Raising money – working, fundraising, sponsorship and grants

There are a few things you can do to raise your target amount - get a job, try your hand at fundraising or try to get a grant or sponsorship.

Raising your gap year money by working - choose your job well

Working is obviously going to be an important way to earn the bulk of your money. Pick your job carefully – if you take on a 9-5 job, then you are likely to earn more than shift work at Asda stacking shelves. If you don’t have any office experience, but can make yourself look presentable, go to a temping agency to get started. After working a few temporary jobs, you are more likely to get yourself a decent permanent job with a good reference.

As well as a day job, how about taking on a few hours behind a bar? This might make up for not being able to go out so much; you won’t feel such a social hermit and it can be a lot more fun and easy than a “proper” day job.

If you choose waitressing, try to get a job in a decent restaurant, rather than a café. The tips will be better, and this could really make a difference to your earning potential.

If you are still at school, your options will be more limited. However, even if you can only work a Saturday job, if you can earn £5 an hour and do a 7 hour shift, you can earn £35 a day. That adds up to £1800 a year!

Once you know what your regular income is, put a fixed amount straight into your savings account each month. Use the Fool savings calculator to work out how much you can raise through working. If you don’t think it’s going to be enough, start to explore some other options – fundraising, grants and sponsorship. Or, you can choose to earn money while you are on your gap year – check out our seasonal work abroad section, or you could work en route (eg. fruit picking).

Raising your gap year money – fundraising, grants, sponsorship

Don’t be put off by the thought of how much money you will need for your gap year. Thousands of people manage to raise similar amounts every year. One of the keys to being successful is putting a bit of thought into raising your money. There are the more straightforward methods of raising money – such as getting a job, selling your unused stuff on eBay or having a car boot sale. You also have some other options, like trying your hand at fundraising and sponsorship. We suggest you produce a fundraising pamphlet outlining your proposal, and include that with any fundraising or sponsorship requests.

Gap year fundraising

For a huge section on fundraising, from fancy dress to bean baths, visit our fundraising for your gap year section.

Gap year grants and sponsorship

You don’t have to work for all of your money – get your hands on some ‘free’ money by pursuing grants and sponsorship. One thing you need to bear in mind, though – you’re not going to get any money if you plan to swan off travelling with no real aims and no plans to make a difference. Grant money is there to enable young people to participate in constructive and worthwhile activities and voluntary projects that will benefit others, or even you as an individual, and improve the lives of those you are helping.

Some people are literally giving money away. There are thousands of trusts offering grants in the UK – too many to list here (although most of them don’t give to individuals). If your gap year plans are worthwhile and you will be helping those in need, then you may have a very good case for claiming a grant. Most require applications well in advance, and some only have certain periods in the year when you can apply. Go to your local library or careers office and ask for books that list grant-making trusts. Then you can do some research to find out which ones you may be applicable for – if you are unsure, give them a quick call. You will then need to fill in an application form, and send it off with your CV and a covering letter.

Giving money away – try some of the following:

The Kirk Fund have £1500 to give away to people aged between 18-26 who are willing to travel abroad independently.

The Rotary Club may consider your project worth donating to particularly if what you intend to do will help others in some way

The EU Leonardo da Vinci gap year programme offers grants of £2,700 upwards for people spending 26 weeks in another European country on work experience.

If you are still at school or college, ask around, there may be travel bursaries available from your institution or locally.

Also worth trying: Lions Club, Round Table, Inner Wheel, Probus Club.

Corporate sponsorship & donations

It’s a great idea to approach a company to see if they would be interested in sponsoring, or donating towards your trip. But rather than writing a general letter and sending it to a long list of random companies, you are much more likely to be successful if you take a more focused approach.

Think about who you, your parents, your parent’s friends and your friends know. Does anyone have a contact or a link with a company that could help you?
Large national companies may have more money, but are less likely to sponsor you as an individual. Try local businesses first.
Is there a regional office of a national company in your local area who may be keen to sponsor you if they will benefit from some local newspaper publicity?
Think about what you will be involved with. Coral reefs, rainforests, endangered species? Is there a link between your activity and a local business which could make them more interested?

Universities and schools

If you are a student, find out whether your current school, university or college has any funds available for supporting your gap year. Some institutions actually have charitable trusts that issue grants to students.

Alternatively, your school (past or present) provides an excellent opportunity for fundraising. They could host an “Own Clothes Day”, where everybody pays £1 to not wear the school uniform for a day, donated to your cause. You could offer to give a presentation about your gap year when you return in exchange for their help.

Local community & local media

If you will be spending part of your gap year participating in a worthwhile project, get in touch with the local media. They will be interested in hearing from you and about your fundraising campaign. Some media exposure will be very helpful in persuading people to support your cause, and also shows that you are determined and resourceful.

Make the most of the organisations in your local community, such as clubs, societies, and other local groups. If you can get the local media on your side and raise the profile of your campaign, you could attract the interest of these local organisations who like to be seen to be providing support for such initiatives.

Tips for seeking sponsorship

Take a focused approach – think about who your trip is more relevant to
Don’t apply for grants unless you’re eligible – it’s a waste of time
Produce a pamphlet (see our fundraising pamphlet advice)
Always write a covering letter that is tailored to the grant/business/organisation (see our covering letter writing advice)
Follow up with a brief phone call
Don’t sound desperate – always sound positive and enthusiastic
Offer something in exchange, such as a presentation when you return
Don’t tell lies to get the money – it is not only unethical, but probably also illegal too

Keep in touch & thank your sponsors

Remember the people who helped you get where you are! When you are on your trip, it’s a nice idea to send updates to those who helped you to achieve your goal. Always make sure you follow through on any promises you made – to give talks or presentations. You owe it to your sponsors, and to other gappers who will come along after you, begging for money.

For more advice on raising money for your gap year, read on to our fundraising section...