Committing to Csehy for the coming summer is a wonderful opportunity for your musical and spiritual development. We work hard to keep Csehy costs low, but we know that the commitment to attend Csehy still represents a considerable financial investment. Here are some ideas to help you work out ways you can raise funds for Csehy for the coming year.

Refer

  • For each new family you refer who attends Csehy, you may receive a voucher valued $200 which can be applied to your camp registration. Referred campers cannot be siblings of the referring camper. Not only does this give you the opportunity to have your Csehy tuition paid in full, but it also gives your friends the opportunity to share in the experience of Csehy. Contact the Csehy office at info@csehy.org to request promotional materials to use at your church, school, or studio.

Perform

  • Fundraising Concert: Why not put on a concert at your church or school specifically as a fundraiser? Consider doing this in collaboration with other Csehy friends including new campers whom you have referred.

  • Record a CD: Using home computer based recording programs; you can easily produce a CD with a label for around $3 per CD. If you sold these for $8, you can share your music with your church and school community while raising further funds for Csehy. If you do this in collaboration with other Csehy friends, you can share the workload and the funds towards next year’s camp. Be sure to observe all applicable laws for recording and selling copyrighted materials.

  • Host Csehy faculty at your church or school: The Csehy office is always looking for the opportunity to get the word out about the Csehy vision and to share the music of Csehy in your own community. Not only will you have the chance of sharing your much-loved faculty with your local community, but this event can be used as a fund-raiser for your own camp costs, as well as giving you experience in event management. We recommend that you pursue a sponsor to take care of upfront costs involved, then you can use the concert, school or church appearance as an opportunity to further raise funds for your Csehy tuition. Csehy will also provide a $100 tuition discount to any camper who hosts Csehy Faculty in a local concert or church service. Contact the Csehy office at info@csehy.org for further details.

  • Musical Telegrams: Offer to be sent out as a musical messenger on behalf of anyone in your church, school or local community. Have people enlist your services to play or sing a hymn to their grandma in an assisted living facility, serenade their valentine in February (a good time to be raising money to pay for Csehy), or to be a surprise blessing to your pastor or church staff during an office day. $10 per telegram could quickly raise $100 if you served 10 different people. Do this with a team of Csehy friends for even more fun.

Practice

  • Practice-a-thon: 10 hours a week for 10 weeks – 100 hours of practice. If 20 sponsors promised you 10 cents an hour ($10 per sponsor), you could raise $200 towards your Csehy costs. Not only does this help pay for Csehy, but you will be better prepared, and your local music teacher will also be very pleased.

  • Scale-a-thon: 12 major scales + 12 minor scales. If 20 sponsors promised you 50 cents per scale ($12 per person), you could raise $240. You already know the scales – then set a new goal. A higher metronome marking, more octaves, contrary motion – move onto your modal scales, pentatonic, blues (hey, that sounds like theory – yep: you got it, theory in practice, and this makes it fun).

  • Hymn-a-thon: Learn a new hymn a week for 10 weeks. If 20 sponsors gave $1 per hymn, you could raise $200. Perhaps your sponsors could pick the hymns. Why not finish the 10 weeks with a special hymn sing for your sponsors. For even more fun, do this in collaboration with other Csehy friends so you can host the hymn sing together at the end of the 10 weeks.

Teach

  • Free lessons: So your grandma always wanted to take lessons? Your uncle or your cousin? Why not put your own learning into practice and give a free lesson or two to someone who may be interested in supporting your tuition at Csehy. Offer to give music lessons to younger students in exchange for donations.

  • Teach other to read music: Know of people in your church choir, worship team singers or youth group that would like to be able to read music? Many church singers are desperately holding on to the person next to them for music-reading support. We know who they are and love them because they bring an enthusiasm and bravado by diving in. Why not create your own course of Music 101 including reading notes, clapping rhythms, understanding time-signatures, etc.?

Out of the Box

  • Fundraising Merchandise: There are many resources on the internet which give ideas for fundraising. Many businesses will also provide fundraising incentives through selling merchandise whether it is apples or chocolate. Check out websites like Fundraising HQ for some suggestions.

  • Do something radical: OK so we like to some crazy things at Csehy. If your music minister or pastor has a good sense of humor (as well as your congregation), why not do something like “kidnap” the music minister, church pianist or choir director (of course they will need to be in on it) at the beginning of church or during the rehearsal. Coordinate this with a group of friends so that a few could do the kidnapping, and then others can run the rehearsal while a ransom message is communicated that they will be returned when you have pledges from the congregation (or choir) in the amount of $100, $200 or $500 (find out from your music minister, pianist or choir director, how much they think you could raise). Have some fun, step up in taking responsibility for some of the music, promote Csehy in doing it, and glorify God in all things.