As fundraising for volunteer programs becomes increasingly more popular, the CCS staff is eager to provide you with comprehensive information to help you successfully fundraise. If you don't see your question answered here, please contact your Program Manager. If you are not yet an enrolled volunteer, contact us.
Click on the questions below to view the responses.
To get over the common fundraising barrier of asking people you know for money, start by explaining to people your desire to effect positive change by becoming an international volunteer. Remember, you are not asking for money for a vacation or a handout, rather you are asking for a contribution to do volunteer work overseas, gain inside knowledge of another culture and make a difference in the world.
Some alternatives to fundraising directly for money include collecting non-monetary items or offering services in return for donations. For example, a past fundraiser raised a lot of money by holding a yard sale and asking friends and family to donate things they would otherwise throw out. Many volunteers choose to provide services such as washing cars or cleaning yards in return for donations. Read our past fundraiser success stories for inspiration.
Cross-Cultural Solutions is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organization in the U.S. For U.S. citizens, in general 100% of the payments toward the CCS program fee are deductible for federal income tax purposes. Charitable donations can reduce the taxable income and lower the tax bill of the person who has made the donation—including sponsors if a volunteer is fundraising. Not everyone will be able to deduct their charitable contributions, however. You will need to itemize your tax deductions in order to claim any charitable donation.
CCS recommends consulting a personal tax advisor on all issues concerning tax deductibility, including determining if and how airfare may be tax-deductible.
CCS recommends that you raise funds for your airfare and incidentals independently from your program fee. We encourage you to use the fundraising resources and tools we provide, including sample sponsor letters, CCS graphics and flyers for events, and advice from fundraisers on the CCS Community.
Also, we recommend you consult your tax advisor to learn whether your airfare and incidentals may be tax-deductible. Former volunteers have been able to deduct airfare and other expenses but CCS is not able to provide tax receipts for these items.
Program fee balances are due 60 days prior to your program start date. It is possible to receive a 30 day extension of your due date if you are fundraising and have sent in your sponsor payments. If you would like an extension, please request it through your Program Manager.
It is up to you if you want to start fundraising before you enroll in a program and we do recommend you start planning your fundraising efforts as early as possible. However, as an enrolled volunteer you have access to many resources, including your personal online myCCS account, where you can collect funds from sponsors and keep track of your goals online. In addition to online tools, your CCS Program Manager can offer support including alumni references, as well as personal experience and the experience of coaching past fundraisers.
An initial deposit (US$275, CAN$345, or £175) is required to enroll in a CCS program which is then applied to your program fee. If you have any further questions about fundraising before you enroll, please contact a Program Enrollment Manager.
In order to fundraise for your initial $275 enrollment deposit, you must contact a Program Enrollment Manager to set up a fundraising account. A Program Enrollment Manager will then assign you an account number that you can give to potential sponsors, and you can send them to our secure online payment system. Sponsors can also mail in checks, provided they write them to Cross-Cultural Solutions and your name is written clearly on the check.
You must track these donations carefully on your own or by calling CCS and asking for your balance, so you know when you've reached your deposit goal. Once you've reached your deposit goal, you are officially an enrolled volunteer and will have access to your myCCS account.
No, that is definitely not allowed. While we know people only have the best intentions and only want to help when making such gifts, we also know from experience that such donations can compromise the relationship between volunteers and the communities they serve and can damage our partnerships with local organizations. To learn more, please see our Donations and Gift Giving Policy section.
We highly recommend all online fundraising for your CCS program be done directly through your myCCS account and not with other online fundraising sites. Here's why:
- Contributions made through other sites are often charged a processing fee prior to the funds being issued to your CCS account, and are usually issued to CCS the month following the date of the contributions.
- Though CCS will accept payments made through outside fundraising sites, we cannot extend your payment due date if you do.
- Tax receipts for U.S. residents cannot be issued from CCS for these payments.
- Outside fundraising sites usually have their own rules and restrictions that can prevent CCS from applying any payments from them directly to your CCS program fee
If you fundraise over the program fee amount, the remaining funds cannot be transferred to another person's program fee nor will the sponsors be refunded. Any funds not eligible for refund will be left on your account. You may use these funds toward another CCS program in the future. These funds will be valid for up to 12 months from your original start date. After 12 months, all of the sponsor paid funds will be deposited into our Scholarship Fund, and will be available for use by future volunteers. In the instance that you have fundraised over your program fee and you have contributed more than your initial US$275, CAN$345, or £UK150 deposit, you may be eligible for a refund. Please contact our Finance Department for more information.
Please be sure that your sponsor makes the contribution in the same currency as the one you choose for your initial deposit (a non-refundable deposit of US$275, CAN$345, or £UK150 is required to secure your space in a start date). Your deposit will be applied to you program fee, due 60 days prior to your program start date. Contributions can only be made in U.S. or Canadian Dollars or Great British Pounds.
Program fee balances are due 60 days prior to your program start date. It is possible to receive a 30 day fundraising extension of your due date if you are fundraising and have sent in your first sponsor payment. If you would like an extension please request it through your Program Manager.
Please be aware that if your program fee is not paid in full on or before your due date, you will be cancelled from your program. To avoid this, we recommend that you pay the remainder of your balance by the payment deadline. You can then continue to fundraise and receive sponsor contributions up to one day prior to the start date of your program. CCS will refund you any money you paid towards your program, if you continue to fundraise after the balance has been paid.
To avoid not meeting your deadlines, designate a fundraising ally like a parent, friend, coworker or CCS Program Manager, who will check in with you about your progress, offer more ideas and recommendations, and share your enthusiasm. For more tips, see our guide to fundraising page or join our fundraising group on the CCS Community.
