Ways for a teen to raise money?

What are some ways to raise money for a band trip?

• I'm not talking about bake sales or lemonade stands or something. I need to raise some serious money. In a year and a half, my marching band is going to Hawaii, and I really want to go. However, with the economy recently, it isn't in my family's budget. So, I made a deal with them that if I could raise a good portion of the money, they'd pay for the rest. The estimate is probably around $2000-3000 for the trip, so I'll probably need at least half. I'm 14 by the way, so I can't get a job. I figure that if I start early, I might be able to raise some money. I'm hoping other marching band kids have been in a similar situation before... so any ideas?

• Answer:

  Try going to the churches in your area and explaining your situation. They might be willing to help you out with a bit of cash if you agree to accompany the choir, or maybe even play solo. I did a couple of gigs like that and they paid me $20 a week. They are usually pretty easy arrangements that won't take up a lot of your time practicing. All you band kids should talk to your directors about working concessions at the local pro stadiums, if you have one nearby. The high school I went to was about 30 minutes from RJ stadium, where the Tampa Bay Bucs play. We worked one of the concession stand and the gave us part of the profit. They usually require the workers to be over 18 because of the liability but its a good way for parents to raise money for they're kids. They get a few thousand dollars for every event they work. Our band director usually set aside $25 for each person that worked to put in their student account to go towards expensive trips. Band Boosters were also able to help cut costs with the extra money. We went on a week long trip from Florida to DC for only $600 a person.