6. Fundraising and costs.

How much will it cost?
The Dramatic Need programme involves costs to the volunteer that are not inconsiderable.
From January 1st, 2011 a single fee will be charged to all volunteers to cover their expenses. This will apply to all volunteers who have not been awarded a scholarship, in both Rwanda and South Africa. These fees cover the following for each volunteer:

• Food
• Petrol
• Car hire
• Road tolls
• Petrol  
• Accommodation
• Airport transfers
• Train fare
• SIM card
• Phone credit (to the value of £4.50/ ZAR50/ US$7/ RWF 4095)

*please note, it does not include flights.

Volunteer Costs on the Dramatic Need programme:

Please note:  Dramatic Need does not take a fee, or make a profit from this charge – it is only to cover a volunteer’s expenses on the programme.
 
This may seem like a lot of money to raise before you leave, but with a little effort and determination and support from family and friends we promise it can be done!

Here are just a few fundraising ideas:

• Organise a play, performance or exhibit with all ticket sales going to your fundraising effort. Make sure you sell refreshments at a decent mark-up, and get your school, theatre or exhibition venue to provide the space for free.
• Hold an auction of photographs or artworks donated by friends.
• Organise a benefit night in a pub or club, with takings on the door going to your fundraising.
• Organise a poker match with bets and entry fee going to your fundraising.
• Write to extended family and friends of your family directly to ask for funding. Explain what you are doing and why and offer to send them a dedicated weekly newsletter of your progress in Africa, just for ‘subscribers’ to make them feel as though they’re really involved. Don’t be embarrassed to ask – this is one of the most effective ways to raise funds.
• Design and sell t-shirts, set up a chocolate fountain at your local farmer’s market, host an enormous tea party and have friends bake cakes to sell,  auction off a section of string that you plan to stretch from Jo’burg to Bloemfontein, make a film with your camera phone and sell tickets to the premiere.
• Host a barn dance with a raffle, open a coconut shy, drag a cappuccino maker into the middle of a campus, hold a knitting circle, sell popcorn at the beach, host a film night in your backyard and sell tickets.
• Do a sponsored act of endurance: run a half-marathon, walk from London to Brighton, run naked across the Brooklyn Bridge, shave your head, Drive the Mongol Rally, sit a bath of peanut butter and jelly for twenty-four hours. You’re an artist – get creative!

If you are volunteering from the UK, we recommend setting up a Just Giving fundraising page to help friends and family donate towards your volunteer costs*.

If you're still stuck for ideas on how you can raise money, please do contact us. We're more than happy to help work through some possibilities. We are here to support you!

What Dramatic Need covers

Materials and equipment used in workshops (to the value of £200/ US$300), public liability insurance, model syllabus, information packs, volunteer T-shirts, administration costs, ground support, risk assessment.

What the volunteer covers

Flights, volunteer fee, personal travel insurance and any sightseeing within South Africa/Rwanda.

* Please note that funds raised in excess of volunteering costs on JustGiving will not be able to be refunded, but will instead be donated to fund arts equipment in rural African schools and general charitable purposes. This is because Givers on the Just Giving site have made a donation under the Gift Aid Scheme and the UK government has supplemented the total amount given.

The fine print >>