How to raise scholarship money for camps and youth programs

1. Know how much you need

Start with a number. Estimate how many children will need help and how much, then use the scholarship budget calculator to see the total and what's left to raise. A specific goal is easier to raise than "as much as we can."

Example: if 20 children each need half of a $300 week of camp, you need $3,000. That could be 12 sponsors at $250, or $10 added to 300 full-price registrations.

2. Write your scholarship policy first

Donors give more easily when they know how the money will be used, and families apply more easily when the rules are clear. Decide who's eligible, how much help is available, how to apply, how decisions are made and how you protect privacy.

Our scholarship policy template has sample wording, and our scholarship application is a short form families can fill out.

3. Ask local foundations and community grants

Most of these funders give only to nonprofits. If you're not one, ask whether you can apply through a nonprofit partner or fiscal sponsor. Read each funder's guidelines, apply on time and send the report they ask for, so they'll consider you again.

• Your community foundation, which often makes grants to youth programs in its area
• Family foundations in your town. Private foundations' grants are listed in their public tax filings, which show who they've funded before.
• City or county youth and recreation funds
• Local service clubs and civic groups
• Your school district, PTA or parent groups, for programs that serve their students
• Churches and other congregations that want to help children in their neighborhood

4. Find business sponsors

Many local businesses want to support children in their community, and a sponsorship gives them something concrete to point to. Make the ask specific: "Sponsor a child for a week of camp."

• Make a short list: banks, dentists and doctors, real estate agents, restaurants, car dealers and other businesses your families use.
• Offer a few levels. Example: $300 sends one child to camp for a week, and $1,200 sends one child for a month.
• Thank sponsors publicly if they want it: on your website, in your newsletter or on a banner at your end-of-summer event.
• Ask for in-kind gifts too, such as snacks, T-shirts or field trip tickets. Every cost they cover frees up money for scholarships.
• Send each sponsor a short note at the end of the season about what their gift did.

5. Add a small amount to full-price registrations

Families who pay full price can help families who can't, a little at a time. Be open about it so no one feels surprised.

• Build it into the price and say so. Example: "$5 of every registration goes to our scholarship fund."
• Offer an optional "pay it forward" price, a little above the regular price, for families who want to give more.
• Share the result each year: "Your registrations helped [number] children come to camp this year."

6. Ask for donations at checkout

The moment a family registers is a good time to ask, because they're already thinking about your program. Add an optional donation to your scholarship fund at checkout.

• Keep it optional and easy to skip.
• Offer a few amounts plus a custom amount. Example: $10, $25 or $50.
• Say what a gift pays for, using your own numbers. Example: "$25 covers a day of camp for a child who needs help."
• Make it clear the donation goes to your program's scholarship fund.
• If you're a 501(c)(3), send donors a receipt they can use for their taxes. Ask your accountant what it should say.

7. Hold an event, if it's worth it

Events build community, but they take time and can cost almost as much as they raise. Pick one that fits your program and your volunteers, and set a goal before you plan it.

• A family fun run, field day or movie night
• A show where children perform or display their work
• A silent auction with items donated by local businesses
• An online giving day, with a sponsor who matches gifts up to a set amount
• Track the hours and costs, so you know whether to do it again.

8. How to ask

Ask people directly, in person when you can, and keep it short and specific.

• Explain the need in one or two sentences: how many children want to come and can't afford it.
• Tell a true story without identifying the family, or with the family's written permission.
• Ask for a specific amount for a specific thing: "Would you sponsor two children for a week?"
• Say what you'll report back, and when.
• Follow up once if you don't hear back, and accept a no gracefully.
• Thank every donor within a few days, whatever the size of the gift.

9. Set up a simple sliding scale

A sliding scale lets families pay what they can, in a few clear steps. Keep it simple enough that a family can see where they fit. Many programs base it on household income and household size. Some also accept proof that a child qualifies for free or reduced-price school meals, so families don't have to share income documents.

Example of a four-step scale, with income limits you set for your area and adjust for household size:

• Full price: household income above [amount]
• 75% of the price: income from [amount] to [amount]
• 50% of the price: income from [amount] to [amount]
• 25% of the price, or free: income below [amount], or a child who qualifies for free school meals
• Decide what proof you'll ask for, if any. Asking for less makes applying easier. Asking for more makes decisions easier to explain to donors.

10. Protect families' privacy

Families who get help should be treated exactly like everyone else. Only the people who decide on scholarships should know who received one.

• Keep applications and income documents locked away or in a system only a few people can open, and delete them when you no longer need them.
• Don't email income documents. Share them through a link only the right people can open.
• Use the same checkout for everyone, with the scholarship applied as a private discount, so a family never has to ask for it in front of others.
• Don't tell counselors or other families who has a scholarship, and don't mark it on rosters, name tags or T-shirts.
• Never name a scholarship family to donors, in photos or in stories without the family's written permission.

11. Track every gift and report back

Donors give again when they see what their money did. Keep simple records from the first gift, so your report takes an hour, not a week.

• Record each gift: who gave, how much, when and any restriction, such as "for swim lessons only."
• Record each award: how much each child received, for which program and from which fund.
• Keep scholarship money separate in your books, so it isn't spent on other costs.
• Report the totals: children helped, weeks or days paid for and dollars given.
• Add one story or photo, with the family's written permission, and a thank-you note from a child if you can.
• Send the report when you said you would, and say what you'll need next year.

How BackPR helps

In BackPR you can apply full or partial scholarships, set sliding-scale pricing and give families private aid codes to use at checkout. Families can add a donation to your program when they register, and finance reports show scholarships and discounts next to payments. BackPR is free for registered nonprofits: no subscription and no BackPR fees. Card payments run on Stripe at Stripe's standard rates, and BackPR never adds its own fee to what families pay.