Tell your story
Many of our students have fundraised their entire trip through crowdfunding – that means collecting small amounts of money from a large number of people.
Asking people for money can be daunting, even when they’re family and friends. That’s why we’ve created a guide to writing the perfect online fundraising profile on websites like GoFundMe or JustGiving, so that you can share your page far and wide and start collecting cash to put towards your life-changing overseas elective.
On this page you'll find out:
- How to define your aims
- How to tell your personal story
- How to explain where donations will go
- How to express your reasons for the trip
- A few top tips
Defining your aims
When you’re considering what to write on your profile, have a think about your aim. Is it to cover the whole cost of your trip, or to raise a portion for something specific, like your flight? Will you be doing any fundraising activities like fun runs, bake sales or coffee mornings? Or are you simply trying to share information about the trip you’re taking, in order to purchase and donate supplies to the hospitals?
Having a clear goal in sight — not only of how much you want to raise, but also how and by when — is essential. You’ll need to lay this information out to your audience, too, so that they feel confident their cash is being put to good use!
Tell them about yourself and about us
Start off by explaining your degree course, which university you attend and your areas of interest. If you’re planning on doing a few weeks in OBG for example, it would be useful to explain why you have an interest in women’s health.
Next, tell your supporters about Work the World so they know that your trip is being organised by a reputable, safe and reliable organisation. You could include things like:
- Work the World crafts healthcare electives around the world tailored to each student's individual interests. Coming from a decade of experience sending thousands students abroad, you won't find a service this complete anywhere else
- We take our social responsibility very seriously and understand that we have an ethical obligation to maximise the benefits of our placements and to ensure they have is no negative impact locally
- Work the World employs local people instead of expats, they purchase products and food from the communities in which they're based, and they give sizeable monetary and equipment donations to local hospitals
Some things you should be mindful of when talking about Work the World:
- We aren’t a charity, though we do support our partners in developing countries.
- We don’t give out information about hospitals, hospital staff, other students or our houses to those not enrolled on our placements for safeguarding reasons, so please do not do so yourself
- Some of your supporters may not know that a Work the World placement isn’t a volunteer role, or a paid job: it’s best to refer to your trip as a healthcare elective, healthcare internship or healthcare placement
How much do you want to raise, and where will the money go?
Once you’ve set the scene, outline how much money you need to raise and what it will be used for. Creating a breakdown of costs can make crowdfunding your whole trip seem more achievable, both to you and your supporters. If you’re organising fundraising activities, now would be a good time to outline them.
Don’t forget to tell your supporters what’s included in your trip, for example a placement tailoring service, private, catered accommodation, and 24/7 overseas support.
Why do you want to do a healthcare elective in a developing country?
Finally, bring your profile to a close by explaining why you want to do a Work the World placement in a developing country. Everyone has their own motivations, from learning about a low-resource healthcare environment, to going outside their comfort zone. If you’re required to do an elective as part of your course, it’s worth explaining to your supporters why you have decided to do this abroad instead of in your home country.
Top tips
- When uploading photographs to your profile, remember that a lot of people may land on your page. As a general rule, don’t upload any photos you wouldn’t want on the front cover of a newspaper, and the more related to healthcare they are, the better
- Don’t forget about family and friends who might not come across your page on social media. There are plenty of offline ways to fundraise, so don’t forget to pick up the phone
- Sharing on social media is a great way to get the word out — ask friends and family to help out
Once you've written your page, you can start promoting your message. We've put a guide together on how to do that.
Get Cashback through Easyfundraising.org.uk
One of our favourite online funding sites is Easyfundraising — every time you buy something online, from fashion to fast food Easyfundraising will direct you to the retailer’s website and, when you check out, you'll get back a percentage of what you spend as a donation towards your total goal. It’s free to register and use. You can also give your friends and family a link to your page where they can shop via Easyfundraising in support of your trip.
Better still, you can raise money when you book your flight for your elective — over 50 different airlines will send you a donation, including British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Monarch, and Cathay Pacific. Click the image below to set your account up today.
