Here’s a great tip for fundraising beginners :
I found that hosting a dinner party at home for friends and family was a great way to help me raise a little money and also helped to build confidence in talking to people about where I’d be going, what I hoped to achieve, and crucially – how they could help.
Chestnut and Mushroom Pie with a Map of Sri Lanka
To raise a little money from the dinner party I ask friends for a £10 donation (noted on their invite!) and in return cooked them a lovely dinner. It’s cheaper than a meal out. And they’re helping a good cause! It really doesn’t matter what you cook but all the better if you can theme your dinner around the country you’re going to – if you’re volunteering to teach in Thailand you could raid the internet for a good Thai Green Curry recipe or cook some tasty noodles etc. etc.).
You can either ask your guests to bring their own alcohol (to keep the costs down for you) or I’ve heard of others running a donation drink system but be careful, depending on the friends you could loose money if they’re more into drinking than donating so a guide donation chart might be useful if you’re planning that!
It’s often hard to start the ball rolling when you’re beginning to fundraise. It’s a bit like suffering from writer’s block – the blank page or empty fundraising calendar can be very intimidating. I found the dinner party was a great way to ask all my friends for their fundraising suggestions and we brainstormed ideas around the table; people got really into some of the ideas and I was able to get people to offer to help me with future events and/or to put me in touch with friends-of-friends who could help. It was a great way to start my fundraising and everyone really enjoyed it too.
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