Funding Your Retreat
Explore different funding strategies to find the solution that works best for your school.
A Youth Frontiers retreat brings lasting value to a school community. Approximately half of the cost of a student retreat is covered by our generous community of donors, and the remaining portion is paid by the school.
The following are examples of some of the ways Youth Frontiers partners are able to defray or cover their retreat costs. We’ve offered specific next steps you can take for each strategy; for all of them, it’s helpful to start with the resources below that describe the benefits of Youth Frontiers programs for the school community:
BENEFITS OF YOUTH FRONTIERS PROGRAMS
PTA/PTO FUNDING/DONATION
Your PTA/PTO organization is in place to support student and educator enrichment offerings in the school.
CONTACT
Identify the PTA/PTO contact with oversight for funding requests and ask for information on proposal guidelines and timing associated with a support request.
PROPOSAL AND BUDGET
Include the school cost of the retreat, plus any additional anticipated expenses (e.g., transportation if using an off-site location for the retreat, snacks/meals if you will provide these on the day of the retreat).
FIELD TRIP PARTICIPATION FEE
Many schools assess an activity fee to underwrite all or a portion of the retreat cost.
FEE
Set the activity fee using a detailed budget that considers all anticipated costs associated with the retreat and the number of students who will attend. (This is often around $15 per student).
STUDENTS WITH NEED
We encourage schools to offer a reduced or no fee option for students with need. Most schools do this on a no-questions-asked basis.
PAYMENT
Work with finance to set up a payment portal system and communicate the retreat information to families. Be sure to include specific instructions for individuals requesting reduced fee or full scholarship support.
COMMUNICATE VALUE
See the Prep Pack that was shared with you in your confirmation email for information to share with families about the retreat and its benefit for their students.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT FUNDRAISERS
(silent auctions, sales, fun runs, etc.)
Most districts offer options for community fundraising for approved activities.
PROCESS
Contact your school principal to understand the process for gaining approval for the Youth Frontiers retreat and the approved vendor/partners for the effort. These might include product sales, funded volunteer activities, or partnerships with a local restaurant where a portion of sales supports your cause.
PROPOSAL
Complete the required proposal documents.
PROMOTE
Involve school- or district-level communication teams in promotional activities to gain broad awareness via community newsletters, social media and other communication channels.
DOCUMENT THE EVENT
Capture pictures of the event (secure photo waivers based on district policy).
GRANTS FROM LOCAL/DISTRICT
EDUCATION FOUNDATIONS
CONTACT
Determine if your district has a foundation to provide grants to public schools (this is often identified on the school website under a “Get Involved” or “Community” section). Contact the Chair or the board member who oversees funding or grant requests.
REQUEST FUNDS
Follow the steps to request funding to support the program.
SPONSORSHIP
Local Businesses, Organizations, Rotaries, or Chambers of Commerce
Many of our schools have found success approaching a local business or community organization.
YOU CAN:
- Identify a leader in a local business who can help you navigate the company’s community giving program(s).
- Talk to parents in your network or approach your own employer for guidance.
- Research the local Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Group or an industry association in the area for potential support.
- Many communities have money available through grants from the power companies. Check with your local power company to see if they have any such funds available (as an example, see Meeker Cooperative in Central MN.)
Peer-to-peer fundraising
You can organize a peer-to-peer (P2P) fundraiser by having multiple individual fundraisers hosted by students, parents, faculty, or staff that all funnel up to one fundraising campaign. This method allows individuals to share why they are personally raising funds for the program and share with their networks, which gives it a more personal approach. Youth Frontiers will help you create the primary fundraising campaign and share necessary tools for people to make their P2P fundraising pages.
*Note: All funds would go directly to Youth Frontiers in a fund allocated specifically for your school. You will have access to track fundraising progress.
If you are interested in this option, reach out to your YF contact or info@youthfrontiers.org to get started.
TITLE 1 FUNDING
Schools with a student population with greater financial need qualify for State-level Title 1 Funding. This funding can be used for student enrichment experiences like a Youth Frontiers retreat.
1. Talk to your school principal to determine if the school qualifies.
2. Assemble a retreat budget and request for support.
PEACEMAKER MINNESOTA
For kindness retreats in minnesota
Minnesota schools can receive funding through PeaceMaker Minnesota’s Safe Schools Initiative to help pay for Kindness Retreats. A limited amount of funding is available and will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. The application form can be found here.
(To receive funding, your school will need to be a part of the PeaceMaker Minnesota network. There is no cost to become a PeaceMaker Minnesota partner school. The partner school application can be found here.)
For more information, contact Dan McNeil, PeaceMaker Minnesota Executive Director, at dmcneil@peacemakermn.org or 651-631-1604, or visit their website at www.peacemakermn.org.
AFTER YOU’ve secured funding
and held your retreat
APPRECIATION AND IMPACT
After the retreat, send thank-you notes to supporters. Approximately 60 days after your retreat, Youth Frontiers will send you a student survey report assessing the ongoing impact of the retreat. Sharing this data is a great way to highlight the outcomes and benefits of supporters’ contributions!
- Consider engaging students in the process by inviting them to share testimonials
- Submit a post-retreat recap to the local community newspaper to create awareness of the impact of the Youth Frontiers program.
COON RAPIDS SUCCESS STORY
Check out this success story from Coon Rapids shared on their social media channels for how they utilized their Rotary Club to fund their Respect Retreat at their high school.
For more than 58 years, the Coon Rapids Rotary Club has served the community and areas beyond. Our primary focus is on supporting youth and education through a combination of hands-on, roll-up-our-sleeves service and fundraising efforts.
This past fall our community came out to the Club’s Octoberfest Sampler Fundraiser which raised funds to send over 600 9th-grade students at Coon Rapids High School to a Youth Frontiers Respect Retreat.
#minnesota #rotary #PeopleofAction #education #community #service #youthleadership