Fundraising for NCYC
Here are some ideas to get your fundraising creativity flowing! Parishes, schools, and dioceses are asked to create and adapt these ideas for their local use. If you have a creative idea not listed . . . please share it with us!
Hosting NCYC Fundraisers
So you are going to NCYC. But how will your group raise the money needed to pay for this pilgrimage? Relax! You can survive NCYC planning and achieve your fundraising goals! Here are some pointers about fundraising to get you started:
- Discuss fundraisers with the pastor or pastoral administrator.
- Make sure to keep the pastoral staff involved. They may even be able to help you out along the way.
- There might be significant limitations on the type of fundraisers allowed by the parish. Be sure to gather this information before any additional planning.
- Schedule all NCYC Fundraising meetings.
- Decide how often you want to meet with the youth and their families to update and discuss fundraising goals.
- Be sure to invite youth and their families and the Pastor or Pastoral Administrator to the first meeting.
- Begin and end each meeting with prayer.
- Introduce fundraising expectations at the first meeting.
- What will be expected of the participants? Do they need to attend all events? Will they need to run an event, etc.?
- Share local guidelines regarding fundraising norms.
- Will a portion of the money earned be sent to a local charity or will it all go toward the trip?
- Make sure that you have people to keep track of the preparation before the event and someone to take care of the money after. Consider appointing a treasurer and event planner(s).
- Brainstorm fundraising ideas and how many events to host.
- Decide which fundraisers are worth doing:
- What is the time commitment?
- What types of fundraising do we want to do? Selling/service, etc.
- Is this an appropriate fundraiser for our group?
- Will the items we sell be free of child labor and unfair labor practices?
- What will be our hourly wage per person?
- Does this fundraiser build up the community?
- Discuss the group fundraising goal.
- Are youth allowed raise all of the money needed for the pilgrimage or is there an earnings cap? (Note: past experience indicates that requiring a financial commitment from participants helps to ensure that they will not back out of the trip at the last minute.)
- What happens if the goal is not reached? What happens to the extra money if the goal is exceeded?
- Teach youth participants how to prepare a personal budget for NCYC.
- Remind participants and families that in their fundraising role, they represent their parish. Be sure they understand the implications of behaving badly and the reflection that has on a parish community.
- Schedule the fundraisers and get to it!