making donations. I’ve found that another crucial aspect to fundraising is “keeping the pressure on” so to speak; in other words never let your zeal and energy for the cause die down. The date finally came for the concert, and having created a playlist to fit my audience, I played a solo acoustic set, and at the end had a couple other musicians from the church join me on a couple songs. During the concert I raised over $1,700. I am very happy to say that my fundraising effort, though at first seemingly farfetched, was a total and overwhelming success. In the end, through family and friends, I was immensely proud and overwhelmed to announce that I had raised over $7,000′. – Billy, Connecticut, USA