There are thousand of volunteer travel opportunities in the United States and throughout the world. I’ve been on several trips with my church when I was younger. We visited the Bahamas, Ecuador, Mexico, and West Virginia. Some of my favorite travel memories are from these trips, because I went to help and serve others, not just to have a good time. The great thing about volunteer travel is that even though you aren’t sipping pina coladas on the side of the pool, you can still have a great time and build lasting relationships with the people you got on the trip with. For every trip that I went on, I only paid a portion of the cost to travel, because I raised the funds for the trip. You’d be surprised at how willing the people closest to you will help support you financially for a volunteer travel trip. Here are a few ways that you can raise funds for your trip:
Friends and Family
Make a list of your closest friends and family members, then write a personalized letter to each person on the list describing what you will be doing, who you’ll be serving, and how much you need to raise for the trip. Personalized letters are always the most effective, because that person feels more important that you took the time to let them know about your trip.
Have a Garage Sale
Ask your neighbors, friends, and family if they have anything they’d like to donate to you to be sold in a garage sale. Let them know that all of the proceeds from the garage sale will go towards your trip. If you receive a generous donation that’s worth a lot of money, you may want to try to sell it on Craigslist or eBay first.
Start a Blog or Facebook Page
Start a blog or Facebook page and chronicle your preparation for the trip and after the trip, post photos and write stories about your trip. If a family member or friend donates towards your trip, they’ll appreciate you updating them about the trip. You can easily set up a Paypal account and place a “Donate Now” on a blog or Facebook page so friends, co-workers, and family members can easily donate towards your trip by paying online.
Ask Local Businesses
Local businesses are more generous than you may think, plus their donations are tax deductible for them. Create a nice looking flyer and visit some local business owners. You never know, they might donate towards your trip if it’s a cause they are interested in.
Fundraising can be a tough thing to do, but try to overcome your fear and shyness to ask for money. Most people don’t mind being asked for money if it’s done in a professional manner and it’s for a good cause. Remember, you can always ask for non-monetary donations that you can sell. Part of the experience of volunteer travel is getting the entire community to contribute towards a common goal or trip. Don’t be afraid to ask, because you just never know how generous someone is willing to be.
