Some of our past groups have become quite creative in their fundraising techniques. One of our Canadian groups paid for the entire trip by selling citrus! Another group put together a Costa Rican/Tropical Dinner. They charged admission and served tropical fruits, Costa Rican foods, and fresh fruit drinks. They had a Latin band, had speakers on the issues that the students would come across and included a raffle with gifts donated by local businesses. One group organized donations from community and family members of valuable objects for the group to sell on eBay.

Another group asked local companies to sponsor the visit. In exchange for their donation, the students wrote articles in the local paper following the trip and included a “Thanks to…” section to highlight the businesses. They also took group pictures in Costa Rica holding signs of the different businesses that sponsored them. Some other suggestions for fundraising:

Equal Exchange Fair Trade Organic Chocolates
Buy the bars for $1.95 and sell for $3-$4
(774) 776-7333
http://www.equalexchange.com

Café Humana Organic Fair Wage Costa Rican Coffee
$4-$5 per bag profit
(877) 220-4476
http://www.cafehumana.com

Grounds for Change Fair Trade Coffee
$4-$5 per bag profit
(800) 796-6820
http://www.groundsforchange.com

C-Rep Printer Cartridge Recycling
Turn Trash into Cash...get $1 for each cartridge
(800) 680 0008
http://www.c-rep.net/school.php

An early start, along with a dose of creativity, can make raising funds for this valuable experience easy! We have other successful fundraising ideas on file, just contact us for more ideas! Please let us know how we can help make Costa Rica a reality for you and your students.