HNMUN Guide to Fundraising

Guide to Fundraising

Dear Harvard National Model United Nations Delegate or Advisor,

Welcome to Harvard National Model United Nations 2020, and congratulations on taking the first step towards
joining us at conference. We highly encourage all delegates to read this thorough Guide to Fundraising in order to
ease any financial burdens of attending conference.
At HNMUN, we hope that this document offers a platform for the beginning of your fundraising endeavours, but
please bear in mind that these ideas are by no means all-encompassing, and delegates are always encouraged to be
creative and persistent in their fundraising activities. In this Guide to Fundraising, you will find: an itemization of
your conference-related expenses and suggestions on how to minimize them, a guide to raising money through grants,
sponsorships, and fundraising projects, and key fundraising skills and tips.
Of course, if you have exhausted all of your available resources and many of the proposals in this document, but still
do not meet the necessary fund requirements, we encourage you to apply to our financial assistance program, through
which HNMUN is able to supplement a number of your conference-related fees.
Thank you again for taking the time and effort to begin fundraising in order to secure your attendence at HNMUN
2020. Every year, we do our utmost to provide a challenging and unforgettable learning experience for delegates from
across the world. We hope that this opportunity inspires you to begin fundraising as soon as possible in anticipation
of what is sure to be an incredible conference!
Sincerely,
Charles P. Peltier
Under-Secretary-General for Finance
Harvard National Model United Nations 2020
[email protected]

Harvard National Model United

HNMUN Nations
Guide to 2011
2015
Fundraising 1
 HNMUN Guide to Fundraising

TABLE OF CONTENTS purchase your tickets. If other Model UN teams from your
area are coming to HNMUN, consider booking a bus together
I. Conference Expenses to reduce costs.

II. Raising Money Hotel Accommodations

HNMUN has negotiated discounted room rates with the
A. Locating Sources of Funding Boston Park Plaza Hotel (referred to as the BPP hereinafter)
B. Soliciting Donations for all conference delegates. Exact room rates will be available
in the fall. The room rates for 2020 are as follows: Singles
C. Fundraising Projects - $198.00, Doubles - $209.44, Triples - $225.47, Quads -
$225.47. Please note that Financial Assistance recipients
D. Publicity & Outreach
must stay at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel and rooms may
III. Applying for Financial Assistance fill up quickly, particularly Quads.
IV. Your HNMUN Fundraising Timeline Conference Fees
There is a US$85 Priority Registration Fee per delegation,
a US$85 Delegate Fee per delegate, and a US$60 Faculty
*** Advisor Fee per advisor. The registration fee must be paid
upon registration online and must be received before your
I. CONFERENCE EXPENSES school account can be activated. Delegate and Faculty Advisor
Fees can be paid at your convenience before a final deadline on
One of the first things you should be doing as you plan
16 December 2019. Pay early to avoid any late fees! Additional
your HNMUN participation is to prepare your budget.
details can be found in our Guide to Paying for HNMUN
Having a well-planned and well-researched budget will guide
2020 and Official Conference Policies.
you as you plan your fundraising activities, help you pre-empt
unnecessary stress from unexpected costs, and allow you to Meals
make sure you have all the funds you need for your trip. A meal in Boston can cost anywhere from $5 (for a
Your main conference-related expenses will be your typical student option) to $20+ per person. We recommend
transportation costs to and around Boston, your hotel planning for at least four days of meals while at HNMUN.
accommodations, your conference fees, your meals, and social The HNMUN Business and Delegate Relations staff will be
and shopping money. arranging discounts with several local businesses and provide
you with a list of suggested establishments around the BPP
Transportation
where you can find cheap food and entertainment.
Your transportation costs will depend largely on where
you are coming from and on whether you come to Boston by Socials, Shopping, and Miscellany
plane, bus, or train. This type of spending is entirely at your discretion. A
If you are planning to travel by plane, sites such as www. wide variety of HNMUN conference merchandise, including
kayak.com, www.expedia.com, and www.statravel.com are t-shirts, travel mugs, and portfolios, will be available at
useful tools for comparing and finding the cheapest available HNMUN Business booths located throughout the Boston
flights. Depending on your route, early morning flights, late Park Plaza. HNMUN will also be making discounted guided
night flights, or flights with stopovers can sometimes offer tours around Boston available to conference delegates.
significant savings. Also, make sure to check specific airline
websites directly as booking search engines can sometimes II. RAISING MONEY
miss “special deal” offerings. Depending on your origin, Here’s the fun part. Now that you know how much money
airport taxes and visa fees may also be a consideration. you need, the next step is figuring out where you can get it.
If you live within a reasonable distance of Boston, traveling
by bus or train can be much cheaper than flying. Even if you A. Locating Sources of Funding
travel by plane, flying into a nearby city like New York and
then taking a bus to Boston may be a way to save money. Some Your University
bus companies that offer routes to Boston are Bolt Bus (www. Your university should be your very first resource.
boltbus.com), Megabus (www.megabus.com) and Greyhound Many universities have grants that they provide for student
(www.greyhound.com). These bus companies offer round organizations, and some may even be able to meet almost all
trip bus tickets from New York to Boston for under US$30, of your financial need.
and sometimes even under US$20, depending on when you

2 HarvardNational
Harvard NationalModel
ModelUnited
UnitedNations
Nations 2012
 HNMUN Guide to Fundraising

Before contacting any officials, make sure your MUN organizational mission. You can even offer to provide them
team is an officially registered student organization in good with a report or a presentation about your experiences after
standing. Enlist the support of your faculty advisor and any the conference.
team members with experience in seeking grants or with
Businesses and Corporate Sponsorships
connections in any of the school departments. Approach
Local, regional, and national businesses are other
your student governing body, your student activities office,
possible sources of sponsorship. Many businesses will have
your Political Science, International Relations, Economics,
strong commitments to education and youth programs and
or appropriate Humanities departments, and finally, your
will be happy to contribute towards your MUN experience.
university administration. Your university may also have
Some such companies with demonstrated commitments to
specific research institutions whom you can contact for both
education and the youth are Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Bayer,
grants and research help. If you are coming from abroad, an
Honda, Coca-Cola, ExxonMobil, and Travelocity. Local
American-focused department or even an English department
companies are often also happy to support local MUN teams.
may help sponsor your trip to the United States. Depending
Even if businesses are unable to provide cash donations, they
on your country assignment, you can also contact departments
may often be able to donate food, gift certificates, services, or
which study that country’s region or issues of interest.
products which can then be used in your organized fundraisers.
Your Community, Foundations, Non-Profit Organizations, As you contact companies, also try to identify and pitch
and Government Agencies the benefits they also stand to gain from being your sponsor.
In addition to being a great source of funding, your university Typically, the best thing you can offer them is good publicity
can also be a great source of information and can refer you to and you can help promote their business by acknowledging
what other organizations you can try to contact. Some other them as your official sponsors, featuring their logos on team
types of organizations that your delegation should approach are merchandise or publications, and mentioning them in any
community clubs, foundations and non-profit organizations, publicity efforts your team may have.
government agencies, and businesses. Be sure to check with your university or your office of
For delegations coming from abroad, government agencies student affairs about any college-wide policies on soliciting
can be a valuable source of support. Agencies like your Foreign corporate sponsorships or external grants. There may be
Affairs, Education, Defense, or Domestic Ministries may be campus guidelines previously established procedures for
able to support your MUN program as a youth project that obtaining such donations. For domestic schools, check if your
boosts awareness of foreign cultures, international affairs, and university will let you use the school non-profit number for
public policy. Also get in touch with your country or state’s soliciting donations so that companies can get a tax exemption
United Nations Association (UNA) for possible sponsorship by donating to your team.
or at least further referrals (locate your nearest UNA on www.
Individuals
wfuna.org).
As you compile your list of sources, don’t forget to include
Community groups such as Rotary Clubs, Lion Clubs,
specific individuals who may be able to either donate money
and Kiwanis Clubs have a strong history of supporting MUN
or connect you with other potential donors. Consult your
programs. Seek out chapters of these groups in your local area
school’s Career Services office for a list of alumni involved in
and see if they can sponsor you.
international affairs. Contact your MUN team’s alumni. You
Large foundations and non-profit organizations can also be
may even try writing to family, friends, and neighbors.
a valuable source of assistance, so long as your MUN program
fits within their area of work. Look for organizations that B. Soliciting Donations
support education, civil society strengthening, international
studies or youth involvement in government or international Here are some basic steps to follow as you solicit aid:
relations. Be aware that many larger foundations do not accept
1. Identify and list the organizations and individuals you
unsolicited grants, and take care to look up any established
plan to contact.
grant procedures you will need to follow. As you research
Plan to contact as many people as you can! Once you
foundations and non-profit organizations, pay attention to
have compiled a list of organizations and individuals you’d
who their sponsor or partner organizations are — you can
like to reach, brainstorm ways of making each sponsorship
approach them for help as well.
appeal personal. Look within your team and each member’s
As you approach these organizations, in addition to
family and networks for personal connections to school
explaining why you want to come to HNMUN, what you
administrators, community clubs, foundations, non-profit
would gain from the experience, and how much their support
organizations, government agencies, and businesses. Having
would help, clearly describe how your MUN participation
someone to advocate for your program from within an
is relevant to their field of work and aligned with their

Harvard National Model United

HNMUN Nations
Guide to 2011
2015
Fundraising 3
 HNMUN Guide to Fundraising

organization will dramatically improve your chances of getting 5. Show gratitude and maturity.
sponsored. If that is not possible, at least determine who the Thank your sponsors after each donation and, after the
right contact person within each organization is and contact conference, get back in touch with each of them to let them
this person directly. Make sure your solicitation process is well- know how you did. Prepare a little presentation to give or
coordinated and organized, and never have multiple people a newsletter and pictures you can send them. Share your
calling the same organizations for the same requests. experience and build a sustainable relationship with each donor.
You’ll want to build a base of sponsors whom you can approach
2. Prepare a mailing package to send out.
again in the future. If it seems possible, your delegation could
You should send everyone personalized letters introducing
host a simple, home-prepared thank you dinner for individual
yourself, your team and HNMUN, why you’d like to come to
sponsors and organization representatives.
HNMUN, what you expect to gain from the experience, and
how their support would help. If applicable, also discuss your C. Fundraising Projects
past HNMUN experiences and successes. Include in your
letter specifically how much you need and how much you In addition to soliciting sponsorships, you should also
hope to fundraise. Depending on who you’re reaching, it may expect to do a number of fundraising projects to help you
also help to ask for specific amounts of money. Have distinct raise money on your own. Any fundraising projects should
letter templates for businesses and for non-profit organizations. always be tailored to your community, your school, and your
For businesses, promote the benefits the company has to gain target audience. It would help to also consider what kinds of
from sponsoring your trip. For other organizations, discuss projects have worked for you or other local organizations in
how MUN fits with their work and mission. In addition to the past. Your fundraising success will depend mainly on your
a letter, it would help to include your HNMUN invitation creativity and your persistence!
letter, a letter of support from a college official such as your For all of the suggestions that follow, remember that
Faculty Advisor, Dean of Student Affairs, or University publicity and sales are absolutely crucial. While there are
President, if possible, and a self-addressed envelope to many different substantive projects that you can use to
facilitate their donation. Also include any publicity your team fundraise, the financial success of any event will really depend
has received (such as newspaper articles and school newsletter on how many people you can get to go to each event and how
encouragement) in your mailings. [Please see the sample much you sell. When organizing fundraising events, be sure
donation solicitation letter at the end of this guide.] to publicize them as widely as possible both in the press and
on campus through posters, email lists, and word of mouth.
3. Contact your potential sponsors, send them your This will both increase the success of your events and increase
package, then follow up, follow up, follow up! your team’s public presence. Building a strong public presence
Once you have sent your mailing package to potential will also make it easier for you to solicit donations. Strong
sponsors, allow enough time for the package to arrive, and then visibility will help them have a better idea of who you are and
call them to confirm that they’re received it. Before you even how committed you are to attending HNMUN.
pick up the phone, make sure you are already prepared with
what you are going to say. Introduce yourself, and ask to speak Discount Cards
with your contact (or the person in charge of donations if you You can try selling students and other members of the
don’t have a specific name). When you speak to your contact, community discount cards which will get them special deals
introduce yourself, remind them of the letter, summarize for or discounts at local stores. To make this idea work, you will
them its contents, and then ask if they might be able to help. If need to find local businesses that are willing to work with you
it might help, offer to call back in a few days to give them some in providing deals and discounts. Local businesses usually
more time to think. It is essential to follow up! Your potential support such ventures as ways of promoting their business and
sponsors are likely very busy, so it will be your responsibility to their products.
see each donation through. Every phone call helps. Your only cost is that of printing the discount cards, which
can be on simple card stock or custom-ordered business cards.
4. Gain something from each contact. On each card, be sure to include the names of participating
Ideally this will be money or grants, but if people are stores, the terms of each deal, the name of your MUN team,
unable to directly donate see if there might be some other and the selling price of each card. Make your cards distinctive
way for them to help you, whether through other donations so that other students can’t just try to make their own copies.
or additional referrals. If someone in an organization says they Schools that have done this project in the past have raised over
do not have the authorization to make a donation, find out US$5,000 towards HNMUN-related expenses!
who does and how to contact them.

4 HarvardNational
Harvard NationalModel
ModelUnited
UnitedNations
Nations 2012
 HNMUN Guide to Fundraising

Raffles Sales, Sales, and more Sales

A raffle is a very popular and relatively easy to organize Sales can be a very reliable way to fundraise on any campus
fundraiser, just make sure you consult your local gambling and you have much room for creativity. When at all possible,
regulations to make sure raffles are legal in your area. The first try to sell items which you can either make yourself or which
real step is finding and securing prizes for which people will you can sell on commission. You risk losing money if you buy
be willing to gamble a small amount of money. These should many items in advance and then don’t manage to sell them.
be relatively valuable prizes with widespread appeal and you
would ideally get these prizes at no cost, as donations from Here are some ideas that have worked in the past:
either individuals or companies. The hardest part of running • Compile stress relief packages for students during
a raffle will be selling tickets. Make sure your entire team is exam periods. These could include stress-relieving food
involved in selling tickets and offer some sort of incentive (such as chocolate), stress balls, relaxing face masks, or
for your top salespeople. You can design the raffle tickets anything else you like. You could also advertise these as
yourselves or buy pre-made ones, but be sure that every time gift packages for students to send to their friends.
someone buys a ticket you retain a copy of the ticket with • Sell coffee outside of morning classes to help keep
their full contact information. Make sure buyers know where students awake.
and when the raffle will be. • Gather donations from local families and host a yard or
garage sale.
Parties, Concerts, and Other Events
• Host a traditional bake sales or food sale at your
Other fundraising events you can host are events such as
university. This often works best in combination with
movie nights, concerts, and club nights.
another event, such as selling food at your silent auction
Movie nights are usually easy to organize as they consist
or car wash, and can greatly enhance your profits.
primarily of holding a special movie showing and charging
• Partner with a business to sell their goods in return
for admission. Pick a popular or a specially themed movie,
for a part of the profits. Many businesses have formal
find a central location with a big screen, a good sound system,
programs where students can sell things such as
and comfortable seating, then sell your tickets. Just make
magazine subscriptions, chocolate, or other goods in
sure to look into the legal regulations of holding for-profit
exchange for a commission. Even if a company has no
movie nights, as you usually need to rent movies directly from
specific program in place, they might still be interested
the movie distribution companies to get their permission to
in selling their products through you if you present
charge admission for the movie. One possible way around this
them with a good proposal. Many restaurant chains,
is to show old “classics” whose copyright licenses have expired.
such as Applebee’s. will host pancake breakfasts where
Concerts can quite a bit more work but much more fun.
they will donate a portion of their profits to you; all you
The first steps to planning one are to find a good venue and
have to do is have members sell tickets and advertise the
good light and sound systems you can use. The next step
date so people come in the door.
will be finding artists who can perform for you. Selecting
performers well is crucial as your roster will make or break
For even more ideas, simply search the web for “fundraisers”
your concert. Always try to bring in one or two well-known
or “creative fundraising ideas.” Sites like www.fundraiserhelp.
performers who will help you draw a crowd. Then you can
com or www.fasttrackfundraising.com can be very helpful.
try to find popular local artists who will then bring their own
Think carefully and creatively about what your team can offer
following, or at least plenty of family and friends.
your school or local community.
Club nights can also be great moneymakers. Talk to a local
club owner and see whether you can get a portion of the club’s D. Publicity
entrance fees for one night in return for publicizing the event
on campus and bringing them significant business. If you are Publicity will be a helpful tool for improving your success
not sure that your MUN team can draw that many people to a in both sponsorship solicitation and fundraising through
club on its own, think about partnering with another campus events. Donors will be much more likely to help you if they
organization to host the event together. Be conscious of each already know who you are and what you are doing. School and
club’s minimum age restrictions. community members are more likely to come to your events
With all of these events, don’t overlook opportunities to if your organization sounds familiar. It is crucial to publicize
gain more revenues by soliciting event sponsors and by selling your team and HNMUN in your university and community.
food and drinks! This is especially important if Model UN is not well-
known where you are from. As soon as you have been accepted
to HNMUN, draft a press release for distribution to your
campus and community newspapers.

Harvard National Model United

HNMUN Nations
Guide to 2011
2015
Fundraising 5
 HNMUN Guide to Fundraising

Organization is critical in drafting your press release. your timeline as new events and circumstances arise. As much
Have a catchy and informative title, and use your opening as possible, you should be contacting potential sponsors and
paragraph to summarize who you are, what you will be making solicitations through the summer (June, July, and
doing at HNMUN, why it is important, and when you will August) and holding fundraising events through the summer
be going. You can add detail in subsequent paragraphs, but and September.
put the most important information in the beginning of the
release to catch your audience’s attention. Do not forget to Please feel free to contact me at [email protected] at
mention that your team needs financial assistance to attend any time, particularly if you feel you can use some fundraising
and publicize your sponsors and fundraising projects. Include support or advice.
contact information and ways in which people can help you.
[Please see the sample press release at the end of this guide.] We wish you the best of luck!

III. APPLYING FOR FINANCIAL

ASSISTANCE
If you have exhausted all of the fundraising suggestions
provided in this Guide and still have a budget shortfall,
your delegation may consider applying directly for financial
assistance from HNMUN. Committed to making the
HNMUN experience accessible to as many people as possible,
the Secretariat of HNMUN 2020 has alloted more funds to
financial aid than has been ever been distributed in the past.
Financial assistance from HNMUN will be granted according
to two criteria:

• Demonstrated need
• Demonstrated fundraising efforts.

The 2020 Financial Assistance Application is now

available on the HNMUN website and will be due by the
priority application deadline of 15 October 2019. After the
priority deadline, applications will continue to be accepted
and considered on a rolling basis until the final deadline of 15
November 2019.
Remember to keep records of all your written requests for
aid and relevant correspondences with university institutions,
grant-giving bodies, and other potential sponsors. We will
be asking for copies of these and documentation of any
fundraising efforts and events. I look forward to reading and
reviewing your applications!

IV. YOUR HNMUN FUNDRAISING

TIMELINE
Now that you have a clear idea of everything that might
be involved in your fundraising efforts, you should take the
time to create a timeline for everything you will be doing
between now and HNMUN. Detail your plans for your
publicity efforts, your sponsors solicitation process, and
your fundraising event planning as well as when you expect
to book transportation tickets, hotel rooms, and the like. A
timeline will be a great aid for staying well-organized and well-
prepared. Be conscious of how you space out your various
fundraising events and make sure you continuously update

6 HarvardNational
Harvard NationalModel
ModelUnited
UnitedNations
Nations 2012
 HNMUN Guide to Fundraising

Sample Donation Solicitation Letter

15 May 2019

Dear Mrs. Sophia Smith:

My name is Jane Jones and I am writing on behalf of Ace University Model United Nations (AUMUN), an award-winning
Model United Nations team. Through participation in interactive simulations, our team provides students at Ace with the
opportunity to learn about the United Nations and world affairs, share their opinions with students from around the world, and
become active global citizens.

On 13-16 Februrary 2020 our team will be attending the Harvard National Model United Nations (HNMUN) conference in
Boston, Massachusetts. The conference is the largest, oldest, and most prestigious simulation of its kind and a unique chance
for us to interact with over 3,000 fellow students from more than 60 different countries. This will be Ace’s first year attending
HNMUN, and we are very excited for this new opportunity. However, the trip will cost us about US$850 per student in travel,
hotel, and conference costs to attend, an amount few of our members can afford to pay.

In order to allow us to participate, we are seeking your sponsorship. As the Coca-Cola Company has long been a leader in
supporting educational initiatives throughout the world, we were hoping you might be interested in sponsoring our team.
Were Coca-Cola to sponsor us, we would be more than happy to include information about the company on our team website
(<Address Here>), list it as a sponsor in all of our publications, and feature its logo on our team shirts at conference. We strongly
hope to be student representatives and ambassadors of the Coca-Cola in this exercise of diplomacy and inter-cultural dialogue.

For more information about our team and HNMUN, I have included with this letter a note from Ace University Dean of
Student Life Tom Hutchins, our team budget, the HNMUN invitation letter, and a Ace Uni News-Press article on our team’s
recent fundraising auction.

In a globalized world, international education is critical to fostering today’s citizens and tomorrow’s leaders. With the opportunity
to actively debate international problems and interact with fellow students from around the world, we believe that HNMUN
will be a uniquely valuable educational experience. Any support you could provide would be immensely appreciated.

Thank you so much.

Sincerely,

Jane C. Jones

Head Delegate
Ace University Model United Nations
555 Aceia Drive, Oaces, AC 99999
Phone: (555) 123-4567
Fax: (555) 123-4567
Email: [email protected]
AUMUN Non-Profit No.: 02-3450959

Harvard National Model United

HNMUN Nations
Guide to 2011
2015
Fundraising 7
 HNMUN Guide to Fundraising

Sample Press Release

Contact:
Jane C. Jones
Ace University Model United Nations
555 Aceia Drive, Oaces, AC 99999
Phone: (555) 123-4567
Fax: (555) 123-4567
Email: [email protected]

15 August 2019

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Local Students to Represent India at Harvard Conference

The Ace University Model United Nations (AUMUN) team has been selected to represent the nation of India at the
prestigious Harvard National Model United Nations conference to be held in Boston, Massachusetts from 13-16 Februrary
2020. Twenty students will have the chance to attend and are actively fundraising to make the trip possible.

This will be the Ace students’ first chance to participate in the international conference, which last year attracted over 3,000
students and faculty members from universities in 60 different countries. The conference, staffed entirely by Harvard University
students, is an opportunity for the students to experience firsthand the challenges of international negotiation and diplomacy
and to share their experiences and opinions with students from around the world.

The trip is estimated to cost around US$850 per student, a figure which the team hopes to reduce significantly through
a variety of fundraising efforts, including a silent auction scheduled for 20 September at the Oaces campus. The AUMUN
delegation will also benefit from the generous sponsorship of the Coca-Cola Company. Yet, even with this help, the cost of
attending may still be prohibitive for some students and the AUMUN team is actively seeking other forms of sponsorship and
support from the community.

For more information about AUMUN, contact Jane C. Jones, head delegate, at (555) 123-4567 or [email protected].

8 HarvardNational
Harvard NationalModel
ModelUnited
UnitedNations
Nations 2012