INDIA CA RR IE R SEAT GATE CLOS 20C ME AL 08:30 VEGGIE CL AS S U GATE M2W FR OM TORONTO/Y CARRIER 3 TERMINAL SE AT GA TE M2W GROUP $PRICELES

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1 ARIZONA -MEXICO DOR INDIA CH INA KEN YA A ECU CA RR IE R GATE M2W ES GATE CLOS 08:30 SEAT 20C CL AS S U FR OM B PA S S G N I D R OA YZ 2W E WORLD/M H T E G N A H C 3 TERMINAL S: P I R T E W ME TO RLD O W E H T E CHANG VEGGIE TORONTO/Y TO CARRIER TO ME AL GA TE M2W EX PE RI EN CE CO ST $PRICELES S BO AR DI NG TI ME 08:00 SE AT 20C GROUP

2 Welcome to your Fundraising Workbook! This is your resource to help you plan your fundraising step-by-step. This is your space to plan out your ideas, create budgets, write sponsorship letters, and much more! This workbook also has some great tips and tricks to help you along the way. If you need help, or are looking for something that is not in the workbook just contact your Trips Coordinator at or at and they will be happy to help you find what you need to plan your fundraising events. STEP ONE Write down the name of the trip you are participating in: Write out your fundraising goal: $ Does this figure fully reflect the amount of money that you will need for the trip? Does this figure include how much you will need for supplies? Does this figure include your medical vaccinations? After re-evaluation, what is your new fundraising goal? $ Write out the reasons you want to go on this trip: What would you like to learn? How does this trip fit with your life-long goals? How does this trip fit with your educational goals? What are you going to get out of this trip? 2

3 WRITE A SPONSORSHIP LETTER FOR POTENTIAL DONORS Using Step One, write your own sponsorship letter for potential donors you will be contacting over the next few weeks. This is an easy way to let people know about your goals and how they can help. Your letter should include the following: Information about yourself and how you first heard about Me to We Trips A description of your passion for human rights and why you want to work in the developing world this year The type of donation you are seeking The type of recognition the donor can expect to receive from you A statement of thanks for the donors time and attention. Tell them that you look forward to hearing from them soon Be sure to follow up no later than one week after the letter has been sent, either with a phone call or ideally, a visit. If you like, you could offer to share your observations, journal entries from the trip or even poetry in a nicely printed booklet as a meaningful gift to donors. Offering to make a multimedia presentation to schools and other groups that might support you is another good way to secure donations. 3

4 STEP TWO Write out all the ways you already make money: Do you have money saved up? How much? $. Do you have a job? Will you get a job? How much does it pay per hour? How many hours do you work? (Working just 10 hours per week, being paid $8.00/hour you would have over $500 towards your trip every two months.) Any other sources of income? $. /hr hrs $. Also, consider the following: How much more money would you have if you: Stopped buying coffee at school? Started making healthy lunches at home instead of eating out? Started buying smaller gifts for people? Or, more realistically, for yourself. Think of all the ways you spend the money you have or make. Every pack of gum, bag of chips, etc., adds up. Think of the comparably small amount of satisfaction that you get from those purchases compared to the huge sense of exhilaration, fulfillment and happiness that you will get from this experience overseas. Before you spend money on any unnecessary luxuries, think of the difference this trip can make in your life and in the lives of those you will help while you are travelling. 4

5 STEP THREE PART A: BRAINSTORMING Make a list Think of all of the people or institutions that could help you fundraise for the trip that fit into the following categories: 1. Family members (parents, brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles, cousins, grandparents, godparents, etc.) 2. Your friends 3. Friends of the family 4. Friends or colleagues from your parents work places 5. Adults in your life from school (teachers, administrator, principals, etc.) 6. People you know in the community (coaches, business leaders, student council) 7. Businesses in your community 8. Local community organizations (Rotary Club, Lions Club, Optimists Club) 9. Place of worship (church, synagogue, mosque, temple) 10. Other Leave a blank space for the people you will think of in the future. Take out more sheets of paper as you fill them up with ideas. Don t worry if your list seems short. Don t worry if you think some people on your list will not help you. Put a star beside people who might be able to suggest other people who can help you. Add more names to your list. Think again. Add more names. 5

6 STEP THREE PART B: ORGANIZING Think about this carefully. Looking at Step Three, Part A, rate everyone by how likely they are to make donations for your trip. Rate them on a scale of one to three, with one indicating those who are very likely to donate and three indicating a lower probability. As an example: You would probably be able to convince someone rated one to donate $75-$100 or more if they knew it would help you reach your goal. A two rating would probably donate $25-$50 to help you. A three rating would be someone that you think would be happy to give you anywhere between $2-$10, no more. *These are just approximate amounts. Feel free to modify them. Remember this is your brainstorming session. Now organize the ones, twos and threes in three separate lists. Take this into consideration: Let s say that after your brainstorming session, you have 50 people on your list. To get an idea of how much you can expect to raise, let s work though an example. Perhaps out of your list of 50 you end up with the following: High potential donors (three rating) Medium potential donors (two rating) Low potential donors (one rating) 8 people 12 people 30 people If you set a goal for receiving $75 - $100 dollars of support from the first group, $25 - $50 dollars of support from the medium group, and $2 - $10 dollars of support from the last group then look at how it adds up. High potential donors 8 people x $ = $600 - $800 Medium potential donors 12 people x $25 50 = $300 - $600 Low potential donors 30 people x $2 10 = $60 - $300 Approximate total fundraised from list of 50 people = $960 - $1470 6

7 STEP THREE PART B: ORGANIZING It may be hard to get people to donate so much, but if you can explain to them your passion, not only through a letter but also through a face-to-face conversation, people will support you. Plan to ask your school and your place of worship (if applicable) for several hundred dollars. Also, ask to meet with parent and teacher councils, ask to speak at your school s staff meeting or talk to any other groups that might be willing to help you. Do not be discouraged if you cannot get as much money as you hoped from everyone on your list. Every penny adds up, and every person you meet and explain your passion to is a potential donor. Remember that if people cannot help, they may still be inspired to tell others your story and spread the word for you. This is a great way to reach more people. 7

8 STEP FOUR PART A: BRAINSTORMING List your ideas for fundraising campaigns. While you are thinking of ideas, make your Winter Holiday Wish List. It should read: Winter Holiday Wish List: Funds for Volunteer & Leadership Trip. *Resist the urge to add more things to your list* Also, write out your Birthday Wish List. It should read: Birthday Wish List: Funds for Volunteer & Leadership Trip *Yes, this is all you will be getting. It s worth it* Brainstorm fundraising event ideas, use some from the Me to We Fundraising Guide, or from your own imagination! For instance, you could plan a dinner/movie party where you will cook for your friends and ask people for a donation per plate (you will have to research a great recipe and test it out, of course). Develop your ideas into step-by-step plans EXAMPLE: Become the neighborhood seasonal odd-job person In the fall: I will rake leaves in yards in my neighborhood. In the winter: I will shovel my neighbors driveways. In the spring and summer: I will mow the lawns of the people in my neighbourhood. Anytime: I will offer my services in return for an opportunity to explain my goal to the people around me. (Ask yourself questions) How will I let people know about my campaign? How will I convince people to hire me? What kind of problems might I encounter? What can I do to solve these problems? 8

9 STEP FOUR PART A: BRAINSTORMING (Answer these questions:) How will I let people know? How will I convince them to hire me? I will make flyers, not only advertising my services, but also my goals, the program that I want to participate and some information about Me to We Trips and its website. (Include your own contact information if it is deemed safe to do so by your parent or guardian). I will, with an adult, travel door-to-door in my neighborhood and distribute these flyers in a tasteful manner. I will revisit those houses two days later at a reasonable hour to ask neighbors if they received my flyer, and ask if I can explain my goal and my purpose. Also, I will take advantage of this opportunity to speak to my neighbors by sharing a personal story about my involvement with Me to We Trips or just my volunteer work in general. I will speak with passion. I will bring extra flyers. I can make appointments for future dates, offer to render my services that day or make weekly arrangements if applicable. In worst-case scenarios I can let them call me when they need me. If they are not interested, I will thank them for taking the time to listen to me. If they are unsure, I will offer to render my services and let them decide if I deserve a donation after appraising the work. What kind of problems might I encounter and what can I do? People might have contracts with lawn maintenance companies or snow shovelling services. To overcome this problem I will start advertising my services as early as possible. I might not know how to do what they would like me to do. To overcome this problem, I can be honest and offer other help, or ask them to teach me how to do what they ask. They might not want my help. To overcome this problem I can choose not to see this as a problem, but as an opportunity to ask at the next house. The job my neighbour might want me to do might be unsafe. In this case, I will not do it. PLEASE DO NOT DO ANYTHING UNSAFE TO FUNDRAISE FOR YOUR TRIP. IF YOU ARE UNSURE, ASK YOUR PARENTS OR AN ADULT THAT YOU TRUST. Once you have asked enough questions and found the answers, start doing what is necessary to put your plans in to action. You can do this by: Collecting supplies Advertising your idea Taking action! 9

10 STEP FOUR PART B: ORGANIZING Choose at least two large fundraising ideas that will take a longer time to plan and might require sponsorships. Decide on at least two to three small fundraising campaigns in which you will probably be giving people a product or service in return for their donation (i.e. bake sale, cultural dinner night, chocolate almond sale, car wash, etc.). The most successful fundraisers know that large ideas are great for raising awareness and getting your message out, but the continuous small fundraisers can bring in just as much money over a longer time! Take a look at a calendar You should also be aware of how many months you have left to fundraise and the payment schedule for your trip. Constructive time management will be essential. Different fundraising ideas might be targeted towards the same people. If you have two different fundraisers that would ask for donations from your school for example, make sure that you space them out a few months apart. In between these fundraisers there will be opportunities to organize at least two to three smaller ones. Maybe you can plan to have a bake sale at your school once a month. Start choosing approximate dates on your calendar for these events. Remember not to choose school holidays, days of other events, etc. Make sure to talk to your Trips Coordinator about your fundraising schedule so that they can support you with your events! By now you should have several sheets of paper out on your desk. Keep jotting ideas on paper as they come to you. Begin to organize your ideas and complete some of the crucial planning necessary for you to fundraise. This includes collecting phone numbers to set meetings, making posters and writing letters. Please do not procrastinate. Time is of the essence. Just think: After several months of hard work, you will be on a flight to a life changing experience. 10

11 STEP FIVE MAKE A BUDGET A budget is a great way to organize all of the ideas you have been brainstorming along with your projected income. This can be done in a chart like the one below. Example: Fundraising strategy Details Projected income Part-time job $8 per hour x 10 hours a week x $ weeks Donation from school Varies depending on the size of $1000 the school Contribution from relatives Promised amount $250 Dinner night at my house $20 per person x 12 people cost $153 of food ($87) Snow shovelling $10-$20 per driveway x a minimum of 25 driveways this winter. Minimum: $10 x 25 = $250 $20 x 25 = $500 TOTAL $ Your chart: Fundraising strategy Details Projected income TOTAL $ 11

12 FUNDRAISING HELP: TIPS, IDEAS AND FACTS DON T BE AFRAID TO ASK FOR MONEY! DON T BE DISCOURAGED IF YOU DO NOT GET ANY RIGHT AWAY! Fundraising can take time. By following the tips below you will increase your chances of getting funding. HELPFUL HINTS Research- Know your donor! Make sure you understand how much they will be able to give. Be prepared to provide them with specific information about your needs. Have a personalized letter of introduction or use the one we have provided as an addition. Offer to do an informative presentation. Tell potential donors about the trip and what you hope to get out of it. Use pictures and information from your Me to We Fundraising DVD! Ask for donations early. It may take a while for larger organizations to process sponsorship requests. Let people know who your other supporters are. Let your donors know that you will recognize them in some way as a sponsor of your trip. If you are doing a presentation, this is an excellent time to honor those who have already donated (Make sure the organizations that you are accepting funding from are organizations that you are comfortable being associated with). Follow up with regular communication and create relationships with your donors. People like to give money to people they know. Provide the organizations that you are soliciting with updated information about your quest for funding and your plans for the trip. Send whoever gives you money a thank-you card or letter. Offer to do another presentation when you return telling them all about your trip. WHERE TO LOOK FOR FUNDING Individual donors/organizations: If you belong to a religious organization, approach affiliated groups and make them aware of your involvement with the religious group (Catholic Women s League, Knights of Columbus, etc.) School groups Make a presentation to your school council and ask them for funding assistance. Let them know that you hope to make a presentation to your school community when you return from your trip to share your experience with other students Ask your principal or school board for funding Contact your local community groups, sports teams, or other community organizations for funding. Business donations: Ask for help from your parents companies, local businesses and banks. Parents/relatives- Saving Winter Holiday, birthday and graduation money will go a long way towards funding your trip, even if it just provides spending money for in-country expenses. Use the Internet, yellow pages/phone book and family address book to look for potential donors. Service clubs- Rotary and Lion s Clubs (In Canada, the Royal Canadian Legion) + + Sometimes these groups pay for speakers to talk to their club. You could ask them for a speaker s fee in advance to help pay for your trip and when you return you can give them a presentation with pictures and stories of your experience. 12

13 REFERENCE LETTER FOR TRIP PARTICIPANTS FROM ME TO WE TRIPS Dear Friend, [your name] has been invited to take part in a exciting Leadership & Volunteer program in. [country] The program is hosted by Me to We Trips. Me to We Trips is dedicated to helping young people realize their full potential through leadership, education and development. Using interactive, inspiring and innovative curriculum, our outstanding youth leaders motivate and educate thousands of young people around the world each year. Highlights of the Volunteer & Leadership trip include: leadership training, service learning, educational seminars and volunteering at local schools and community centers. will [your name] have the opportunity to volunteer in the local community and make a difference in the lives of others. Volunteer opportunities include: school-building or working on a Free The Children development project such as a clean water project or alternative income program, teaching in the classroom, and playing with, interacting and meeting children and community members in rural communities. The total cost of the trip is. The cost includes all expenses airfare (unless travelling to Arizona-Mexico), guides to ensure safety, accommodations and meals. Although we have attempted to make the trips as economical as possible, we understand that it is quite costly and participants need financial assistance. Me to We Trips extends our gratitude to all organizations, persons and corporations that help make this opportunity available to all participants. We ask that when making a contribution to sponsor a young person, cheques are made payable to Me to We Trips and the name of the person you re sponsoring is specified in the memo line. We can then provide you with a receipt that confirms we have received your sponsorship. Please feel free to contact me any time with questions regarding the trip, s [your name] participation or your funding assistance. Read more about the trips on our website, or me at janice@ metowe.com. Thank you in advance for your donation to help empower youth! * Contact your Trip Coordinator to get an editable version of this document for yourself! Yours truly, Janice Sousa Executive Director of International Trips Me to We Phone: Fax: janice@metowe.com 13

14 SAMPLE REFERENCE LETTER FROM PAST PARTICIPANT Joanna Klimczak 8159 Woodsview Crescent Niagara Falls, ON, CA L2H 3G1 Dear Friend, My name is Joanna Klimczak. I am a student at A.N. Myer Secondary, in Niagara Falls, and an ambassador of Free the Children the world s largest network of children helping children through education. With other passionate youth in Niagara I have taken action on the serious issues of poverty and education. Our team is empowering our peers at school and in the community to be the change in our world, and this year, work together to help our friends suffering from child labour in rural India and from the effects of the 11-year civil war in Sierra Leone. Our youth in action group, named Hand in Hand, will be hosting a variety of regional and local events to raise $ to adopt two villages with Free The Children in India and Sierra Leone. Each village will be provided with a school and educational programming, mobile health clinics and lunch programs, alternative sources of income for women to better support their families, and access to clean water. We feel that this is an amazing time for our society to bond together in support of a WE generation. This summer, I have been given the lifetime opportunity of traveling to Udaipur, India, on a Me to We Volunteer and Leadership Trip with 25 other ambassadors of Free The Children from around the world. Udaipur is a beautiful village, where unfortunately, many people suffer from extreme poverty. During my 3-week journey I will have the chance to work first-hand with the community by building a school or water project, teaching students English, and volunteering with organizations such as Mother Teresa s Charity Mission. I will also experience the unique Indian culture, and demonstrate that youth can be the change in our world. My participation in the Me to We Volunteer and Leadership Trip depends on if I can raise $5000. (A portion of this total programme cost is a contribution to Udaipur). I would like to ask you for your generous support with a kind donation (cash or check payable to Me to We Trips, with my name, Joanna Klimczak, in the memo line). It is asked please that contributions be sent to the address located at the top of this letter. A receipt that confirms your sponsorship has been received can be provided as well. I am investing every dollar from my own money to make sure I don t miss out on this unique experience. I truly hope for your support. As a thank you, I will be making a documentary about my life-changing experience, which I would be more than honoured to present to you upon my return at the end of summer. Please feel free to contact the Executive Director of Me to We Trips, Janice Sousa, anytime, with questions regarding the trip, my participation or your funding assistance. I would like to express my appreciation for your support. Thank you in advance for your donation to help empower youth. Sincerely, Joanna Klimczak President of Hand in Hand Phone: Fax: handinhand@live.ca Janice Sousa Executive Director of Me to We Trips Phone: ext.132 Fax: janice@metowe.com 14

15 HELP IS ON THE WAY: WHAT S NEXT? We hope that this workbook has been helpful to start planning your fundraising events! Do not let the ideas stop here keep brainstorming, planning, and getting your friends and family involved. This trip will be a lifechanging experience for you, and all the people you will meet along the way. Have fun with your events, be creative, and make them your own! Keep in touch with your Trips Coordinator along the way to tell them about the challenges you re facing, the successful fundraisers you ve planned, and everything in between. We really want to support you through your fundraising. Finally, the entire Me to We Trips team wishes you Good Luck, nakutakia kila la heri (Swahili), wo men dou zhu ni hao yun (Mandarin), buena suerte (Spanish), and shubh kaamnaayei (Hindi)! The Trips Team 15