I am just getting Thank You's done from my South African Donors, 2 months after getting home.. Even though they have been on my list of things to do... since I got home. Slowly but surly this summer is coming to an end.
All of that being said, I am finally starting to get some of my study abroad posts up onto my blog! Woo!
Studying abroad is well worth the money. I don't regret a single penny that I spent on the trip, but I do wish I would have watched my finances a little more closely. Here are 5 Tips for raising money for your trip, because it is no secret that it costs an arm and a leg sometimes. It is hard to pay for an entire trip straight out of pocket so follow these:
1. Don't be afraid to ask.
I wrote letters to businesses and close family and friends. They contained a senior picture of me, a picture of the coast of South Africa and a letter explaining who I am, why I wanted to go on the trip and asking for a small donation of $20. I told them that if every single person that got this letter could donate $20, my trip would be completely paid for. Did everyone donate? No, but the people who did often donated more than the $20. I raised about 10% of my trip by asking for close family and friends to pitch in.
If you are going to do this, don't be like me. Try to get your thank you's done as soon as you possibly can after you get home. For my thank yous, I included a letter thanking them and telling them about my experience and a few pictures from the trip. They turned out amazing and the trip was absolutely beautiful. (Save some money and hand deliver the thank you's if you can.)
2. Look for fundraisers that will earn you a little money.
I sold cookie dough, which only raised me about 50 bucks, but it was still a great learning experience. Find out how many people would want to buy it before you commit to the fundraiser. There are lots of ideas out there that would work to sell.
If you can make something of your own and sell it, that would work out even better!
3. Garage Sale.
I know that it doesn't work time wise for everyone, but I set up a garage sale at my parents house for all day on a Thursday and Friday. I asked people to donate stuff, which my grandma and my parents donated a ton of stuff. This helped me with last minute expenses.
4. Use your social media to your advantage.
Create a fan page about your trip. Ask your family and friends on Facebook to like it. Then, when you are doing fundraisers or your garage sale, be sure to advertise it there. This is a great way to get the people you know to come check it out. But also ask them to share the page so more people see it.
5. Pancake/Spaghetti/Soup Feed
This is a great way to raise some money if you have more people than just yourself. If you can find a great place to do it that you don't have to rent (church), and do free will donation. Have a letter about yourself and your pictures as you walk in the door. Let people give what they want to and you would be surprised that they are so willing to donate to help you out.
With this, be sure that you plan for the costs of whatever you are making and try to get an estimate to make sure that you have enough to feed people who are coming.
6. Bonus Tip: Fill out as many scholarships as you possibly can.
I got a scholarship from my school that I went with. Without the scholarship, I would have really struggled to make the ends meet, but it turned out great and I had a lot of fun! If you can find scholarships from your local town as well as your school and some on the internet, it can really be helpful in the long run!
Money is one of the biggest factors to people studying abroad, but do it while you are in college and you are young. It was an experience of a lifetime and I wouldn't trade it for anything.
What are other things that you did or could do to raise a little money to go abroad?
Check the blog out next Monday for tips on how to save money while you are in the country!
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