Odyssey of the Mind®
2013 World Finals

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Fundraising Ideas

Congratulations! You're on your way to World Finals, and now you've got another creative problem-solving opportunity -- raising funds to make the trip. There are many ways that a team can fund a trip to World Finals. If you haven't gotten into your state budget through your State Legislature, or you haven't convinced your School Board to sponsor your team, it's up to you to raise the funds. Here are some ideas that have worked for other teams:
  • Sell ice cream in the lunchroom each day.
  • Sell soft drinks after school for students staying for an activity.
  • Present your team's solution at a civic club and ask for donations from the organization.
  • Sponsor a spaghetti supper (have students throughout the school bring in ingredients), and for entertainment have the team perform its long-term solution.
  • Sponsor a "Hat Day." For $1, students will be allowed to wear a hat all day at school.
  • Put a teacher in jail. Recruit several teachers who would be willing to be put in jail for a day. (Choose the most popular teachers). For a fee let the students vote on which teacher they would most like to put in jail. The teacher chosen will be placed in a cell (creatively made by the Odyssey of the Mind team) for the day and the students will be allowed to tease the teacher. With the cooperation of the principal, a substitute will cover that teacher's classes.
  • For a fee team members can paint faces at the school's field day.
  • Have a talent show. Open the auditions to anyone in the school, making sure the students show a talent and/or ability. This would involve one day for auditions, one day for a rehearsal and one day to present the show. Students will pay $1 to get out of class to come to the show.
  • Sponsor a school dance and sell concessions.
  • Make up commercials and perform them on the morning school announcements to promote the idea that on an upcoming Friday, anyone who brings $1 can have the Odyssey team take their spelling test for them and get the grade that the team member makes.

Teams can also raise money in their neighborhoods:
  • Get the word out in the community. Refer to the News Release and PR tips included in this packet. The more publicity you can get -- newspaper, TV, radio, etc., the more people will support the team. Then if you have a fundraiser, such as a barbecue at a local Fire Station, people will be more likely to support it.
  • Write letters to local businesses asking for support. Use information about how Odyssey of the Mind fits into the corporate workplace to help businesses understand how they can benefit from sponsorship. If a team member or relative of a team member knows someone in the business, have that person sign the letter or write a personal letter to accompany the form letter.
  • Appear at local functions selling Blow Pops to "blow them away" at World Finals.
  • Sell hot dogs and soft drinks at a popular store on a Saturday.

-- Thanks to Jeanne Fessenden, GA AD, for her contributions.

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