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How Can I Offset the Cost?

  • Publish Date Published on November 20, 2020
  • Post Author by HXP

It may seem daunting, but there are many ways to pay for two humanitarian trips! We understand that for most families, this can feel out of reach. But don’t worry, you can do this! Plenty of families have found different ways to make this work in the past, and we’ve gathered a few tips from them to share:

  1. Fundraising. Many of our Builders and Parent Builders fundraise the full price of their trips every year. This is not your mail merge form letter you’re blasting out to anyone you’ve ever met (although, if that’s what you want to do–go get it!) This is making chocolate strawberries for your friends and neighbors during Valentines Day with your son or daughter, driving your child across town to mow lawns, or helping print off pictures of your future trip to help tell the story of the service you will be rendering abroad for your neighbor down the street interested in donating. This is honestly quality time with your child, and we’ve seen success after success when families put their mind to it. Go here for more fundraising tips. 
  2. Corporate Donation Matching. Many companies like Adobe, State Farm Insurance, General Electric, American Express, Home Depot,  Microsoft, and many others do donation matching. More often than not they will match every donation made dollar for dollar. Since contributing to a trip can be done in the form of donations, with Donation Matching you can get two trips for the price of one. If you have a family member working at one of these companies reach out or ask your company’s HR department if they participate in Donation Matching.
  3. Save up the whole cost of the trips. It can be hard, but it’s worth it. You can pay over the course of five to seven months, with benchmark payment deadlines along the way to help you stay on track. 

These are just a few ways to offset the cost of two trips, but this is not a comprehensive list. If you have any other ideas or strategies that have worked for you, let us know! Remember, we are here for you! If you have questions, ideas, need someone to brainstorm with, your Humanitarian XP family is one call away.