The Official AFS Fundraising Wiki - Recently Updated Pages

Plane Ticket Raffle

jmboyer — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 13:35:59 CST

Ask a family member or friend of the family who travels a lot to donate frequent flyer miles for a domestic roundtrip airplane ticket.
Create raffle rickets.
Email friends and family explaining why you are doing the raffle and how the winner can redeem the ticket.
Have them donate $25- $50 per ticket

Time required: 4 hours
Amount you expect to raise: $1000- $3,000

Here's a great example of one Student's ambitious plan to fundraise with a donated Plane Ticket:

___Help Lauren Study Abroad in Australia_________________________________________________________________________________

AFS-USA Online Community:
AFS-USA Website
AFS-USA Blog
Facebook 'Ask and AFSer' Group
YouTube Channel: AFSTV
AFS Flickr Photo Gallery

Teacher Sponsor

nickytree8 — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 14:49:32 CST

Well i have a really good Fundraising Idea. All you have to do is right a letter to one of your teachers or more including school staff to help you go abroad. Now you could make up to $500 doing this. Just right a letter to all staff and put the letter in the their mailboxes. Now there are many ways that you can do this. But i think that the mass letter in the mailbox works the best. Here is a sample letter.

Dear <School name> Staff,

My name is <your name> and I am planning to go to <what ever your country is> on an exchange student program with AFS Intercultural Programs. Now while I’m in <your country> I will be attending school there, Also while I’m doing that I will be volunteering there and helping people and kids. Also while I’m there I want to teach the kids who don’t know English how to speak it now that 80% of the world knows English. Now I really want to learn and study in <country> because it is the world largest country and its one of the most beautifulest one too. While I’m in <country> I want to learn the way they live and speak. I want to know how to speak there language, eat there kind of food and ECT. Now all I need help with the tuition> It will cost me almost $10,000 to get there and back and I really need some help. I am asking that you please make a donation for me to make to <country>. I don’t want much just anything would help. So if you could please consider donating it would help me a lot.

Thanks, <your name>

AFS Intercultural Programs

http://www.usa.afs.org/

Farmers Market

nickytree8 — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 17:38:16 CDT

Dig up nice plants from your yard that you have to many of and start going to local farmers markets. Sell them for cheap, making it clear that the money is going towards your time abroad..... Donations are accepted too

Silent Auction II

nickytree8 — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 17:19:39 CDT

Silent**** sorry I'm new at this

well I have a huge idea it was a huge success when I was planning my trip to Italy

i had a block/ fundraiser party

we had a silent auction and i had to go around my town soliciting for items they would be willing to auction off for me

i had so many things donated and we had a silent auction, with food, and a band

we raised about 3,000 dollars and the guests would give u a minimum donation

Sell used books/CDs/DVDs

ChrisJanota — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 06:14:17 CDT

In this economy many organizations need another resource to raise funds. Collecting DVDs and other media is a perfect way to raise money for a non-profit, children’s group, sporting team, or school organization. Stop asking for monetary donations or time consuming cookie sales and start collecting used CDs, DVDs, video games, and text books to trade in for cash, instead.

Lots of people have used books, CDs, and DVDs sitting around their homes that they will never use again. Many of them can be sold used, sometimes for a surprisingly high price. Neighbors and relatives may be willing to give them to you, to help you raise money, and help themselves clean up their bookshelves.
You can take them to a used bookstore to generate some quick cash, but if you're patient enough to treat it as a part-time job over a period of weeks, you'll make much more selling them directly yourself, online. A great place to do this is Amazon.com. See http://www.amazon.com/gp/seller/sell-your-stuff.html/
You can get set up as a fundraising partner with mx123.com and receive your free marketing materials for your DVD and media collection drive. They can guide you through the dvd collection process and make it easy for you to be reimbursed for your items.
Many of the items you get won't be worth more than a buck or two online, and you won't make enough profit to be worth your time to list the items, then pack them up and ship them. Others might be worth $20, $50, or more. When you're listing the book for sale online, you can see the range of prices that other sellers are offering. You should price your items towards the low end of the range, for items of similar condition, so you can collect your cash more quickly -- unlike a typical bookstore, you don't plan to maintain an inventory for a long time.
Don't list for sale the lowest-priced items. It's not worth it. When people donate a stack of books to you, find out what they want you to do if you can't sell it -- give it away? Throw it away? Give it back to them? They probably will say they don't care, but it's good to ask so that your supporters don't feel hurt if you throw away some book they were sentimentally attached to.
You can figure out how the whole process works by selling just a few high-quality, highly-demanded books or DVDs online at first. This is a good warm-up, but to make it worth your while, you should plan on being in the business for at least a few weeks, and marketing at least 50 or 100 items that are worth $5 or more each. During the period you're selling, you'll need to be checking email daily and available to put shipments in the mail at least 2-3 times a week. The total time invested per item sold will be about 15 minutes to one hour, depending on how efficient you are. It takes almost as much time to ship 1 item as it takes to ship 5 items, so you might as well list a lot for sale at once, then shut your business down after a couple of weeks when you get tired of the constant need to babysit your operation.
Don't offer to ship via express mail or ship internationally -- it's an additional hassle, and the buyer's expectations will be higher.
If you are selling your items to mx123.com box it, and ship it (postage paid by them) to mx123.com. They will process it, price it, and get your organization your money fast. No more waiting for weeks on end for catalog orders or chocolate bar sales. Depending on the size of the donation they could cut your organization a check within days.
This could be a good project for a group of people.

Items needed:

Books, CDs, DVDs, video games, etc to sell
Internet access
Account at an online vendor such as Amazon (requires access to a credit card)
Packing materials
Regular access to a shipping method, such as a post office

Time required: 5 hours to get set up, then 15-60 minutes per item sold

Amount you can expect to raise: $ 5- $10 per item sold (sometimes more)

______________________________________________________________________________________________

For additional info, check out the AFS-USA Website

AFS-USA Online Community:
AFS-USA Blog
Facebook 'Ask and AFSer' Group
YouTube Channel: AFSTV
AFS Flickr Photo Gallery

Facebook Fundraising Threads

nickytree8 — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 16:38:39 CDT

Here's a look at all the money-raising discussion threads currently on the Ask an AFSer Facebook Group:

Help Raising $$

Best Scholarship...

More scholarships…

New Fundraising Idea!

How did you raise your tuition?

Fundraising!

Money Issues

$ Financing your AFS $

Fundraising Help

____________________________________________________________________________________

For additional info, check out the AFS-USA Website

AFS-USA Online Community:
AFS-USA Blog
AFS Flickr Photo Gallery
Facebook 'Ask and AFSer' Group
YouTube Channel: AFSTV

AFS on Twitter

AFS Budget Worksheet

nickytree8 — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 16:38:28 CDT

The AFS Budget Worksheet is a fillable spreadsheet you can use to plan your financing/fundraising strategy. Feel free to save this super helpful spreadsheet onto your computer or print it out.

Here's a snapshot of what the AFS Budget Worksheet looks like. NOTE: You will find the attached Excel document at the bottom of the page.

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For additional info, check out the AFS-USA Website

AFS-USA Online Community:
AFS-USA Blog
AFS Flickr Photo Gallery
Facebook 'Ask and AFSer' Group
YouTube Channel: AFSTV

AFS on Twitter

Fundraising Workshops

nickytree8 — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 16:38:16 CDT

Sign up for a Fundraising Workshop and join forces with other future AFSers to plan your fundraising strategy for an AFS program. Hosted by a Student Services Advisor, a Fundraising Workshop provides an ideal forum to brainstorm effective money-raising ideas with other students. In the Fundraising Workshop, you will gain:

• Effective fundraising strategies to offset your AFS tuition
• A forum to share your own ideas while you learn from others
• Access to a tool to help track the money you raise

What’s needed to participate? Fundraising Workshops are interactive “Webinars,” so you can comfortably participate from home. All you need is a phone and the Internet. Sign up today!

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For additional info, check out the AFS-USA Website

AFS-USA Online Community:
AFS-USA Blog
AFS Flickr Photo Gallery
Facebook 'Ask and AFSer' Group
YouTube Channel: AFSTV

AFS on Twitter

Helpful Resources

nickytree8 — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 16:38:01 CDT

Here are some other helpful resources you can use when planning your fundraising strategy. Good luck!

Fundraising Workshops

AFS Budget Worksheet

Facebook Fundraising Threads

____________________________________________________________________________________

For additional info, check out the AFS-USA Website

AFS-USA Online Community:
AFS-USA Blog
AFS Flickr Photo Gallery
Facebook 'Ask and AFSer' Group
YouTube Channel: AFSTV

AFS on Twitter

Getting Started

nickytree8 — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 16:37:36 CDT

Wiki Wiki What? - Meet the AFS Fundraising Wiki

Access - Explore creative ways to help raise your tuition whenever you want, 24/7
Create - Add to the growing list of new fundraising ideas you've attempted
Comment - Be able to evaluate each idea. "The Car Wash idea rocked...I made $500 last week!"
Converse - Share your thoughts and ideas with other AFSers, and join together to make your exchange dreams a reality.

Why a "wiki" you ask? A wiki acts as an interactive compilation of wisdom, with the ability to add and edit information regarding a certain topic. This is awesome for fundraising because some ideas are better than others, and there are many we haven't thought about yet. That's where you come in.

Getting Started:

If you haven't already, take a few minutes to create an account.
Join the AFS Fundraising Wiki
Navigate with the drop-down menu on the left -

Clicking on "Fundraising Ideas" will bring you a long list of fundraising ideas.
To read about a specific fundraiser, either:
Locate it in the drop-down menu under "Fundraising Ideas" or
Click on "Fundraising Ideas", and find it in the list on this page.

To comment on an existing fundraiser (please do often!):

Scroll to the bottom of each fundraising page,
Start a new thread
Make and post your comment in the thread
You can also keep the conversation going by responding to a previous thread.

To Add a new Fundraiser:

Click "fundraising ideas" in the menu on the top left (Don't forget this step)
Click "add page" at the bottom of the menu - (You must a member of the Wiki first!)
Name your page - "Spaghetti Car Wash" etc. Don't worry about the tags.
Once your page has been created, click the Easy Edit button at the top of the page.
Simply add your fundraiser!
Make sure to save your submission.
If you are nervous about adding it on your own, simply email it to ntriolo@afs.org and we will gladly add it for you!

Still don't get it? If you need further assistance and the this wiki is not answering all of your concerns, email ntriolo@afs.org or check out the available online tools at the bottom of each page.

Feel like you're starting to know your way around? Then check out our Fundraisers

____________________________________________________________________________________

For additional info, check out the AFS-USA Website

AFS-USA Online Community:
AFS-USA Blog
AFS Flickr Photo Gallery
Facebook 'Ask and AFSer' Group
YouTube Channel: AFSTV

AFS on Twitter

Fundraising Ideas

nickytree8 — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 16:36:26 CDT

Here is a current list of the most successful fundraising ideas we know of. Check each idea out by clicking on their link, or finding them on the drop-down menu to your left. Once you try one out, or have already attempted them, please make a quick comment on the specific fundraiser page. Good luck!

NEW Fundraising Workshop dates posted!

If you have already submitted the preliminary application to study abroad with AFS, don't miss the next Fundraising Workshop. Ask your advisor.

Sponsor an AFSer
Email Newsletter
Plane Ticket Raffle
Restaurant / Shop/ Bakery percentage of the take for the day
Write a Support Letter
Corporate Sponsor
Shave your Head!
Mass Email Guerilla Campaign
Get a Job!
Do Yard Work in your Neighborhood
Booth or Table
Dinners
Car Wash
Walk Dogs
Silent Auction
Have a Garage Sale
Birthday Party Donations
Take Pre-Orders for Home-made food
Colossal Clean-up
Run Errands
Bag Groceries for Tips
Drive-in Movie Night
Task Tickets
Print Address Labels
Tournament Snack Bar
Art Fundraiser
Care Package Fundraiser
Holiday Parent's Night Out
Host a Golf Tournament
Work with your Local Team
Benefit Performance
Knit or Crochet Items
A_______A-thon
Gift Wrap
Sell Cars
Try "Scrips"
Coaster for a Cause
Sell Department Store Coupons
Mary Kay, Avon, Pampered Chef, Seasonal items
Take pictures of people’s pets with Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny
Valentine Balloons
Choose your teachers hair color!
Doggy Dip
Recycle Electronics
Cookbooks
Restroom Stall Decorating Contest
Holiday Season Ideas
Financial Assistance and Scholarships (AFS and Local)

_____________________________________________________________________________________

For additional info, check out the AFS-USA Website

AFS-USA Online Community:
AFS-USA Blog
AFS Flickr Photo Gallery
Facebook 'Ask and AFSer' Group
YouTube Channel: AFSTV

AFS on Twitter

AFS Fundraising Wiki Home

nickytree8 — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 16:33:35 CDT

If you're at all worried about how to fund your AFS experience, you've come to the right place.

We all know becoming an international exchange student isn't cheap and, last time we checked, plucking money from trees wasn't exactly an option. But why should your high school study abroad dreams be lost because you simply can't find the cash?

Say hello to the AFS Fundraising Wiki. Here, you'll have 24/7 access to the most successful fundraising events ever conjured up by AFS exchange students.

First time here? Take a minute to get started with the AFS Fundraising Wiki, or jump right to our growing list of fundraisers.

The AFS Fundraising Wiki. Go ahead, dive in....

_____________________________________________________________________________________

NEW Fundraising Workshop dates posted!
If you have already submitted the preliminary application to study abroad with AFS, don't miss the next Fundraising Workshop. Ask your advisor!

AFS-USA Online Community:
AFS-USA Website
AFS Flickr Photo Gallery
AFS-USA Blog
Facebook 'Ask an AFSer' Group
YouTube Channel: AFSTV

AFS on Twitter

Write a Support Letter

nickytree8 — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 18:38:53 CDT

Create an email explaining about you and your AFS program.
Remember to include the 5 most important questions who, what, when, where and why.
State who to make the donations out to and where to send it.
Email it to all your parent’s email addresses (with their permission) as well as your own contacts.

Time required: 2 hours
Amount you can expect to raise: $100- $500

***Tip: Collect money easily online for this fundraiser using Sponsor an AFSer***

Here's an example of Louis Cid, an amazing student who worked with his local team to send this letter out to the local community (to take a closer look, click on the attached document at the bottom):

____________________________________________________________________________________

AFS-USA Online Community:
AFS-USA Website
AFS-USA Blog
Facebook 'Ask and AFSer' Group
YouTube Channel: AFSTV
AFS Flickr Photo Gallery

Enter a Contest

raejintee — Sun, 17 May 2009 22:39:58 CDT

Find out if there are any contests that you can enter that can get you some prize money. Especially enter ones that correspond to your talents. If you write well, enter an essay contest. Some prizes can reach up to thousands of dollars, and if you enter contests that match your talents it's almost easy money! Just make sure to submit your best work. Entering more than one contest at a time can help.

Sponsor an AFSer

JackieVlasic — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 22:37:46 CDT

This is an online tool that you can use to collect money raised through almost any fundraiser on this Wiki. Basically, you create a blog profiling yourself and your current fundraising activities, and AFS staff will send you a "widget" that allows blog visitors to sponsor you directly through a PayPal account that funnels into your AFS account. Then, you spread the word about this efficient, secure tool. The amount you raise is limited only by your own motivation! Take a look at the official website for this project to get a better idea of what this is all about. Here's what the widget looks like:

Art Fundraiser

nickytree8 — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 19:20:59 CDT

Example: Art to Remember

Sell different products with international theme, and organize a party to make cheap and easy homemade items to sell.
Handpainted silk scarves
AFSers, returnees, everyone can get involved. Include free AFS brochures, pins, etc.

____________________________________________________________________________________

AFS-USA Online Community:
AFS-USA Website
AFS-USA Blog
Facebook 'Ask and AFSer' Group
YouTube Channel: AFSTV
AFS Flickr Photo Gallery

Shaving your Head

nickytree8 — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 15:58:25 CST

This semi-extreme idea seems to be highly effective (and quite hilarious!). To explain, an AFS Volunteer shares this fundraising experiment:

"A student, in collaboration with some friends, had a campaign where he would let his fellow students shave his head in a public, lunchtime ceremony (in the campus courtyard), if and when he got to the point of raising money towards his AFS community service trip to Costa Rica.

His campaign was successful, and he raised the goal amount set. Therefore, the student's friends carved his hair up something funny, resembling a perpendicular mohawk across his head (and I think that he had to wear it that way until winter break, or something)."

Hair grows back, right?

Corporate Sponsor

nickytree8 — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 15:15:34 CST

Ask local businesses and companies to support your efforts to participate in AFS.
Find people or businesses to sponsor you and match every dollar you raise up to a certain amount ($100, $500, $1000, etc.).
Give the business owner the page about your program and the financial need you have.
Send them a thank you note after receiving their donation.
Have your sponsors talk to their company or corporation about employee matching funds programs.
Tell your prospective sponsors how they can make their donation twice as effective with a "Matching fund."

Items needed: Compose a one page sheet with a little about yourself and your AFS program
Time required: 1 day
Amount you can expect to raise: $ 400 - $ 2500

This student wrote this letter to local businesses and corporations to help fundraise:

Example
Here's a fantastic example of one AFSer that used this method to raise funds:
(Check out the "Attachments" section below to get a closer look at these documents)

____________________________________________________________________________________

For additional info, check out the AFS-USA Website

AFS-USA Online Community:
AFS-USA Blog
Facebook 'Ask and AFSer' Group
YouTube Channel: AFSTV
AFS Flickr Photo Gallery

Silent Auction

nickytree8 — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 13:52:48 CST

Have a silent auction of donated items at an AFS party for your friends, family, AFS people, etc…
Solicit donations from AFS volunteers, family/ friends, and local businesses.
Consider a themed silent auction e.g. Baskets- people donate a Movie Night Basket with a DVD, popcorn or a Bath Basket with pampering items.
Google Search various strategies

***Tip: Collect money easily online for this fundraiser using Sponsor an AFSer***

____________________________________________________________________________________

AFS-USA Online Community:
AFS-USA Website
AFS-USA Blog
Facebook 'Ask and AFSer' Group
YouTube Channel: AFSTV
AFS Flickr Photo Gallery

Email Newsletter

nickytree8 — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 13:41:25 CST

Sell subscriptions to a personal newsletter about your experience while you are away.
Decide how often you can write the newsletter (weekly, every two weeks, once a month).
Talk to people in person or send out an email/letter explaining what you want to do (See "Sponsorship Letter" attached at the very bottom)
Have them donate $25- $50 per subscription.
Send out the newsletter when you say you will. Make them interesting and appropriate.

Time required: one hour per newsletter

Amount you expect to raise: $500- $3,000

***Tip: Collect money easily online for this fundraiser using Sponsor an AFSer***

Example

Here's a fantastic example of one AFSer that used this method to raise funds:
(Check out the "Attachments" section below to get a closer look at these documents)

First, Hannah sent out a sponsorship letter to all her friends, family and local businesses she knew:

Second, Hannah would send all those who donated or subscribed a monthly email newsletter like her
September 2005 edition displayed here:

Note: Check out the "Attachments" section below to get a closer look at the Sponsorship Letter and Hannah's
first Email Newsletter sent from the Czech Republic

____________________________________________________________________________________

For additional info, check out the AFS-USA Website

AFS-USA Online Community:
AFS-USA Blog
Facebook 'Ask and AFSer' Group
YouTube Channel: AFSTV
AFS Flickr Photo Gallery