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I need to fundraise £4000 to go to volunteer in Nepal in summer of 2025 - any tips?

Hi!

As mentioned, I am going on a trip with school to Nepal in summer next year to help a school which has just finished being built, to teach some English and resource the rooms and things but the cost of £4000 is very scary. Just wondering if anyone has any fundraising tips that are unusual or may be useful in any way?

I have started selling on EBay, which has raised funds of about £80 and also am planning on starting to tutor kids in the community for maths who are studying for SATs and GCSEs too. However, obviously it is a minute amount compared to what I have to fund.

My main problem is that I don’t want to do something like a huge fundraiser as I feel like my studying is the most important thing to me at the moment, studying 4 A-levels and it would involve a lot of organising where my school isn’t the most proactive group of people.

If anyone has any ideas and tips or suggestions or really anything they can suggest, I’d be really really grateful!

Thanks in advance! :smile:
Why is it so important to go and do voluntourism in Nepal? You can do plenty of meaningful volunteering in the UK, and if you really wish to visit Nepal, take a gap year, work full time for a while, then visit for a week or two perhaps.

You may want to read about the potential harms of such voluntourism and consider why British schoolchildren are coming in to do manual labour work rather than local workers - who are probably more in need of paid work doing that: https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/sep/13/the-business-of-voluntourism-do-western-do-gooders-actually-do-harm

Particularly relevant paragraph from the above:

Voluntourism may be fuelled by noble feelings, but it is built on perverse economics. Many organisations offer volunteers the chance to dig wells, build schools and do other construction projects in poor villages. It’s easy to understand why it’s done this way: if a charity hired locals for its unskilled work, it would be spending money. If it uses volunteers who pay to be there, it’s raising money.

By exploiting UK peoples' desire to be seen as altruistic, they get free labour, can spin their finances better, and deny the local population the ability to earn a living. I think not only could you save yourself £4000, but you could actually do more good by not going.
Reply 2
Original post by nisha101
Hi!
As mentioned, I am going on a trip with school to Nepal in summer next year to help a school which has just finished being built, to teach some English and resource the rooms and things but the cost of £4000 is very scary. Just wondering if anyone has any fundraising tips that are unusual or may be useful in any way?
I have started selling on EBay, which has raised funds of about £80 and also am planning on starting to tutor kids in the community for maths who are studying for SATs and GCSEs too. However, obviously it is a minute amount compared to what I have to fund.
My main problem is that I don’t want to do something like a huge fundraiser as I feel like my studying is the most important thing to me at the moment, studying 4 A-levels and it would involve a lot of organising where my school isn’t the most proactive group of people.
If anyone has any ideas and tips or suggestions or really anything they can suggest, I’d be really really grateful!
Thanks in advance! :smile:

These 'opportunities' are scams.

There's no need to go to Nepal - volunteer at a local charity and make a real impact.
Reply 3
Original post by Muttley79
These 'opportunities' are scams.
There's no need to go to Nepal - volunteer at a local charity and make a real impact.

These opportunities provide an interesting life experience. Is it necessary? No. But it is something you can learn from and it may not be something you get to experience again at a later stage in life - travelling to a country on holiday just doesn't provide the same cultural experience.

OP, have you considered something like a bake sale? I have a friend who has managed to raise hundreds of pounds this way for a charity cause. Should be fairly easy to organise at school. If your parent/other family members are willing to help out, you can ask if doing bake sales at their work might an option too.

Another option would be to do some kind of sponsored run or sports activity - doesn't have to be a marathon or anything wild, but a 5-10k run, or even walking 10,000 steps a day for a month or something, should fairly achievable alongside your studies. It probably won't raise hundreds of pounds, but every little helps.
(edited 2 months ago)
Reply 4
Original post by black tea
They are not a scam, they provide an interesting life experience. Is it necessary? No. But it is something you can learn from and it may not be something you get to experience again at a later stage in life - travelling to a country on holiday just doesn't provide the same cultural experience.
OP, have you considered something like a bake sale? I have a friend who has managed to raise hundreds of pounds this way for a charity cause. Should be fairly easy to organise at school. If your parent/other family members are willing to help out, you can ask if doing bake sales at their work might an option too.
Another option would be to do some kind of sponsored run or sports activity - doesn't have to be a marathon or anything wild, but a 5-10k run, or even walking 10,000 steps a day for a month or something, should fairly achievable alongside your studies. It probably won't raise hundreds of pounds, but every little helps.

They are a scam - you are a 'tourist' and paying way above the required amount.

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