The holidays are a perfect time to start fundraising for your AFS exchange. With family gatherings, festive meals and a giving atmosphere, this holiday season might be your best chance to raise money for an AFS program. Here are 5 rockin' money-making ideas designed especially for the holidays. Good luck!

Idea #1) Gift Wrap

• Go around to malls or stores (especially book stores!) and ask if they would consider letting you wrap customer purchases.
• Either accept donations or work out a percentage of sales compensation with the store (See % of sales page)
• Negotiate with the business ahead of time. Weekends are the most profitable!

Idea #2) Holiday Parent’s Night Out

• Offer one night, several nights or a full Saturday/Sunday in November or December for parents to let you watch their kids. This is a great chance for parents to go to a holiday party or do some Christmas shopping.
• Secure a location and advertise your event with signs and posters.
• Specify ages you are comfortable with and let the parents know ahead of time how much you will be charging per hour for each child or take a free-will donation.
• Collect games and toys for the kids, get friends to help. Donated food for the kids good idea.
• Specify the latest time that the parents can pick up their kids.

Idea #3) Autumn Yard Work

• Fall/Winter months always bring a lot of demand for yard clean-up.
  
• Go door-to-door, create a flyer or a mass email offering to rake leaves, shovel snow, wash windows, weed, or whatever needs to be done.
• Once someone's interested, ask what needs to be done and offer the price after you've seen how big the job is.
• Be clear about what your intentions are with your earnings. People love supporting foreign exchange!

Idea #4) Santa’s Photographer for a day

• This has been one of the most successful holiday money-makers out there.
• Line up a Santa (Think: father, uncle, grandfather)
• Prepare a festive backdrop
• Set a convenient time, date and location.
• Send a letter or email to family, friends, and local community advertising your service (Consider pre-selling tickets)
• Include option of taking photo with pets!

Idea #5) Winter Cookbook

• This idea takes little effort and can have potentially huge results
• Contact your local AFS Volunteer Coordinator, along with friends and family in your community to contribute their favorite winter recipes (apple cider, cookies, soups, casseroles)
• If possible, compile recipes from around the world.
• Design Cookbook with pictures, stories and interesting facts about the food’s national origin. (Don’t forget to include the name of the recipe contributor!)
• Sell Cookbooks through the Holidays and into the New Year to family, friends teachers, etc.