How To Pay For This Trip

You will most likely need to do some fundraising in order to take part in this once-in-a-lifetime experience. Down Under Sports has developed proven fundraising methods to help cover the cost of the trip to ensure that every deserving and hardworking athlete can participate.
Find 10 people to be on your fundraising committee.
Understand that starting early is the key.
Negotiate. If one fundraiser doesn’t work well, try another.
Don’t be afraid to tell everyone what you are doing and ask for help.
Remember to use Thank You Tickets for the ISSI free trip.
Announce your accomplishment in your local newspaper.
Interest others in your fundraising ideas.
Stay focused on your goal, you can do it!
Initiate a time line to keep yourself on pace.
Notify your coach or your ISSI representative if you need help.
Get excited! You will be on your way to Australia before you know it.
Over 80%
of athletes
fundraise
to go on this trip!



Refer to the Down Under Sports
Fundraising Guide for more information!
1 Post a Newspaper Article
  • Contact local newspaper
  • Give reporter ISSI press release
  • Wear your High School uniform during interview
  • Include contact information
2 Form a Fundraising Committee
  • Make a list of 10 people you know well
  • Call each person
  • Ask everyone to assist with at least one fundraiser
  • Keep track of money raised by each member
3 Select a Fundraiser
  • Sponsorship Letters
  • Thank You Tickets
  • Community Service
  • Merchandising Madness

STAY MOTIVATED!

We know that most athletes do not have enough money in their pocket to pay for the trip. Through fundraising, athletes who are willing to work can raise all the money necessary to go. There is plenty of time to raise the money.

How to form a Fundraising Committee

Make a list of people who will support and assist you in fundraising. It is good to include a few who live outside your community. Call each person on the list and commit them to help with at least one fundraiser. Read the Down Under Sports Fundraising Guide and choose some fundraising ideas to try or use one of your own ideas. Have your committee members assist in organizing and carrying out your plans.

How to Use Your Thank You Tickets

Organize: After forming your Fundraising Committee, select 5 members to let them know they will be receiving a book of 100 Thank You Tickets.

Distribute: Make sure each committee member receives at least one book of 100 tickets and allow them 3 weeks to work on your selected fundraising project and distribute the Thank You Tickets.

Collect: Follow up with your Fundraising Committee until all proceeds are collected and sent back to you.

Submit: Send money to ISSI after collecting. Reorder: Once you’ve collected and submitted all money from your fundraiser to ISSI, reorder new Thank You Tickets and repeat this process.

Once you register with ISSI, you will receive 5 books of 100 Thank You Tickets. You can then give the tickets to those who support your efforts to cover the cost of the trip. The person receiving the ticket would then mail it to ISSI and be entered into a drawing for a free trip to Australia and Hawaii for two people.

Thank You Tickets can be used with any fundraiser you do as a way of thanking those who have contributed to your trip. We suggest giving 2 or 3 Thank You Tickets for every $5 or $6 collected. These are not raffle tickets!

2009 Trip Winners

We were so excited to have won the trip. It was truly a once in a lifetime experience. We were blessed to have been able to experience this trip with our grandson, Robert Fisk (Kansas/Missouri track and field athlete) and our daughter, Susan. We had never been anywhere outside of the Midwest before and imagine our excitement to get to fly for the first time and to travel to two of the most amazing places in the world.

We were able to experience watching the Pacific Ocean from the 20th floor of our hotel in Brisbane and to hike a trail at Tamborine Mountain to a beautiful natural waterfall. We were able to see kangaroos and koalas in their natural home and our tour guide tried to teach us to throw a boomerang-- we never did quite get it. We had the best Down Under guide in Australia with Eliot Krause. He was fun and really could get the kids to join in and have great experiences. We wanted to stay forever.

Hawaii was great fun. We were humbled by our visit to Pearl Harbor and it made us appreciate even more the sacrifice that our military men and women make every day for us. On the other side of this was the fun time we had at Germaine’s Luau. Watching the kids on the stage attempting to do a hula dance was hilarious.

We made many new friends, both in the United States and Australia. And we have created memories that will last a lifetime. We give our appreciation to Mr. O’Scanlon for having the vision to create this competition, giving young people the opportunity to travel, to compete and to experience all this. Keep up the good vision. We hope you continue for many, many more years.

Frank and Sam Fisk, Grandparent Supporters
Kansas/Missouri Track and Field