There's a million ways to fundraise, you just have to find the one that works best for you. We've got another idea to consider ... have you ever tried restaurant fundraising?
ILP volunteers often try fundraising to help cover the costs of their semester abroad and many have had success. It can be a lot of work, but every little bit counts right? We've had volunteers who raise anywhere from $50 ... to thousands of dollars! It's definitely worth the try, especially if your results are that good.
We've been collecting lots of Ideas here
Check out our All About Fundraising guide
Some major businesses, like restaurants, may be able to help you if you have a good cause (and because it helps them too). It's good marketing for them and also brings in business.
The idea is that you host a dinner at a restaurant and invite all your friends. They pay for their meal like normal and then the restaurant donates a portion of the dinner proceeds to your cause! You get to have a fun dinner out with family and friends and get some money to help with your service trip. Restaurants like it because it brings in business. Win-win.
Popular restaurants that your friends and family want to go to is obviously a great idea right? If you have any connections with a local restaurant, I would start there!
Check out a company called GroupRaise. On their site you can search for restaurants who are already doing this and see how much they're willing to donate back to you. Go here and see all the places in Orem, Utah.
Pretty cool, right?
It's a pretty straightforward idea, but it's going to work differently for each restaurant. You need to get everything approved ahead of time, so I would suggest talking to the manager of any local restaurants that you're interested in and proposing the idea. Even if a company has never done this before, suggest the idea and see if it's something they would want to work out. You never know until you ask.
Oh and you also don't want it to be a burden on them, so avoid going in during busy hours — afternoon is often the easiest for most restaurants. Or it might be easier to send them an email so that they can get back to you when they have time. I would start by calling and asking who would be the best to get in touch with.
Good luck!
Looking for more fundraising ideas?
Here's some stories of people who had a lot of success!
Preparing to volunteer abroad can seem like a daunting task when you're a college student and have a college student's budget. Don't let money be the thing that holds you back from achieving your dreams of living abroad — come talk to us!
An ILP representative can talk to you about your situation and give you ideas to help you make it work for you: