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Become a Human Rights Accompanier in Guatemala
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Fundraising and Accompanier Budget

Fundraising is Public Education is Community Involvement is Giving People an Opportunity to Support Work They Believe in is Fundraising is......

As a G.A.P. Accompanier you are in a unique position to be asking for funds. By choosing to accompany in Guatemala, you are demonstrating a deep commitment to peace, justice, and social change work. The fact that you are volunteering your time and energy makes your commitment all that much more credible.

On the practical side, you can think about fundraising in terms of its capacity for building your base of support, in addition to contributing to efforts of your Sponsoring Community and NISGUA to broaden the base of people willing to take action for a just U.S. policy toward Guatemala. Each person who supports you will be a crucial link between you as a G.A.P. Accompanier and the network of people with whom they are in touch.

By contacting individuals, business people, religious groups, and other organizations, you can reach out to people who might not have taken an interest otherwise. Your excitement about joining G.A.P. in Guatemala may inspire them to invest in this vision of peace and justice in the region by making a financial contribution. You can become their personal emissary sending information back about your work. The people who help fund your trip can also circulate your written accounts of experiences while in Guatemala. The more outreach you do before your trip, the more aware and interested your community will be when you return and the easier it will be to do continued fundraising for G.A.P. after you come home.

Accompaniers make a commitment to fundraising as part of the public education they do before and after working in Guatemala. The U.S. Coordinator can provide guidance for fundraising, and it is discussed and practiced at training. Creative fundraising ideas are encouraged!

• Accompanier Fundraising Initiatives: These could include auctions, raffles, bake sales, house parties, donations from local groups or churches, and other creative ideas. The accompanier uses the money raised to cover Group A expenses (see below).
  
• Sponsoring Community Fundraising Initiatives: These could include the same type of events as accompaniers organize, as well as small grants and newsletter subscriptions. The sponsoring community uses these for Group B expenses (see below).
  
• Friends and Family Letter: The accompanier writes an initial friends and family letter telling of her/his plans and asking for support. Donations are sent directly to the accompanier. Those wishing to make tax-deductible contributions must make out checks to the SC or its fiscal sponsor. The accompanier will transfer any funds raised in excess of Group A expenses to the Sponsoring Community.
  
• Education and Awareness Activities with Indirect Opportunities for Fundraising:
  The accompanier writes a bi-monthly friends and family letter, which the Sponsoring Community (SC) distributes to the accompanier’s list and to their own mailing list. This can be done via e-mail to keep costs down. It is strongly suggested (but not required) that the accompanier includes additional funding appeals in these letters and that the funds go to the SC. Also, many SCs create their own newsletter, which may combine the accompanier’s letter with education, advocacy appeals, and fundraising requests.
  
• Speaking Tour: Upon the accompanier’s return from Guatemala, the SC sets up a speaking tour for the accompanier. For some SCs, this is the primary accompanier-assisted fundraising activity. In many cases, the funds will go to help support subsequent accompaniers.
  
  

• Group A Expenses -- Covered by the Accompanier

• Group B Expenses—Covered by the Sponsoring Community with Fundraising Assistance from the the Accompanier

(1) Sponsoring Communities also cover health insurance while accompaniers are in language school.
(2) Includes transportation, food and lodging in Guate, immigration, and personal expenses.
(3) Paid to NISGUA, who then distributes it to accompaniers in Guatemala as needed.
(4) Helps cover office rent and staff salaries in Guatemala and the U.S.
(5) Sponsoring communities incur many other expenses, including newsletter production, delegations, and grants, which vary widely from one community to another and are not reflected in this budget.

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