Climbing Kilimanjaro for Charity
A growing number of Team Kilimanjaroβs climbers are nowadays climbing Mount Kilimanjaro for charity. While of course many of our climbers will climb Kilimanjaro with us without our necessarily knowing that they are raising money for charity while they climb, we suggest that it may nonetheless be in the interests of their cause to let us know, if they are happy to do so. Indeed, for some climbers the knowledge that climbing Kilimanjaro for charity may allow them to offset some of their own fundraising costs may be instrumental in their decision to climb, if they are in any doubt at the outset as to whether they are in a suitable position to finance their proposed fundraising trip.
Climbing Kilimanjaro for Charity with Team Kilimanjaro
There are two schemes in which prospective Kilimanjaro fund raisers may be interested, that operate under Team Kilimanjaroβs aegis. Option 1 serves climbers who have already chosen a charity for which they wish to climb, and allows the climber to receive only limited assistance from TK, whereas Option 2 is dedicated to climbers who are still looking for a suitable beneficiary, would like to support a cause that is of benefit to the Tanzanian people, and are therefore happy to dedicate their campaign to one of the three Tanzanian charities that we work with, and value the opportunity to have their costs significantly subsidised.
Kilimanjaro Fundraising Option 1 - Climbing for Your Own Charity
If climbers can evidence that they have raised in excess of USD 17 per day spent on the mountain (or currency equivalent) for a local charity of their own choosing, we will refund USD 17 per fundraiser per day of the climb cost. Therefore, assuming for example that a climber books a 7 day trek and raises in excess of USD 119, we will refund them USD 119.
In order to receive this refund, while a climber is in Arusha, we need to see evidence that this amount has been raised and given to the nominated charity. On receipt of this evidence we will then make a cash refund of the quoted amount direct to the climber.
Where climbers are not able to provide this evidence, or where they choose to have the refund payment made by any means other than in person as cash, they must accept that while we will instruct payment of the full amount, the amount they receive will be less than the full amount, if the chosen method applies its own transfer / transaction fees. In this instance, Team Kilimanjaro will not be liable for any shortfall against the quoted amount and, typically, these transfer costs may constitute a significant fraction of the amount being transferred.
Kilimanjaro Fundraising Option 2 - Subsidised Climber Costs
Under this option the charity will use a maximum of 49% of whatever sum is raised by fundraising / sponsorship to pay for the climb, with the remaining 51% remaining with the charity.
Therefore, if a climber wants to climb at no personal expense, and assuming for example 4 people book to climb the 7 Day TK Rongai route at $2,549 per person and have no additional or upgraded accommodation requests, if they were able to raise $5,202 they would then pay this amount to Nanapai who we would invoice $2,430 for the discounted climb cost (with TK contributing $119), and Nanapai would keep the balance for their charitable causes, and there would be no personal payment necessary from the climber towards their climb costs. The climber would, of course, have to cover their own flights, visas, and any costs not normally included in a TK climb.
Similarly, if a climber is able to raise $2,000, then $980 could be used towards their climb costs, with the balance of $1,020 going to charity. In this case, as the climb costs are $2,549 per person, the climber would personally only need to pay the additional $1,569 (as TK would contribute $119 towards the fundraiserβs costs).
In the case of a very successful fundraising campaign, if a climber is able to raise $10,000, this would be paid to the charity, who we would invoice for the $2,430 climb cost, and $7,570 would be kept by them for charitable causes.
Obviously, while many have a very purist attitude towards fundraising and would like 100% of all the money that they raise to go directly towards the charitable work of the organisation they are supporting, and may therefore have qualms about a charity-subsidized fundraising system, they should please be assured that generally speaking most charities that claim that 100% of funds raised are used exclusively and directly for the cause intended, will usually need to have achieved some rather specious semantical trickery in order to maintain these claims, or else be staffed entirely by volunteers, enjoy free rent, electricity, transport, etc, etc.
Learn more about our preferred local charity
If you want to make a significant, positive contribution towards cleaning up Kilimanjaro and help us return its ecology to a pristine wilderness environment, please make use of the following payment facility:
Following Frank John's sad passing away in March 2022, some former climbers have requested the opportunity to contribute towards helping Frank's surviving wife, Clara, cover the costs for the family.
Several years ago, Team Kilimanjaro were approached by representatives of the Maasai community that live close to the Lake Natron region of northern Tanzania, with a request to assist villagers in obtaining clean water.
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Although there is no requirement to have a PCR test for COVID in order to enter Tanzania, many climbers are nonetheless required by their airline to show evidence of a negative COVID test before boarding the flight home.