<p>I'm looking for ideas for creative pre-college fund-raising, and I came up with one that makes sense to me, but I'm wondering if it makes sense from the perspective of a high school senior.</p>
<p>What if a student were to sell raffle tickets that entitle the winner to a babysitter for every Friday night this summer for four hours (let's call it a total of 10 Fridays)?</p>
<p>If a typical teenage sitter were to sit for 10 Fridays, for four hours each time, and at $8/hour, she (or he?) would earn $32 per Friday, and a grand total of $320 for the 10 summer Fridays.</p>
<p>BUT .. if she were to sell raffle tickets at $30 each that would give the winner 10 Friday nights of sitting (at four hours each) and if she could sell 100 tix (through friends, local pre-schools, elementary school newsletters, etc.) then she would get $3000. Even 30 tickets sold would produce $900 rather than $320. This might not make a dent in tuition bills, but $900 would go a lot further than $320 when it comes to covering book costs, late-night pizzas, cell phone fees, etc. And I know that, when my son was young, I would have happily shelled out 30 bucks to a hard-working student with the hope that I could have a night out with my husband every Friday without the hassle--or expense--of having to engage a sitter each time.</p>
<p>Do CC members think this is something a high school student might actually, realistically do? What are some other creative ways to maximize summer earnings?</p>
<p>It requires a lot of families buying in, something that a well-known and trusted student might be able to pull off. It could work for some but 100 families is a huge number, and some people would prefer just paying the $8/hr when they want to go out, not necessarily every Friday. </p>
<p>I think the best way is still working hard. Yard work, moving and hauling, pet-sitting, dog-walking, lifeguarding, whatever brings in cash. My daughter made $3000 last summer. She asked her boss if she could do 80 hours a week this summer. He laughed, she added a second job elsewhere. </p>
<p>The networking skills required to make the raffle work could just as easily be applied to finding full-time work, perhaps at better than minimum wage.</p>
<p>I have earned almost $500 with Big Crumbs. You earn money when you shop online and when someone you refers shops. The online stores include ebay among many many others. It’s free to sign up and I get paid to my PayPal account. </p>
<p>You could be right, though something like this would probably fly under the radar of any potential prosecution. Seems like every time I turn around, someone is asking me to buy a raffle ticket for something. Typically these are official non-profit outfits, like youth sports teams and PTO’s, so they fall under a different heading that a personal raffle would. Even so, with all the kids out there these days who are asking adults to “sponsor” them for travel-abroad programs and other endeavors, a “sponsorship” with a twist (i.e., raffle ticket with the possibility of a prize) seems pretty tame (even if not strictly legit )</p>
<p>Ricky’s band is going on a European tour but he can’t afford to take Lucy — who’s not about to take this lying down. Her plan: raffle off a TV set to benefit “Ladies Overseas Aid.” “We’re ladies,” Lucy tells Ethel (who’s scheming to go, too). “We want to go overseas. And, boy, do we need aid.”</p>
<p>Sally_Rubenstone - let me just say that at least once a day I have a “Lucy moment” - that is to say…something that simply makes me replay a Lucy episode or phrase at any given moment…if you HAD to model yourself after someone, the off centered, well-meaning, lovable Lucy is a great pick!</p>
<p>I agree, "just"aMom. I’m definitely more Lucy than June Cleaver (though I actually think that ol’ June may have had more tricks up her sleeves than I ever fully realized).</p>
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