FUNDRAISING FOR YOUR PLACEMENT

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1 FUNDRAISING GUIDE

2 WHERE TO START Looking to raise money to pay for your Gap Medics program? Look no further. Our comprehensive fundraising guide will help you on your way to achieving your required financial goal. Fundraising doesn t have to be difficult, and you ll find that you have lots of fun in the process. Once you ve paid your registration fee of $450, you ll have plenty of time to get the money together for the remaining fee - it s not due until 90 days before you travel. FUNDRAISING FOR YOUR PLACEMENT Join the hundreds of Gap Medics students who have used their initiative to raise funds towards their trip. This pack will help you come up with ideas on how to raise funds, how to approach fundraising, and who to ask for money. In order to reach your financial goal, the most important piece of information we can offer is to be clear and honest about the reasons why you re asking for donations. Shadowing with Gap Medics can help you to gain a real insight into your future profession, learn about healthcare in the developing world, and even enhance your application to university. Our placements will benefit you on your journey to your future career, and people who are aware of this will be happy to support you. Gap Medics offers clinical shadowing experience; we don t provide voluntary placements to help patients in need, as our students don t have the medical expertise to offer this. Steer clear of asking for donations to help others, and instead focus your fundraising campaign on achieving your goal of becoming a doctor.

3 RULES OF FUNDRAISING BE OPTIMISTIC Fundraising might seem like a daunting task at first, but a positive attitude can work wonders. If others can see how excited you are about this life changing opportunity, they are much more likely to donate. Have a financial goal in mind, and be confident in your ability to achieve it! BE BOLD Don t be afraid to ask for help or donations. The thought of a negative response can be intimidating, but remember, the majority of people will be more than happy to help you in your first steps towards becoming a healthcare professional. If you don t ask, you don t get and always remember, the worst someone can say is no! BE CLEAR Whether you re writing a letter to a potential donor, or chatting to a member of the local community at a bake sale you re hosting, make sure they know what their donation is for. Educating yourself about Gap Medics as a company, as well as the destination you are traveling to and the hospitals GOLDEN RULES you ll be working in is a sure-fire way to get more donations. Be honest and open about the experience and what you ll get out of it. BE DILIGENT While fundraising doesn t have to be difficult, you will need to put some work in to make sure you meet your financial goal. Make a plan of how you intend to get to your target, and stick to it. You might need to organize several events, or do plenty of letter-writing, but a little hard work always pays off when your soaking up the sun in the Dominican or on safari in Africa, you ll be glad you persevered! BE OrganizeD Keep track of how much you ve raised, who has paid you what, and how much more you need to make to reach your goal. Make sure you ve got plenty of ideas planned to keep the money rolling in, and stick to your schedule so that you don t end up dashing around for cash just before you leave the country!

4 IDEAS TO GET YOU STARTED: EARN It might sound obvious, but a good starting point for any fundraiser is finding a part-time job. It will allow you to start saving little by little, and guarantee a definite source of income to go towards your Gap Medics trip. You won t necessarily be able to reach your total financial goal by working part time, so consider arranging some other fundraising activities to give you a boost. FUNDRAISING INSPIRATION SELL There are endless opportunities to raise money by selling your wares. Consider a classic bake sale, garage sale, crafting for a local market, or even offering to do jobs for your neighbors for a small fee. There s also loads of websites around that buy your unwanted belongings, so if you have any DVDs or CDs that aren t being used, you might as well make money from them! Whatever you choose to sell, you re sure to make some cash and might even have a laugh with the local community in the process! ACTIVATE Nothing seems to draw in sponsors like a sports event! Run a marathon, organize a soccer tournament or even hop on an exercise bike for an endurance test! Whatever you opt for, get all your friends and family involved in promoting it the more people who know about it, the more sponsors you ll receive.

5 CONTINUED - IDEAS TO GET YOU STARTED: CELEBRATE Make sure your birthday (or any other occasion worth celebrating, for that matter!) goes off with a bang. Organize a party and charge each guest a few dollars for entry. Nobody will mind making a small donation if they are guaranteed a night of fun, especially if it s for a good cause! If you don t fancy a party, why not ask your nearest and dearest friends and family for cash, instead of the usual birthday gifts. COMMUNICATE Sign up to a fundraising page, where you can collect sponsorship online. Share the link with all of your family and friends via social media. Keep them updated with regular posts about how your fundraising efforts are going, and post videos, photos and information about where you re going, and what you ll be doing. Ask your friends and family to pass the link on to their own friends or followers on social media too you never know, you might even start trending! Call your local newspaper. Ask them to write an article about your upcoming trip, with details on how to sponsor you. You might also want to consider a more old-fashioned approach. Put pen to paper; write to local businesses requesting a donation for your trip. You could also contact organizations and charities which offer grants for educational travel experiences. SERVE Spend time volunteering in the local community. Help at a nursing home, or simply offer to assist elderly neighbors with chores. You could do their shopping, help with the gardening or offer to wash their dishes. Ask friends and family to sponsor you for each hour of community service you do. FUNDRAISING INSPIRATION

6 TOP THIRTY FUNDRAISING EVENTS 1. ZIPLINING 2. SEASONAL FÊTE 3. VIDEO GAME CONTEST 4. BATTLE OF THE BANDS 5. SKYDIVE 6. MARATHON 7. BUNJEE JUMP 8. CAKE SALE 9. SOCCER TOURNAMENT 10. DOG WALK 11. OBSTACLE COURSE 12. GARAGE SALE 13. NON-UNIFORM DAY 14. COFFEE MORNING 15. RAFFLE FUNDRAISING INSPIRATION 16. SPORTS DAY 17. POOL COMPETITION 18. SWIMATHON 19. CRAFT SALE 20. TALENT CONTEST 21. OPEN MIC NIGHT 22. FANCY DRESS DAY OR NIGHT 23. BIKE RIDE 24. CAR WASH 25. FASHION SHOW 26. TUG OF WAR 27. TREASURE HUNT 28. QUIZ NIGHT 29. BOOK SALE 30. BARBECUE

7 WHO CAN DONATE? FRIENDS AND FAMILY Friends and family are a great starting point for any fundraising effort. As your biggest supporters, they will be delighted to see you taking your first steps towards a career in healthcare. CLASSMATES Widening your request for donations to your classmates is never a bad idea - it s an easy way to target a large group of people all at once! Ask your teacher or tutor if you can take five minutes at the end of class to talk about your Gap Medics trip, and request donations. If you feel uncomfortable asking for donations directly, you could ask your teacher if you can hold a non school uniform day to raise funds! COWORKERS If you have a part-time job, let everyone know what you re up to - if people can see you are working hard to save for your trip, they will often be happy to chip in! If you work with customers, you could ask your boss if you can leave a money box or bucket out, with a note explaining what you re WHO TO ASK? raising money for - that way, members of the public can also donate. GROUPS Spend some time researching charities, organizations and trusts in your local area that may be willing to offer you a grant towards your Gap Medics placement. The internet is a good starting point for researching these groups, but you might also want to consider paying a visit to your local library, as they often have useful resources which are specific to the area in which you live. COMPANIES Local businesses are often willing to provide sponsorship to young people who are embarking on a life-changing activity. You might want to consider writing a letter or an and sending it to as many businesses as possible. Check out our template letter at the back of this guide for some ideas on what you could write!

8 Potential donors might have a few questions for you before they part with their pennies. Here are some handy responses to the most common queries: WHAT IS GAP MEDICS? Gap Medics provides medical hospital shadowing in exciting destinations overseas to aspiring healthcare students. WHAT WILL YOU BE DOING OVERSEAS? I will spend time shadowing experienced doctors on ward rounds and in surgery, learning about the differences between healthcare at home and in developing countries overseas. In my free time, I will have the opportunity to volunteer in the local comminity, and visit sites of cultural interest. WHERE WILL MY MONEY GO? Your money will help me to pay for my placement with Gap Medics. This includes my hospital placement, accommodation, food, in-country and UK support, and of course, a donation to the hospital. WHY SHOULD I SPONSOR YOU? Your sponsorship will allow me to take part in this program, which will give me a real insight DONOR Q & A into my chosen career, help make my UCAS application stand out from the crowd, and give me great talking points for interview. Above all, I will benefit from gaining an indepth understanding of the disparities in global healthcare.

9 Writing letters and s to organizations and businesses can really help you to boost your funds. It can be tricky to know where to start, so here s a template letter that you can use for inspiration, if you wish. Your Address Date Dear Sir/Madam In July 2018, I am embarking on a medical shadowing internship in the Dominican Republic with Gap Medics. During my two-week stay in Southeast Asia, I will spend time shadowing doctors in a regional hospital in Santo Domingo. This experience will allow me to gain a deeper insight into my chosen career, and help me to understand the differences in healthcare provision around the globe. In my free time, I intend to immerse myself in the local culture, and learn about life in this part of the world. I will also have the opportunity to spend some evenings volunteering, giving something back to the local community. In order to achieve my goal of travelling to the Dominican Republic to take part in this lifechanging opportunity, I must first raise sufficient funds. I understand that your organization is enthusiastic about supporting the local community, and helping young people to achieve their potential. It would be fantastic if you could assist me on my journey to the Caribbean. If you would like to help me to make my ambition a reality, please contact me; my details are at the top of this letter. I would be delighted to speak to a representative from your organization and answer any questions you have about my trip. Thank you for taking the time to read this letter; I hope to hear from you soon. Kind Regards, Your name WRITING TO DONORS

10 MADDIE FOLKARD I managed to fund my whole two-week nursing placement to Morogoro, Tanzania purely by fundraising. I completed a 110-mile coast-to-coast bike ride over two days and raised $860 through sponsorship. I also held a school social where I was able to hire a local facility for free. I asked a few of my friends to provide speakers and music (for free) and charged $5 a ticket. It was a great night and I raised $1000 for my placement! For extra cash, I also sold unwanted items at car boot sales and held several cake sales. My main fundraising tip would be to talk to as many people as possible, let them know what you are doing, explain the cause and see if they are willing to help! I found that people are generous once they have heard it s such a worthy cause. STACEY WAGGONER To get the ball rolling, I set up a YouCaring fundraising page detailing my trip and why I wanted to go. To help spread the word, I also set up a Facebook page to share with all my friends, family and contacts. As well as my online efforts, I coordinated a fundraiser at my local pub. Not only was the pub free to hire they even put a few extra specials on the board just for me! Tickets were reasonably priced, and all my friends and family came along. Throughout the night we raffled off a number of locally donated door prizes. The fundraiser was a huge success and I exceeded my target. To keep everyone updated, I regularly shared milestones hit on Facebook, my YouCaring page and my blog. I also posted updates while in Thailand and made sure I thanked all my supporters when I got back. FUNDRAISING CASE STUDIES

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