Fundraising Cruises
by Cindy Bertram

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With every downside, however, there can be an opportunity and a way to turn a negative into a positive. Helping raise money for a charitable cause by organizing a fundraising cruise group is a way not to just create new business, but also do some good in your local community. You can actually work with many cruise lines that have programs in place for donations ranging from $25 to $100 per stateroom to a non-profit organization or school.

How does this work?

Cruise lines’ Group Amenity Points, sometimes also known as “GAP,” can be used for this type of program. Originally, group amenity points programs were launched in the late 1990s as a way for travel agents to provide extra amenities for their group members without the extra “out of pocket” agency expenditures. But, these programs have grown and increased their menus of selections, for instance – way beyond a bonus commission for the travel agency, private group cocktail parties, or stateroom category upgrades. Many cruise lines now have a fundraiser group amenity point category, which the travel agent can then use for a fundraiser opportunity.

Celebrity Cruises (and its sister line Azamara Cruises) have had their own respective programs in place for some time now, and a fundraiser category exists in their GAP menu. The actual number of points awarded varies according to the ship and sail date selected by the group. Also, on Celebrity Cruises, the group must consist of eight staterooms based on double occupancy, and the Fundraiser GAP Program can be used. The fundraiser dollar amount the cruise line will give is then based on the points that are allocated with the stateroom booked – for instance, a $25 donation per stateroom for two points used, a $50 donation per stateroom for four points used, and a $100 donation per stateroom for eight points used.

The Celebrity Cruises program is available only to travel agents and organizations located in, and organized under, the laws of the United States and Canada. Proof that the organization validly exists and is a 501(c) or other acceptable non-profit organization is required. All requests must be made through the group partner advocate – that is, the travel agent. The check will be written directly to the charitable organization and sent to the travel agency (who handled the group booking) after the sailing date.

Other cruise lines have their own versions of the Fundraiser GAP program that may be used in a similar way.

Where should you start? Is there a school, or perhaps a non-profit organization, in your community that could use some additional fundraising help? Reach out to their leaders with a plan and proposal to show how this could benefit them. The key is to get “buy-in.” Having one of the organization’s leaders act as the “pied piper” and then getting others to go on this cruise (whether it’s other key people from the non-profit organization or parents whose children attend that school, for instance) are ways to build your core cruise group.

It’s another way to raise money for charitable organizations in challenging economic times, and your group can also enjoy themselves as well, knowing they have helped out.

Cindy Bertram, MCC, writes extensively about the cruise industry for various travel trade publications, including an ongoing column for Leisure Group Travel . She has more than 15 years of experience in the travel industry, from working in frontline sales and marketing development at a full-service travel agency to conducting training workshops at travel and cruise conferences. She may be reached at cindybertram@hotmail.com.

(Credits: Cindy Bertram; Celebrity Cruises)