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The difference between income and profit
This is one of the most important lessons in fundraising. Income is not the same as profit.
A bake sale that raises £80 sounds great — until you realise you spent £35 on ingredients. Your actual profit is £45. That is still good, but it is very different from £80.
Always calculate the net profit of every fundraising activity — income minus costs. This is the number that actually goes towards your trip target.
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A simple event budget template
Before every fundraising event, create a simple budget with three sections:
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Expected income: How much do you expect to raise? Be conservative — it is better to be pleasantly surprised than disappointed.
2
Expected costs: List every cost — ingredients, venue hire, printing, prizes, transport. Include a small contingency.
3
Expected profit: Income minus costs. Is this worth your time and effort?
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The time test: Also consider how much time the event will take. If a bake sale takes 4 hours of preparation and raises £40 profit, that is £10 per hour. A sponsored run might take the same time but raise £200. Always compare the effort-to-return ratio.
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The most profitable fundraising activities
Based on typical results for UK teen fundraisers, here are the activities that tend to give the best return on time and effort:
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easyfundraising: Once set up, it runs passively — effectively infinite return on time invested
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Sponsorship letters: A well-written letter to 20 local businesses might take 3 hours and raise £300–£500
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Raffles: If you can get prizes donated for free, almost all income is profit
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Sponsored events: High profile, easy to share on social media, and people tend to be generous
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Bake sales: Lower profit margin but great for visibility and community engagement