Fundraising Ideas - Fall

Welcome to the GLA Fundraising Page!  

This page is a collection of ideas and resources to help you raise funds towards your GLA program. Check it out and get inspired.

Meet our Featured Fundraiser: Emilie Schumacher

Emilie Schumacher definitely followed her own fundraising advice to cover 50% of her tuition to the GLA Spain program last summer.  Her recommendation: “Go unique and go with variety! A different style of fundraising peaks people's interest more than just the typical gofundme. Take a hobby or passion, and see if you can make some money from it.”  Of course, she also advises, “make sure to cover all bases. Make a gofundme, AND have a bake sale, etc. The more types of fundraising you do, the more chances you have of reaching your goal.” 

Emilie, a photographer, decided to use her talent and offer to take senior portraits for a cheaper price than her school was offering. Just by advertising at her school she got a number of shoots and easily reached her personal goal.  However, she admits that had she needed to raise more, she easily could have booked more shoots.  When asked about the work she did to fundraise, Emilie says “It was completely worth it. I didn't regret putting that money towards my trip at all, because I got way more than my money's worth.”  And she encourages “If you're stuck while fundraising, just keep in mind that you're working towards a trip of a lifetime.”

Need some inspiration?

Check out this video of Matt and Coleman talking about their experience fundraising.

Here is a video recording of a fundraising webinar, hosted by a GLA staff member.

Have a creative fundraising idea of your own?  Share it on the GLA Fundraising Community Facebook page.

The sooner you start fundraising, the better!  Here are some fundraising ideas that are perfect for the Fall.

Fall Fundraising Ideas

Yard Clean Up - By appointment or Rake-a-thon-  Autumn means football, apple picking, and pumpkin spice lattes.  In many parts of the country, it also means yard work.  Use this to your advantage!  Talk to your neighbors and family friends and ask if you can rake up their leaves for a donation.  Want to make it more fun?  Ask your friends to join you and hold a Rake-a-thon!  See how many yards you can clean in one weekend.  Hang up fliers a couple weeks ahead of time or drop them in mailboxes around town.  Recruit as many helpers as you can- isn't this what friends and siblings are for?   Be sure you know your towns regulations for leaf disposal- can you leave them in a pile on the curb or do you need to bag them?  Then all you have to do is borrow some rakes from your neighbors and you are ready to go!

Gift Wrapping- Contact stores in your town and ask if you can set up a gift wrapping table on Saturdays in December.  Bring lots of wrapping paper, tape, scissors, and extra boxes that you have collected.  Make sure you have a sign that says donations are going towards your GLA service learning adventure.  You can suggest donation amounts based on the size of the gift or you can just let people donate what they think is appropriate.  

Send your fundraising letters now!  People feel very generous this time of year.  There's even a Tuesday in November when people are encouraged to give.  If your family sends holiday cards, use that as your donor list.  Make sure you have a letter clearly stating what you are asking for, why you chose the particular GLA program that you are going on, and the type of service work that you will be doing.  Donors will want to know all of these things.  Send your letters with self addressed return envelop to make it easy for them to send donations back to you.  Checks should be made out to Global Leadership Adventures and your name should be written in the memo section.

Weekend Work- Many stores hire extra retail staff to help out just during the holiday rush.  Picking up weekend shifts for the next two months is a great way to make money that you can put in your travel fund.  Take a look around town and at your nearest shopping mall, there will be plenty of options.