Parent Involvement

THE CRITICAL IMPORTANCE OF PARENT INVOLVEMENT IN VOLUNTEER FUNDRAISING

There are three reasons for requiring volunteers to raise part of the program costs:

1. To teach the volunteers the psychology and techniques of fundraising for a worthy cause.  These skills will be useful later in life.

2. To ensure that each volunteer takes responsibility for paying for part of the AMIGOS program.  This gives each volunteer “ownership” of the program.

3. To provide each volunteer with experience in planning and carrying through a large financial endeavor.

Volunteers have a personal goal to raise a minimum of $2,900, although they are encouraged to raise more.  The volunteers raise all of these funds through letter writing.

While AMIGOS will teach your volunteer the psychology and techniques of fundraising, your support is critical to their success.  They will need your help to supply names for their letter writing campaign as well as a periodical nudge to encourage them to stay on track.  

Some parents are initially uncomfortable with the idea of soliciting their friends, business contacts, etc.  Some parents may feel that they will be embarrassed.  Some parents feel there is no reason for their volunteer to “beg” for funds for a summer program in Latin America.  The AMIGOS program is not a summer camp.  It is an opportunity for individual growth as well as community development. We teach the volunteers that this is not the way the psychology of fundraising works.  John D. Rockefeller expressed the fundraising psychology we follow quite well:  “Never think you need to apologize for asking someone to give to a worthy object, any more than as through you were giving him an opportunity to participate in a high-grade investment.”  Your son or daughter will be asking people to make an investment in a summer experience that benefits multiple parties.  The volunteers are giving people the opportunity to invest.  If letter recipients do not want to participate, they can choose not to make the investment.  It should be their choice, not yours.

Some parents feel that because of their circumstances, they have few friends or contacts who are in a position to contribute.  AMIGOS will show your volunteers that people give to people and that many small contributions can add up to a large amount.

It is important that parents allow their volunteers to have the satisfaction and the growth experience that will come from raising funds for a substantial part of the AMIGOS program.