5 Ways Your Social Networks Can Help You Pay For College
According to tuition.io, the average student graduates with about $27,000 in student loan debt. That’s a big and scary number to start out with in your post-grad life. And while scholarships can be a big help in cutting down debt, sometimes it’s just not enough. However, there are other ways to pay for school and eliminate debt — and they may be right in your own social network.
You may never have considered it before, but the people who want to help you most are your friends and family, so why not ask them for assistance with your education? As per Sallie Mae's 2012 "How America Pays for College Report," relatives and friends spend an average of $764 to cover student's college costs. With over 20 million college students in America, that's over $15 billion per year spent by relatives and friends on a student's college costs — that shows that friends and family members are willing to help!
Here are five ways to use your social network to make it happen.
1. Create a video about your education.
Use your own camera or cell phone to record a video. Explain what you are going to school for, what you want to do, and why you need help. Hearing it from you first-hand will make them more likely to donate. The more engaging your video is, the more response you’ll get!
2. Make a fundraising mission on GoEnnounce.com.
Join GoEnnounce.com, an educational crowdfunding platform for students. Your mission could be to fundraise online for anything from tuition, textbooks, club fees, travel abroad, etc. You can share this mission with everyone you know via social tools to spread the word. Make it as detailed as possible so your network understands why you want to reach your goal and how they can help by donating, even if it’s just a small amount!
3. Share your educational updates.
A good way to have friends and family become further invested in your education and want to help is by consistently sharing what you’re doing in school. This means talking about your classes, school projects, long term educational goals, your plans to study abroad, and your athletic accomplishments with friends and family more than once a year at the annual holiday gathering. You can do this via monthly mass emails, a blog such as Tumblr or Wordpress, or even easier, on your GoEnnounce Student Page. With GoEnnounce, you can also share all of your educational accomplishments and goals with your followers through the platform to get additional encouragement, rewards and financial donations.
4. Host a fundraising party.
Everyone likes parties, and a fundraising event can be a good way to fundraise money you need to achieve your goals. Ask your guests for a donation at the door, or hold a silent auction or raffle to get more donations. In return, they get a great party to enjoy.
5. Stick with it.
It’s not always easy to get people to understand your goals, so sometimes you have to keep at it to get what you need. Keep using social tools like Facebook and Twitter to remind friends and family about your mission.
Good luck and be sure to email us at support@goennounce.com if you need any more tips about how to tap into your social network to raise money for school.
