More Ideas
• A Raffle (e.g., for an iPod)
o This would work best for a group of individuals. It’s a bit of a risky idea since it involves obtaining an expensive item and enough money must be earned to offset the costs of the item and still earn a good enough profit that would benefit everyone in the group.
o Obtaining the materials: If you work at a store like Best Buy or know someone who works at a similar store, you can use the employee discount to buy the item to be raffled off. The people who are fundraising should also contribute a certain amount to pay the person to buy it. You will also
need raffle tickets; you could find a person who works at a craft store to purchase raffle tickets, find a school/church/organization to donate some rolls, or print them yourself on a computer.
o The raffle: You’ll need permission to hold the raffle in a student center(s)/or any other accessible venue; you may need an organization’s support to get this.
o Decide on the most opportune time to sell tickets, how long you will sell tickets, whether you are going to hold the raffle in location, etc. Decide how you will announce the winner (publicly at the end of the day or the last day, contacting the person later, etc).
o Sell the tickets at a reasonable price for students, but keep in mind that you have to earn a profit.
• Canning
o This is another group activity. Get together to “can” (collect donations in a can, bottle, etc.) at a local supermarket, intersection, or other busy place (e.g., student center). Also, it is a great opportunity for individuals in the same program to get know each other prior to the trip!
o You’ll need permission to can at the chosen venue(s); you may need an organization’s support to get this.
o Pass around a can during a sporting event such as basketball games, or work in conjunction with a student group that has frequent events. For example, reach out to an a cappella group to can before and after their concert.
• Car Wash
o This is a great way to make a lot of last-minute money before a summer trip, especially at the start of spring since people want to clean their cars after the effects of winter.
o Fundraiserhelp.com has a helpful car wash layout plan: http://www.fundraiserhelp.com/car-wash-fundraiser.htm
o A car wash is also an opportunity to do other types of fundraising at the same time. While people wait for their cars to be wished, try to sell them things, such as drinks, snacks, candy bars, etc.
• Bake Sales
• Contacting University Deans
o Many have discretionary funds they can award to students conducting unique projects.
o List of Rutgers deans: http://ruweb.rutgers.edu/orgcharts/keyadmin.html
• Contact University Departments
o If the department subject or work of a professor(s) within the department is related to the issues you will be focusing on, they may be interested in supporting your study abroad and helping you to raise money.
o Contact them directly and provide them with as much information about the program and your work as you can.
• Writing Letters to Organizations & Corporations
o The following page has a sample letter you could imitate. Be sure to research the organization and try to describe Global PACT in a way that ties in to the potential donor’s activities and interests. In the example, the letter is written to Amnesty International, so the letter describes Global PACT’s activist and international components.
