Fundraising for your trip

We know that international flights can be expensive; and for a trip to Africa you also need to think about vaccinations, accommodation, transport and visas which all add to the cost. In addition to this, most volunteer projects and internship programs will have a project fee attached to them, which covers board and lodging, and also ensures the long term success of the project by driving profits into project development.

If you want to join us on a volunteering adventure in Africa but don’t have the cash, then raising money through clever innovations, creativity and crowd funding is the way forward! On this page you’ll find some practical ideas for you to come up with the dough and join us in Africa!

Figuring out how much money you need

Before planning and beginning any fundraising activities, it is important to work out how much is going to be needed and to set a final target or goal amount.

Things to consider include:

• Your project fee
• The cost of flights to Africa, as well as any extra internal flights
• Visa costs
• Vaccinations and inoculations
• Spending money for gifts and extra trips/tours
• Project donations if you want to raise extra funds for charity

Crowdfunding

African Impact recommends setting up a profile on a crowd funding platform such as Fund My Travel (www.fundmytravel.com) to help generate interest in your trip and raise funds. You can create a profile for yourself, set a goal amount and share your links with family and friends to contribute towards your worthy cause.

When creating your fundraising profile, follow these simple tips:

• Make it personal – show your passion and commitment to what you’re doing
• Consider ‘in lieu’ donations – instead of birthday and anniversary gifts ask for donations
• Why not look at odd jobs – ask for donations in exchange for window cleaning, mowing etc.

Setting up a blog

Consider setting up a blog to write about your fundraising campaign. You can write posts about the project you’re going to be volunteering on as well as advertising any upcoming fundraising events you’re organising. We can link to your blog on our website where suitable, and even re-post some of your posts on the official African Impact blog

Host an event

Get creative and think of fun ways to raise some money to help pay for your trip. Here are some examples to get you in the mood!

African Dinner Party
Get in the spirit for your time in Africa by hosting an African dinner party for your friends and family! Get your guests to pay a few dollars each and cook a three course African-inspired meal.

Going to Kenya?
Cook a traditional “chakula” (meal) of a mutton stew with maize and Western Kenyan cabbage. Or how about holding a traditional South African Braai? You can get guests to bring their own meat to cook on the grill, keeping your expenses down and maximising the profit that will go towards your trip!

Club / Band Night
Why not hold an exciting club or band night at a local venue with a charge at the door? You could keep costs down by asking if a local band or DJ would be willing to play free of charge. Use Facebook to advertise the evening, and how about asking universities and bars in the area if you can put up flyers!

5-a-Side Football Tournament
Are you a keen soccer player? Why not organise a local 5-a-side football tournament with teams paying to take part? You could hold it in your local park, or ask your local leisure or football club if they’d consider letting you use their facilities free of charge? You can also contact your area’s football association and ask them to put you in touch with a referee who could help you organise.

Sponsored Marathon
Ever seen someone train and run a marathon and think they’re crazy?! Well… they’re not! With just 6 months training and hard work, anybody can run a marathon. If you’ve planned your volunteer trip in advance, you have plenty of time to give it a shot! Particularly if you’re not sporty, people will see how dedicated you are to fundraising for your volunteering project – a great way to raise funds! If you’re joining one of our lion projects, why not run dressed as a lion?!

Community Market or Fair
Do you live in a village or a small community? How about hosting a traditional village fête? Hold it in your local church or town hall and you won’t even have to pay for a venue! You can host different activities and have stalls to maximize the profit –face painting for children, a cake sale, craft table – or why not add a twist with a traditional African food stall for lunch?!