Odyssey of the Mind continues to be a cost-effective program that allows students of all kinds to explore their creativity and imagination while learning. At a time when schools are cutting budgets for things like the arts and extra curricular activities, OotM is an inexpensive way to keep those activities alive. While other companies raise their prices, OotM is keeping the cost of membership the same with no plans for an increase. In fact, the price of a membership has stayed the same for the past 17 years!

Aside from the actual membership, solving an individual problem also encourages working on a budget, "upcycling" trash items, and thrift shopping.

While the basic costs of participating in Odyssey of the Mind will continue to remain low, there are other costs associated with competing such as going to regional and association tournaments. Each state is different, so be sure to check with state officials to find out the costs. Find local contact information and state web site links at : www.odysseyofthemind.com/contacts.

The best and easiest way to pay for tournaments is to fundraise early, and of course check with school administrators to see if there is money in the school budget that will defray some or all of the costs.

If not, teams can find fun and unique ways to raise funds for tournaments. Odyssey teams are the best at solving problems creatively! Consider fundraising as another creative problem-solving opportunity instead of a chore -- many great ideas will come of it.

For example, teams in Iowa and Connecticut had fundraisers called "Getting Pinked." For a charge, homeowners could have teams fill someone’s lawn with pink, plastic flamingos. They received a card on their door informing them that they have been "pinked" for a good cause and are given the opportunity to continue the joke with someone else in the neighborhood. This was fun for the community and it helped raise most of the money needed for a tournament.

When brainstorming ideas, teams should also consider activities that would be fun for a specific area.

According to Tim Perkins, VT association director, three teams from one town were successful by holding a "Kiss a Pig" contest. The teams convinced a few local celebrities to volunteer. People voted for which of these celebrities they wanted to see kiss a pig by putting money in jars set out around town. The person with the most votes had to kiss a pig at a town fair put on by the teams. During the fair, they sold food and other items, and gave everyone a chance to see the governor -- the "winner" of the contest -- kiss a local pig. Teams in Mexico took advantage of the popularity of "Guitar Hero" and held a tournament where participants paid to compete for a prize. It was fun for all and helped them get to competition.

Of course, simple hard work is always an option that helps teams while helping others. A Texas team cleans its school’s stadium each year to raise money, and a Connecticut team participated in a "Clean Sweep" where they cleaned all the debris and trash from business parking lots for a fee. Since the teams worked together the job is more fun. Both projects raised money and helped beautify surrounding neighborhoods.

The possibilities are limitless when teams decide to tackle fundraising like any other OotM problem -- by utilizing creativity, teamwork, and by having fun. Program Director Sammy Micklus believes that there is no problem OotM teams can’t solve -- fundraising being one of them, "Others view difficult challenges such as raising money as roadblocks, but for Odyssey of the Mind teams, these problems are just stepping stones to success."