Fundraising Ideas Part 1: Sales
Travel Bake Sale
Breakdown
A spin on the classic bake sale fundraiser. This is a great way to learn more about the countries you will be visiting on tour! Research some recipes typical of the places you’ll be visiting. Going to Spain? Make flan! Germany? Make pretzels! Authentic international appetizers can be found on almost any recipe website. Have your tour participants volunteer to make the tasty treats, then sell them at school events or during lunch.
Tips
- Ask the culinary class for help to get even more of the school involved.
- Welcome pre-made donations from teachers, family and friends.
- Include gluten-free, nut-free and lactose-free options for people with food
- allergies.
- Bring a tip box for extra donations!
T-Shirt Sale
Breakdown
Create a t-shirt for your tour or travel club (or better yet, have your tour participants create it!). Sell them during lunch and before and after school. A great way to generate interest in your tour, and raise money!
Tips
- Make sure to take the t-shirt cost and your fundraising goal into account when calculating how much you will sell your tour tees for.
- Get the whole school involved by having a t-shirt design contest!
Resources
Candygrams
Breakdown
Fundraising doesn't get any sweeter than this! Print and cut out lollipop tags with space for the giver/receiver's names and a message. Sell them during homeroom or lunch, but don't forget to collect them back after the buyer has filled out the tag! You will be delivering them to the recipients at a later date.
Tips
- Candygram fundraisers are more popular around Valentine's Day, but you can find plenty of holiday-themed lollipops (or candy canes!) for other times of the year!
- Include a section for homeroom number on the tag to save you the time of tracking down each student.
- Have some fun with it! Why not have the candygram delivery volunteer dress up as a character like Cupid or Santa, depending on the time of year?
Resources
Raffle
Breakdown
An oldie, but goodie. Have a 50/50 raffle, where the winner gets half the money raised. Or, sell tickets for a chance to win prizes. The winner gets a prize, and you get all of the money raised! Sell tickets during homeroom, a school performance, sports game or fair.
Tips
- Contact local businesses for prize donations. Don't forget to send them a thank you letter!
- Some states have raffle laws. Make sure you read up on them!
- Have one "big ticket" prize. People will be more likely to buy multiple tickets to win it!
Resources
- Print Raffle Tickets — from TicketPrinting.com
- Sample Fundraising Letter — from Better Fundraising Ideas
Art Product Sale
Breakdown
Turn any drawing or painting into a product you can sell! Collaborate with your school’s art teacher to pull this off. Create office supplies, aprons, mugs, even iPhone covers! The possibilities are nearly endless. Check out the resources below for art product suppliers.
Tips
- Time your fundraiser around Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, or the winter holiday season to really rake in the dough.
- Turn it around and have participants pay to create a tile or quilt square for a lasting legacy at the school!
Resources
Travel Photo Pre-Sale
Breakdown
A lot of people would pay to see the sights you’ll be seeing on your trip! Why not let them? Create a sign-up sheet, with a list of all the places you will visit on tour. Before leaving for your trip, have friends, family and neighbors sign up to order photos of the places they choose. Charge a set price for each photo. While packing, make sure you remember to bring your list! On tour, check off each place as you take a picture of it. Download, print and distribute your photos once you get back to the States. Everyone will feel like they were right there with you the whole time!
Tips
- Take pictures of signs, too. It will keep your photo reel organized by location and remind you what's what!
- Make photos available for sale when you get back from your trip as well. You may have felt particularly inspired by something that wasn't on your original list!
- Have a really great photo that screams student travel? Submit it to one of our traveler contests for a chance to win up to $500!
Resources
- Expert Advice on Taking Better Travel Photos — from Fodor's Travel
- 15 Options to Sell Photos Online — from Vandelay Design
Used Book Sale
Breakdown
You know what they say, one person's trash is another person's treasure! Reach out to family, friends and colleagues for book donations. Advertise to the community and hold a big book sale at the school, or market to the school and sell them during lunch or after class. Any leftover, unsold books can be donated to your school or local library — it's a win-win!
Tips
- Holding the sale in your school's cafeteria? Label each table a specific genre, and sort the books accordingly.
- Collect even more donations by placing drop boxes by supermarkets, churches and restaurants explaining your fundraiser and asking for gently used books.
Recipe Book
Breakdown
Reach out to parents, students and teachers for tried-and-true international recipes. Then compile them in a cookbook, either by hand or using one of the countless recipe book fundraising sites online. Sell them to family, friends, colleagues and community members!
Tips
- You'll get a better turnout if you accept recipes from any international region, instead of just the ones you are visiting on tour.
- Use the recipes to host a Cultural Dinner Fundraiser after — a great place to sell even more recipe books!
Resources