How to Fund Your Volunteer Abroad Project
No, I am not rich. I do not live a baller, luxury lifestyle. However, I have been able to go on an annual month-long trip without breaking the bank or taking away from my home responsibilities. Heck yeah I have a mortgage! The bank doesn’t care if I am out of the country that month. Mama’s still gotta pay up. I have kids, bills, and a super ornery cat that demands to be fed constantly.
Traveling the world does not mean you need $10K for a month-long trip. Yeah, you could totally spend that much if you wanted to I guess but you can have a life changing experience doing kick ass stuff for $0-$3,000. That is more my style.
Why Volunteer Abroad?
Of course, you are giving back, saving babies, helping fight hunger, and fighting the good fight for human rights. Those are all the most important reasons to volunteer abroad. However, one of the most attractive pieces to doing this for many first timers is the opportunity to see the world on a major budget. World Endeavors coordinates my projects and I have to say,it’s pretty damn affordable for what you get, your experience, and the length of time. No, they did not pay me to say that, I am just a raving fan. You can see examples of pricing on my last blog post here.
You do not need to be there a month. The group I will be leading in September 2018 to Tanzania offers a cool 14-day option. There is still time to hop on, check it out here. I like doing a month because I feel like that maximizing impact with m
y volunteer project and have plenty of time to see everything I would like in that country. My point is, volunteering really helps with the budget.
Free Money? Say Whaaaa….
Volunteering abroad is a lot of paying for college in the sense that there are some killer scholarships out there if you are just willing to take the time to apply! I was so happy to hear this! I am in college and will apply for anything that comes my way and I do the same for my volunteer abroad projects. Here are some cool ones to check out:
- The GVI Trust gives grants to motivated, deserving, and committed students.
- Travelocity offers an opportunity to win your dream volunteerism trip with the Travel for Good.
- Volunteer Forever gives scholarships from $500-$1,000 to travelers volunteering, studying, interning, teaching, or working abroad.
- Samuel Huntington Public Service Award provides a huge stipend to a graduating college senior to volunteer for one year to the tune of $10K-$15k. If you have a year and are just graduating…wow!
- Sara’s Wish Foundation provides scholarships to young women who are leaders in their communities, adventurers, and service minded.
- Omprakash Ambassador Travel Grant covers travel and living expenses for entrepreneurial adventurers who volunteer abroad.
- Hostel International-Explore the World Travel Scholarship sare awarded to volunteers whose projects include and educational or service component.
- IVHQ Medical Volunteer Abroad Scholarships are available to doctors volunteering abroad.
- FundmyTravel is an opportunity to crowdsource online through your social media platforms.
- World Endeavors has more opportunities for scholarships and grants available for volunteers they are working with so check them out!
Do you work?
Many companies want their employees volunteering and often will help sponsor your passion! Be sure to talk with your supervisor and marketing team about the opportunities to keep a photo diary, a blog, or a vlog they can use to help
the team and clients back home follow your journey. What if you took photos in company logo wear and helped with social media for the organization? Would your organization we willing to sponsor your PTO used for this trip? HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU DO NOT ASK? See more tips about having that conversation with your boss here.
Local Community Organizations
Think outside the box when it comes to making this trip a reality! Use your project to partner with local organizations in your community that are also addressing this issue locally. For example, when I went on my first human trafficking project, I reached out to local anti-human trafficking non-profit organizations in my community to talk about the project. I surprised to see how many of them were interested in partnering to get experience stories, presentations, videos, and connections in those countries. They may be willing to help support your journey!
Rotary. If you think your local Rotary is a bunch of old white dudes who are retired and just want to
have a standing meeting on their calendar, think again! Rotaries across the country have been redefining their purpose, being involved with business professionals, and love to support great causes. Their core values are
to raise funds for great causes. Your local chapter may share your passion for your project type, so check it out.
Businesses love in-person presentations
I can tell you that I work for an organization where all of the following is true AND I know many companies that operate similarly:
- We have Social Responsibility Strategies in place. Figure out what their priority initiatives are and structure your request accordingly.
- There is generally a person, a committee, or even full-time employees whose JOB is to give away money on behalf of the company or the foundation of that company.
- We love seeing a person who is willing to come in and talk about their project and educate our teams on these needs, rather than causes that just send mass printed letters to every single business in town.
- Many organizations have their process for submitting donation requests right on their websites or you can call their directly and ask for their donation process.
- I see cancer benefits, little league baseball teams, and silent auction basket requests for galas on the daily. Not that those are not worthy causes but what we aren’t seeing is someone willing to travel across the world and live like a local to give back to a non-profit and support a cause. It’s a hell of a lot more interesting.
You just have to ask. The very worst thing that will happen is they will politely say no and then you still have the same amount of money in your pocket to fund your trip.
Landed the Presentation? Oh shit, now what.
You better be prepared. I serve on one of these committees and I will tell you exactly how to sell this to me. Keep in mind, each person holding the checkbook has a responsibility to stick to a set of rules. Here are some common ones:
- Nothing political:want to go to a foreign country to work with their government on their current trade war with the USA. Cool, but good luck getting a US company to take a stance on that. Keep in mind, giving you one red cent in support of your trip means they are making a public statement on their official political views. Most companies will say, “No to that one..” really fast.
- Nothing controversial:do you think the women in Ireland should be allowed to get a legal abortion in their own country? You do you, but I can tell you right now, that is never going to fly in a business donation request presentation.
- Nothing religious:this is tough for a lot of people volunteering abroad because a lot of trips are mission trips, mission based, church organized, etc. In fact, every time I have told someone about this, they always ask if it is through my church or something. Now, if your church is organizing people to build homes in a village destroyed by hurricanes, that could be okay. However, if you are there to spread the good word, good book, or some higher power, that is a hot no for a business.
But what SHOULD I do?
Now that you know what NOT to do in your presentation, here is what I would do if I were doing this. Side note: I literally do exactly this for a living. I public speak, give balanced presentations, and am appealing to executives of major companies.
- Introduce yourself with a brief educational, volunteer, and professional background. Key word here is BRIEF.
- Where are you going, what is the culture like, and what is the country like? What cuisine are they known for?
- Exactly right here, I would pass out some small treat from that country for people to try. Keep it small, simple, and cheap. You are here to ask for money, not spend it. It is easy to find these are international food stores or order online.
- What is the issue at hand in this country? What are you going to work on?
- Why do you feel so passionately about this project? What skills do you have that will be of value with this type of work?
- Budget: Spill it. Lay it all out there. What is this going to cost?
- What kind of support are you looking for today? I assume you are looking for a cash donation. Maybe you are there to ask for a supply of the sandals they make to give to locals? Whatever, just be specific.
- Close with reaffirming why this project means so much to you, how it will change your life, and why this is such a huge opportunity.
- Thank them all for their time and tell them you look forward to hearing back from them. Maybe throw in how much you would love to send them photos or a post card.
Save, Save, Save. Yeah, Yeah, Yeah.
By profession, I am a lifer banker. I would be remiss to not discuss how I personally save for travel and how I help my clients save for something special. First of all, you should just know that 15 years of banking have not broken my impulsive shopping and spending habits. I know this about myself and it will probably not go away, so let’s just deal with it.
What I know about myself is that I just have to force savings to happen. I can’t see it or have easy access to it. That is why I love
the new popularity of apps that help you do this. I use Acorns (nope, also not a sponsored recommendation, I really use this) to save for my trips. It is cool because it is micro-investing, meaning it is out on the market. That also means it could go down in value. It is not insured like a bank deposit. Acorns allows you to set up several credit or debit cards and it will collect the “spare change” from transactions you are already making.
So if you spent $24.72 on dinner tonight, $0.28 will be deposited automatically to your investment account. You also have the option of setting up a weekly reoccurring transfer from your regular checking account. $20 here and there really adds up! Lastly, if you came into some cash, maybe got a bonus at work, you can do a one-time dump into your investment account.
If you do not have a legit credit card with excellent travel miles, get that fixed. A great strategy is to stop using your debit card for your everyday transactions and use your travel credit card instead but sticking only to your checking account balance. Each pay period, pay off that card. You will maximize your miles pretty quickly. Look for a card that have an introductory bonus miles allotment. I paid for my round trip to Thailand this way! I prefer cards that work for multiple airlines, rather than just US Airways or Delta. I happen to work at a credit union and we offer these types of options on our travel card. Who doesn’t love a free flight?
Keep an eye on deadlines for the scholarship and grant applications! Do not forget about community and business partners near you. Get your savings plan set so you can forget about it….like a money crockpot.
Happy Trails!
