25 Tips To Raise Money For College
With the current tough economic times, most people aren’t able to raise money for college. The economic hardships have seen people use their incomes to cater for their basic needs alone and not being able to save enough for college and developing other side hustles. This has pushed many people to look for alternative ways of raising college money. Below are 25 tips to raise money for college:
1. Bake sales
This is among the best ways to raise money for college without getting into debt. To get started, you need to make some cakes, doughnuts, cookies etc. and sell them. You can ask your family members or friends to help you in both making and selling. With the numerous social networking networks like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, you can sell to a broader audience.
2. Find a part-time job
A part-time job is a great way to finance your education. There are many types of part-time jobs that you can engage in, including online writing, completing surveys, tuition or selling various supplies. To create a balance between your studies and work, ensure you get a flexible job.
3. Look for a bursary
If you can’t join college due to the lack of tuition fees, you can consider finding a bursary. Bursaries are issued by funding authorities and education institutions and are typically made to assist the needy by encouraging them to study.
4. Ask for help
You won’t be hurt by asking for help from your family members or friends. The help can be in the form of a grant or loan, depending on how they want. This is an excellent way to raise college money since it’ll help you enroll for your favorite course before the deadline.
5. Savings
It’s easy to fund your college education through your savings. The savings might be from a job or business. To accumulate enough savings, you need to track your spending and cut unnecessary expenses.
6. Face mask fundraiser
This is a practical and unique solution to get money for college. To get started, simply get your school logo branded on face masks and promote them to your family members, friends, fellow students and other community members. Encourage them to support you in raising college money by buying one or more.
7. Peer to peer fundraising
This is an online fundraising strategy that works well for those seeking to raise money for college. Here, each community member takes the responsibility of reaching out to many people on their social platforms and soliciting donations for your college money.
8. Table game tournament
Here, you need to set up a table game tournament such as air hockey or a pool for your fellow students to compete at a fee. The spectators can also place bets on the winning sides. The tournament should go all the way to find the overall winner.
9. Apply for scholarships
If you can’t raise money for college, you can consider looking for scholarships online and submitting your application. Today, most organizations are giving back to society through various programs, including scholarships that cater to tuition fees and basic needs.
10. Crowdfunding
Crowdfunding is a viable option to raise money for college. There are websites that can help you get funds for college by making it easier for you to borrow from numerous independent lending companies. These funds usually come at low-interest rates compared to standard loans and credit cards.
11. Online giving forms
You can raise money for college by developing intuitive online giving forms. These forms will make it easier for anyone willing to donate or support you give their contributions. It’s your duty to choose the key features that’ll help attract potential supporters, including college logo, mobile optimization, suggestions for recurring gifts etc.
12. Visit a financial aid office
If your family isn’t in a good financial state to finance your college fees, you can consider submitting an appeal to your local financial aid office. To get help, you’ll be required to provide the relevant documentation showing your family’s inability to finance your college education.
13. Selling tickets online
When most events such as virtual concerts and shows are being organized, tickets are sold online, especially on social media platforms. You can take part in selling these tickets to raise money for college.
14. Donation jar
This is a straightforward fundraising idea where you need to talk to businesses to give you space for setting up donation jars on their premises. People willing to support you will give their donations at the local stores, where you can collect them weekly.
15. Consider a pledge fundraising event
This is a great way for raising college money by engaging teachers, friends and students. To make it successful, you should consider pairing it with a college event that attracts people of all kinds. Participants will make and honor pledges at the end of the campaign.
16. Selling school merchandise
You can easily raise money for college by simply selling school merchandise online, school store or during college events. Some of the merchandise you can sell include textbooks, pens, erasers, mugs, backpacks, branded t-shirts, etc.
17. Online auction
This is a sure way of raising money for college that’s similar to standard auctions. People can browse different products and place their bids on an online platform. For the auction to be successful, ensure many people are aware of the fundraiser and there are adequate items for auction.
18. Create a fundraiser during college events
When there are colleges events, you’ll find people from all walks of life. You can organize a fundraiser to finance your education when such events happen, including sporting activities, field days or parties.
19. Plan for a scratch card fundraiser
It’s a new and fun trend that most people use to raise college money. To get started, you need to find several volunteers who’ll approach various people, including family members and friends and explain to them what it’s all about. They’ll then ask them to scratch the cards and donate the amount on the circle, i.e. $0.50-$2.00.
20. Karaoke night
Most people like partying. You can simply raise college money by organizing a karaoke night where participants make small donations. You can add a singing contest where winners get small prizes to make it more interesting.
21. Start a discount card fundraiser
It’s a new and smart idea for raising money for college. All you need to do is get discount cards from local businesses and encourage people to purchase. In most cases, the cards have different prices depending on what the businesses are offering.
22. Organize carnival games
There are many carnival games, such as balloon pop and ring toss, which are ideal for people of all ages. These games are cheap and will help you raise college money. You can use social media platforms and flyers to announce these games and increase the number of participants.
23. Shoe drive fundraiser
It involves engaging fellow students to help you raise college money. Start by selecting a coordinator who’ll assist in collecting both new and worn shoes. The coordinator will then send your college a check depending on the collected pairs. To make it effective, make up some teams that’ll form a friendly competition like an event.
24. Food sales
You can start selling food items to your fellow students and fund your college education. Some foods you can sell include chips, hot dogs, and beverages such as coffee and tea.
25. Enroll in a community college
The main reason for the existence of community colleges is to assist students who can’t afford to finance their studies in standards colleges. Community colleges also have favorable fee structures for their various programs.
Conclusion
In conclusion, these are the top tips to raise money for college. There’s no superior tip than the other. Your choice will depend on your ability and current situation.