"Fundraising definitely taught me the lesson of ‘if you don’t ask you don’t get’. I think it can be really difficult for young people, and women especially to put themselves out there and create opportunities for themselves, and fundraising has taught me a bit about how to do this. Whether it’s approaching your local supermarket to do bag packing, or a venue to hold a quiz night, not everyone will say yes, but it’s about persisting and making things happen. Try and work all your connections – and this isn’t about knowing anyone special, it’s just reaching out to absolutely everyone you and your friends and family know. You’d be surprised at how many people are willing to donate and help you out, even if it’s only a small amount. But they can’t do that unless they know about you and your cause, so get sharing!"
Edie - Young Explorer, Kyrgyzstan 2022
To fundraise for my expedition I held a coffee morning with friends and family, I also got a weekend job to help me save, fundraising for my expedition was really great because it made me appreciate the expedition more as I had to work towards going. It also taught me independence as I was sourcing the money to contribute for my trip myself. I would advise any Young Explorers in the future to not be afraid to ask for help with ideas for fundraising etc, everyone at British Exploring Society has been so helpful and very friendly.
Hannah - Young Explorer, Hartz Scottish Explorers 2021
In my experience, I had 7 months from when I applied to fundraise the £3500 total. At first, it seemed an utterly impossible task yet after talking to a few people and bouncing loads of ideas off those close to me it finally became a reality. So never give up. If you have that motivation and drive to raise the money then you will, and speaking from experience it will be so worth it in the end.
Jasmine - Young Explorer, Himalaya 2018
"For my fundraising, with the help of my dad I was able to come up with the idea of selling homemade curries to friends and families. My dad – who is of Indian heritage - helped me with this and we even created some branding going by the name of Babuhira – which is my grandparents names. This helped me to feel connected to my grandparents and Indian roots as well as raising the money I needed for the trip. My fundraising tips to future young explorers would be to think outside the box and use connections of friends and family to help where you can."
Nye - Young Explorer, Hartz Scottish Explorers 2022
I tried two other methods of fundraising that directly confronted what I found so uncomfortable. I wrote to Alpkit for a sponsorship, and I set up a Crowdfunder page to share in my school, Instagram, and the curious school of the wild CIC’s Facebook. I exceeded my target!! Be confident and practice selling yourself and your expedition. It surprised me and made me a bit emotional to see how many people were happy to support me.
Sunny - Young Explorer, Landmark Scotland 2021
I held a quiz night at my village hall. We made curries, which were not expensive and had a £10 door charge. I bought drinks for the bar, returned the ones that didn't get bought and held a raffle with prizes I had donated from local businesses. I raised £1900 in one evening!
Rebecca - Young Explorer
Don't give up; fundraising a lot of money is difficult and takes a lot of time and effort but so many people are willing to help you out, whether it's by throwing a few coins in your bucket or giving you a bursary. At the end of the day, you will find a way of raising the funds and going on that expedition
Young Explorer
My most successful fundraiser was me doing leavers hoodies for my old school, I was able to get 80% of my year to buy them. Through this, I was able to fundraise a lot of the funds needed for my expedition
Morgan - Young Explorer
Make a plan - Sit down on your own or with a parent and realistically work out how much you need to raise, how you want to do it, and when you will be able to put the time in around other commitments, exams etc. Don't forget to include your expedition cost, flights, kit and any vaccinations.
Young Explorer
I did a sponsored Aqua-Bike-Hike, where I swam 50 metres, cycled over 40 miles and climbed up a local hill called Dumyat in a day. I created several sponsor sheets and handed them out to trusted friends, and also my parents as their work mates can be quite generous. After I finished I approached people I knew if they would give a small donation, though they would usually give a lot more than I expected them to.
Hazel - Young Explorer