Fundraiser Cruise Groups

Did you know that non-profit groups can use the excitement and lure of cruising to raise funds for their operations?  Cruising as a fundraiser is a very lucrative and effective way to gain money for your charity or organization.  Not only will your organization be raising funds, they will be embarking on exciting cruise adventure at the same time!  Most cruise lines have fundraising group programs specifically designed to boost your non-profit's bottom line.  Churches, civic groups, and alumni organizations can all benefit!

Here's how it works!  For each cabin booked, the cruise line donates an amount of funds to your organization after the cruise. The specific amount is dependent on the cruise line and contract.  Also, as your group of travelers grows, you'll be granted "Free Berths" (also known as Tour Conductor Credits) that can be either sold, raffled, or auctioned off (depending on your local laws) to raise even more funds for your charity.  Taxes and port charges still apply to the free berths. Those auctions, if done properly, can really rake in the big money.  This is a serious fundraising opportunity.

Let's look at a hypothetical example.  Carnival Cruise Line has a fundraising program where your organization receives $8 per day of a cruise, per room of two booked.  This check is sent to you within 21 days of completing the cruise.  On a 7-Night Caribbean cruise, that's $56 per room.  They also have a Tour Conductor program of one Tour Conductor Credit for every 16 paying guests.  Let's say your organization was able to sell 64 rooms.  From the fundraising credit, that's 64 rooms at $56 each- $3,584 payable to your organization.  Plus, you'd qualify for four Tour Conductor Credits- that's four berths to auction off to the highest bidder.  Four berths = two rooms. Let's say you auction them for $2,000 each, that's an additional $4,000 in funds raised for your charity!  Add to that the possibility of selling T-Shirts or other exclusive goodies to your group on your own and that number keeps adding up.

When you use a travel agency to organize these groups, your responsibility is only to promote the group through your normal channels. The agency takes care of making the reservations and managing the group itself.  We handle the hard questions and problems that arise so you don't have to.  Private events and excursions?  We handle those too!  Each of your group members is treated to excellent customer service.  To organize and manage a Fundraising Group, AMS Travel Sales charges the organization a $200 nonrefundable management fee.

If you would like to know more about fundraising opportunities for your non-profit organization, schedule a free 15 Minute Adventure Planning Session with AMS Travel Sales today and let's talk about it!

Geocaching in Blackshear, GA

When I first got into geocaching and began attending local events, there was one term I heard over and over- "Blackshear."  At each event I attended, I heard people talking about this holy grail of geocaching, right in our back yard.  They were speaking of the Blackshear Geocaching Challenge. This is a series of 30 downright delightful geocaching experiences.  Five different geocache types are represented-  traditional, multicache, puzzle caches, wherigos and letterbox hybrids.  When you complete the challenge, you receive a special, trackable GeoCoin for your collection.

My family visited Blackshear in 2015 and completed most of the challenge.  Our plan is to return in the near future and complete it.  Blackshear is in Southeast Georgia, close enough to Jacksonville for a day trip.  The challenge can be completed in one day by seasoned geocachers, but we took our time and chose to really explore the history that Blackshear has to offer.

Many of the geocaches are clever, some are educational, some are artistic and all are just downright fun!  I strongly recommend anyone interested in Geocaching make sure this destination is on your bucket list!

I truly believe that a multi-day trip to this geocaching mecca is well worth it.  It is perfect for a 3-day weekend.  It's a few hours drive from Atlanta, Jacksonville and Tallahassee.  Flights would be relatively painless into Jacksonville from Denver, Nashville, Dallas, Houston, and Baltimore (Southwest offers nonstop flights from these destinations.)

The host hotel for the challenge (the location where you can obtain your geocoin) is the Comfort Inn Blackshear.  This is a typical two star chain hotel.  You can expect a clean and comfortable stay for less than $100 a night, and it is within walking distance of several of the challenge geocaches.  It's literally the only hotel in Blackshear, so unless you want to drive a bit to nearby Waycross, you're limited on choice.

If you'd like to explore a trip to Blackshear to experience the Blackshear Geocaching Challenge for yourself, schedule an appointment with AMS Travel Sales today for your free Travel Planning Session!  We can put together a complete package for you, with air, hotel and rental car.  With all our Geocaching Travel Packages we include a free GPX file with all the geocaches in the your destination, including the Blackshear Challenge caches!