Fundraising for your volunteer experience or internship

Many volunteers fundraise all or part of their program fee and travel expenses.

Fundraising is a fun and rewarding way to fund your program and make your dream of volunteering with children and orphans internationally or in the USA come true. Volunteers have planned events and engage everyone from family and friends to local businesses in their efforts to fund their affordable volunteer vacations.

You can even start fundraising before you sign up for your affordable volunteer vacation—many volunteers even fund raise their initial deposit.

Fundraising for your volunteer program not only helps you fulfill your dream of volunteering abroad, it also helps promote awareness of global issues. Every conversation, letter, and event that explains where and why you plan to volunteer shows people your commitment to serving local communities abroad, and spreads the word about international service which empowers others.

Fundraising can be a fun and enjoyable part of the volunteer vacation experience planning, and many volunteers who fundraise feel a special sense of fulfillment and a deepened dedication to volunteering.

Please go to the Volunteer section of our website and click on "forms and application and download all the forms you need. We will help you personalize your fund raising flyers with your own name and type of volunteer experience.

Effective and fun fund raising ideas for your volunteer vacation:

• Yard sale. In addition, ask friends and family to donate items to your yard sale and allow you to use all the proceeds for your volunteer experience.

• Bake sale. Also, ask friends and family to contribute baked goods to increase the sales.

• Car washes.

• In a band or have a friend in a band? Give a free concert (in the park, in your backyard, on the corner) and collect donations.

• Yard clean up. Distribute flyers to your neighbors and friends and tell them you’ll clean up their yard or weed their garden for a donation.

• Dinner or garden party. Invite your friends, neighbors and family and ask for donations for your trip.

• Organize a bike ride, walk or hike and collect donations for every mile you complete.

• Bake cookies for your parent’s office mates. Include a donation box next to the cookies.

• Ask friends and family to donate to your trip instead of giving you gifts for holidays, birthdays and graduations.

• Get a local coffee shop to donate 50cents for every order they sell for a one week period. Use the attached brochure to place at the cash register so that everyone coming to the coffee shop knows what is going on.

• Give a container of cookies or brownies to friends and neighbors and ask for the tub back filled with quarters.

• Hit up that wealthy aunt or uncle for a cash donation.

• Use Twitter, Facebook, blogs and other social networking sites to spread the word to your friends that you are raising funds for a volunteer experience.

• Write letters or emails to all your contacts, friends, family and neighbors and ask them for their support.

• Go to your local businesses and ask for their support. In turn, give them a flyer to post that shows they have donated to a non profit and worthy cause.

An idea from our supporter Jeannie DiGrappa: Are you a “beader”? If so, how about making lots of jewelry and then having a party and donating a portion of the proceeds to Panetiere Partners?

:: click here to download the fundraising ideas

:: click here for an example of a form to give to your potential sponsors. Contact us and we will personalize forms for your specific experience.

FAQ on fundraising for your volunteer or internship experience.

I am unsure about asking my friends and family for money. What can I do?

To get over the common fundraising barrier of asking people you know for money, start by explaining to people your desire to effect positive change by becoming a volunteer. Remember, you are not asking for money for a vacation or a handout, rather you are asking for a contribution to do volunteer work with a very disenfranchised group, gain inside knowledge of another culture, and make a difference in the world.

Remember, you don’t have to always ask for money. You can DO things like the ideas listed above!

Can my sponsors deduct their donation? What exactly does 100% tax-deductible mean?

Panetiere Partners is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization in the U.S. Any donation to Panetiere Partners is tax deductible in the U.S. A sponsor can mail donations or donate a sponsorship on line using your volunteer ID number. However a volunteer cannot give or donate funds to Panetiere Partners for their own trip. Basically you can raise the program fee for your trip by sponsors donating dollars towards the program fee to Panetiere Partners. You will be responsible for paying your own airfare and whether you pay for it or someone sponsors your airfare, it will not be tax deductible.

Panetiere Partners recommends consulting a personal tax advisor on all issues concerning tax deductibility.

Can I use the Panetiere Partners logo on materials that I make for my fundraising events (such as raffle tickets, t-shirts etc.)?

Yes! We encourage you to use our graphics and logos for your fundraising events. Also, print out our fundraising flyers, which will help explain more about Panetiere Partners, our mission and programs.

We also have forms to use when looking to secure sponsorship for your volunteer experience. Please go to the Volunteer section of our website and click on "forms and application."