Fundraising your way to a WHEE project

When embarking on a trip, whether for holiday, a volunteering program, or for studies, one thing that must be considered is the cost. The terms 'expensive' and 'cheap' are relative and vary according to one's financial status. However, from what I have observed as a WHEE coordinator, I notice that parents are more inclined to have their kids fund the programmes they sign up for themselves to encourage them to be more responsible monetarily. This is apparent even if the parents can afford to just fork out the money.

Fundraising, the voluntary method of gathering financial contributions, has been a common method for many WHEE participants to fund their costs in the WHEE projects. WHEE highly encourages this methodology as it is an opportunity for the participants to inform their peers about the cause and community they wish to serve in.

Furthermore, things have been made easier for participants of the Bario: Growing Food, Sustaining Culture project, as our partnering organization, 1Malaysia for Youth (1M4U) has partially waived the cost for the 10-day project, bringing it down to RM 800. Fundraising may sound daunting at first, but it is achievable so long as you have a strong desire and are willing to put in the effort needed to achieve your goal. 

The Bario: Growing Food, Sustaining Culture project is partially waived by 1M4U 

If you can afford to pay for a WHEE project through your personal funds, that's great! However, if you are more likely to attempt fundraising, here is a compilation of some fundraising tips from the previous WHEE participants who successfully fundraised for their WHEE projects.

1. Organise a sale

You cannot go wrong with a classic sale. If you have a decent amount of friends living nearby and neighbours who you can call on, there is a high chance they will buy something affordable from you to contribute to your cause. If you can bake or cook, whip up something in the kitchen. If you are artistic and good at handicrafts, make something. There have been WHEE participants who made dream catchers, bookmarks, pineapple tarts, and other baked goods for sale. Besides selling them to gather the funds, your funders will also view these items as a token of  your sincerity in the cause you are involved in. Hence, they are more likely to contribute to you as compared to if you were to just ask for donations. 

A good example is Shannon Tan, a WHEEan from Batch 7 (August 2015). While studying in the UK, she hosted a house dinner party for her friends to fundraise. Upon returning home to Kuching , Sarawak during her summer break, she continued her fundraising efforts by organising a bake sale, selling a variety of baked goods such as pineapple tarts, prune cake, apple pie, banana muffin, and chilled cheesecake. 

Have a read about her fundraising initiative here.

Shannon Tan made productive efforts with her bake sale to fund her journey to Bario

2. Turn a skill into a service

If you have a skill or hobby that you are good at, find a way to turn it into a service. One WHEE alumnus, Parthiban Perisamy, picked up his massaging skills from his late grandmother. Upon acceptance into Batch 5 (January 2015), he decided to put his skills to work by doing freelance ayurvedic massages to fund his costs for the project.  He still continues this service until today and does freelance massages in between his studies.

Parthiban got a much deserved massage from the Bario ladies after (literally) massaging his way there

3. Work together with your batch members

If you sign up early enough, you can collaborate with the rest of your batch members to fundraise together. Examples include the Batch 1 (May 2014) participants who busked around their college for a week, Batch 5 (January 2015) participants who organised car washes in the neighbourhood of Taman Tun for three days, and also Batch 6 (May 2015) participants who sold snacks and drinks at a food fair together. Working together does mean that you have to share the pie of funds raised. Nevertheless, it remains a great way to kickstart things and build up your momentum to fundraise. It is also an effective way to get to know your batch members who you will be working with closely in Bario.

Batch 5 participants taking part in the car wash fundraiser

4. Use online crowd funding platforms

For those who have friends and relatives who live around the world, an online crowd funding platform is a good way to engage them to donate to your cause. There are various online platforms available which allow you to set up an individual fundraising account. You can also share your stories and videos explaining the cause that you are involved in on your individual profiles on these platforms.

Please be aware that all online crowd funding platforms will take a percentage of your funds raised for their operational costs, so do your research on the terms and conditions of each platform before deciding which platform to use.

5. Seek funds from relevant organizations

Participants who are associated with certain companies, NGOs, societies or scholarships can seek funding from these organisations. This effort is especially successful when WHEE's vision and project goals are in line with the organisations' social missions or objectives. This incentivises the organisation to fund the individual for the cause he is involved with.

One example is Choo Khai Kern, a General Electrics (GE) scholar who was funded by GE to participate in the January batch of the Bario: Growing Food, Sustaining Culture project. As volunteerism is a vibrant part of GE's culture, it was a win-win situation for all parties involved as Khai Kern was able to participate in the project while representing GE and the mission of both organisations were  achieved. 

Choo Khai Kern represented General Electrics as a volunteer for the Bario: Growing Food, Sustaining Culture project

There are other fundraising methods used by other WHEEans to fund their way to Bario. Feel free to contact the team if you have any questions or wish to explore other fundraising ideas. WHEE also provides an official covering letter to accepted WHEE participants to certify their fundraising initiatives.

With the right amount of hard work fueled by enthusiasm, your fundraising initiative can be a success and your target is not an impossible feat. Do not let fundraising stop you from applying for this eye-opening experience.