Idea One:  Working with Vendors of your School/Organization

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Your school has vendors who supply goods and services from which they are paid by your school. Find out who these vendors are, and ask for their support. But be sure to make the ask about what you are doing with youth before you go, and how it will  positively impact their individual lives as a result of the international experience.  Solicit the help of your school administrator/principal to ask for support.  Many see this type of support as a natural outgrowth of continued good relationships with the school. This is where you engage your headmaster to assist you.

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Idea Two:  Engage Businesses with your project

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Try to align and engage your project, and your youth,  with other area businesses, and look for ways that your project, or perhaps separate volunteer efforts from your students, could also benefit these businesses. Most businesses appreciate the good will and favorable publicity. If there is a local Rotary chapter (or similar business association), investigate if you and your students can prepare a nice, ten minute presentation for one of their meetings to open that door to businesses who support youth. 

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Idea Three:  Career Connections

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Emphasize the fact that these students are looking for new careers within your community, if possible. They are your community’s future workforce. Some other tips are always show the value of what is being invested by your time, the youth and other volunteer time, as well as facilities if some of your activities happen outside of normal school hours. Several projects this last year in Denmark had over 900 youth and adult hours invested before then arrived in Denmark. Just the time alone has a value of $14,000 to $27,000 and would count as a good match in any grant application. By each delegation keeping track of time, we are hopeful that the future of CEI can include some sustaining funders to provide some proportionate assistance to delegations in need. Another idea is for your youth to volunteer to assist with outdoor elder work, focusing on the older population who no longer find it easy for yard chores. This is also good publicity. 

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