FUNDRAI$ING

Christine PardueBEST Foundation

Why Fundraise? Attending tournaments costs $$$. BEST can help, but only some.

It’s great for students.

➔ Leadership skills

➔ Morale

➔ A sense of initiative and ownership

➔ It expands their idea of what is possible!

TOURNAMENT COSTS: What to Expect Registration fees - 5lv per student

Accommodations - 15-25lv per student per night

Transport - Train > Public bus > Charter bus

Food - approx. 15lv per student per day

TOURNAMENT COSTS: What to expect from BESTOur reach is BIG but our budget is small.

If you…

❏register for the tournament on time

❏fill out the scholarship app on time

❏show attempts to fundraise

❏pay careful attention to our terms and conditions

...you will receive a per-student travel stipend which covers the cost of student-discounted train tickets.

***Use bdz.bg to research train ticket prices.***

DO:1.Start early.

2.Be prepared to convince skeptical students and colleagues.

3.Expect a lot from your students.

DON’T:1.Wait till the last minute (!!)

2.Overestimate our ability to fund your team (!!!)

3.Forget to reach out to us for help :)

THREE PATHS TO SUCCESSFUL FUNDRAISINGHelp from your school

➔ Ask your director. Do they have money set aside for this sort of thing?

➔ Sales: baked goods, ice cream, crafts, Valentines, etc.

Community support

➔ Business sponsorship

➔ Special events

Folks back home

➔ Crowdfunding

➔ Personal appeals

Strategy #1: How to plan a dope bake sale

Before your sale❏Pick the date carefully. Will it conflict with a charity sale? Is it easier

to bake over the weekend rather than during the week? Ask your team and check with the student council.

❏Delegate jobs. You need poster-makers; people to set up, sell things, and clean up afterwards; bakers (of course!)

❏Maximize your $$$. Plan to...

❏ Advertise with posters and Facebook/in-class announcements

❏ Keep your table up all day rather than just the long break

❏ Leave a plate of treats in the teacher’s room w/ a donation cup & sign

❏ Make your table look pretty

#1 Rule: Sell stuff that... sells.What doesn’t sell?

➔ Re-packaged, store-bought treats

➔ Five pans of banitsa (though one is great!)

What does sell?

➔ Stuff with frosting

➔ American baked goods - pie, brownies, lemon bars

➔ American candy - Twizzlers, Starbursts, Airheads, Laffy Taffy, Warheads

Other Ideas➔ Healthy food - it’s unavailable in many schools and lots of kids are

trying to eat healthy.

◆ Salad-in-a-box

◆ Smoothies

➔ Sandwiches - think PB & nutella, cold cuts + cheese

➔ Ice cream! Verrrry popular, but wait for warmer weather and make sure you have access to a freezer.

After your sale...❏Send students around to classrooms with unsold items

❏Send students to small shops with the change and have them exchange it for paper money (banks often won’t do this)

❏Celebrate with your students! Make them feel good about what they’ve accomplished.

Strategy #2: How to Host a memorable Event

Words of Advice❏Ideas and interests

❏Authorities - EARLY!

❏Roles, aka Management

❏Venue???

❏DON'T spend too much $$$

❏ADVERTISE - FB, hand-made posters, invitations, etc

❏Activities???

❏Have fun!

Strategy #3: How to successfully crowdfund

Crowdfunding in short… ❏Consider the pros and cons and use along with with other

fundraisers

❏Make it a team effort

❏Have a nice picture of you and your team

❏Make the description on your page detailed and in English and Bulgarian

❏Advertise on social media and make personal appeals

❏Post enthusiastic and detailed updates

❏Offer fun rewards for large donations

❏Have your students follow up