Fundraising for Your Tremont Trip

Fundraising can be a fun and rewarding way to bring your group together while securing the funds needed for your school’s trip to Tremont. Success comes from creativity, planning, and community involvement. To get you started, here are some methods we have seen school groups use to fundraise effectively.

Tips for Success

  • Plan Ahead: Start your fundraising efforts well in advance of your trip to ensure you have enough time to reach your goal.
  • Get Everyone Involved: Engage all group members in the fundraising activities to spread the workload and make it a team effort.
  • Promote Widely: Use flyers, social media, and word of mouth to promote your events and campaigns.
  • Show Appreciation: Thank your donors and supporters regularly, and keep them updated on your progress and trip experiences.

Reduce Your Trip Cost

Don’t forget – Tremont offers options to help reduce your trip cost! Save significantly on student and teacher registrations when you opt into co-teaching and/or attend a Teacher Escape Weekend. You can also apply for financial aid and scholarships from Tremont to lower your overall cost. Learn more.

Get the Whole Group Involved

These events benefit from the involvement of the entire group, fostering teamwork and community engagement. They are perfect for building group spirit while raising funds.

  • Silent auctions – Collect donated items or services from local businesses and hold a silent auction.
    • Team up with your local farmers market, sporting event, or festival to increase your audience. Ask for table space to set up your silent auction during the larger community event, and work with the event organizers to ensure attendees know to check out the auction items. 
  • Community yard sale – Gather gently used items from group members and host a yard sale.
  • Host a family-fun night – Organize a special event for community members to gather and have fun. Charge a small admission fee, collect donations, and sell snacks to maximize the effort.
    • There are so many options! Host a talent show featuring performances from students, parents, teachers, or other local talent. Organize a movie screening at a local movie theater, park, or community center. 
  • Breakfast/dinner fundraiser – Cook and serve a breakfast or dinner for community members, selling tickets in advance. Pancakes and spaghetti are easy to cook in batch, but feel free to get creative!
  • Bake sales – Organize a bake sale at a local event, school, or community center.
  • 5k runs/walks – Organize a 5K run/walk event and charge participants an entry fee.
    • Give your 5k a fun theme! Make it a mutt strut that dogs can join in on, make it a color run, or come up with costume prompts.
  • Be the featured guests at a sporting event – Many local sports teams will feature nonprofit groups at their games. Bring some students to help facilitate the “chuck-a-puck” at a hockey game and keep the proceeds!
  • Collect loose change – Create a fundraiser based solely on loose change found around the house; many folks have a bowl of coins on their dressers that they can easily part with.
  • Virtual crowdfunding – Create a virtual fundraising campaign on platforms like GoFundMe, Kickstarter, or Indiegogo. Encourage everyone to share with their networks through email and social media.

Get the Community Involved

These events can be organized by one or two people, with the group benefiting from the proceeds. They are ideal for those looking for simpler, less time-intensive fundraising options.

  • Pint nights at local breweries – Partner with a local brewery for a night where a portion of the sales goes to your group.
  • Round-up at the register – Arrange for customers to round up their purchase totals to the nearest dollar at local stores or restaurants, with the extra amount donated to your group.
  • Percentage of sales from local businesses – Collaborate with local businesses or restaurants to donate a percentage of sales on a specific day or for a period of time.
  • Recruit local sponsors – Ask local businesses in your school district for donations. You may also find success with your local branch of the Rotary, Lions, Elks, Kiwanis, or similar organizations.

Amplify Your Efforts

Engage with your local media to boost your group’s visibility and reach within your community. Local newspapers, radio stations, and TV channels are always looking for human interest stories, and a student-driven fundraising effort is a perfect fit. By reaching out to local media, you can share your group’s mission, goals, and upcoming events with a wider audience, generating more support and donations. The more creative your fundraiser is, the more likely you are to get media attention!

Be creative, and remember that while raising the necessary funds takes effort, the Tremont experience will be worth every bit of the work! If you need help brainstorming fundraising strategies to make your trip to Tremont a reality, don’t hesitate to reach out – we’re here to support you every step of the way! Email us to set up a time to talk about creative options for your community.