Raising money
There are many options these days with the advancement of technology to enable to you easily connect with friends and allow them to give to you easily and cheaply. Usually, there is a small cost involved in recieving donations online, but i would not worry about it. If supplying the ability to give to you easily nets you 1 additional supporter (and it will) then it is worth it. if you raise $1000 through something like paypal, you will pay $30. Would you rather have the $30 or $1000?
First, don’t let money be a reason that you decide whether or not to plan on going on this trip! Where God guides He provides! I can attest to this literally hundreds of times. The Lord blesses when we step out on faith and attempt things for His name’s sake.
It is easier than ever to raise money for a trip with technologies like Facebook and PayPal these days.
Fundraising takes work, and when people see your passion, excitement, and willingness to do whatever it takes to make it on this trip, they will get excited with you and help.
- Facebook page – get all information set before you publicize it to your friends
- Consider buying ads to advertise your Facebook page
- Invite all your friends every 3 weeks about 4-5 times
- Keep people updated with your progress and goals on a blog
- Set up PayPal account
- Send out a series of letters
- Ask for specific amount
- Include Pre-printed, and stamped return envelopes
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Have a fundraiser of some sort:
- Golf tournament
- Dinner
-
Send thank you letters and follow up!
Sample Letter #1
Dear friends and family,
The Lord has been proving himself mighty in my life, and is giving me an abundance of opportunities to serve. I have embarked on a journey to follow the Lord and seek his will for my life. Right now, it would seem that his path is leading me to be a missionary to Spain.
*Recently, I have been presented with the opportunity to travel to Spain in March with my pastor and another family for a survey trip. This would be a great opportunity for me to survey the land where the Lord is leading me to be a missionary. On this trip, my goals will be as follows:
*– Survey the land where the Lord is leading me
*– Meet and spend time with veteran missionaries/National pastors
*– Study and experience Spanish culture firsthand
* – Experience how the church operates in Spain
* – Get a small taste of the Language *
This trip will cost, at minimum, $1200. Because airfare changes on the concert basis, we have estimated between $700 and $750 for tickets. The remaining money will be used on rooming, transportation in the country, and meals.
There are two main ways you can support me as I travel to Spain this March: Financial donations and prayer.
First, I ask that you pray about supporting me with a one time donation. Got a late on your heart to help me, you may do so by sending a one-time donation to:
*Name
*Address
Although nations are taxed to the call. Your donation would be greatly appreciated.
Is that, I would be greatly honored if you were to pray for me. Pray that the Lord would provide, he would send forth laborers into his harvest, and that he would be more if I did all we do.
Thank you for your time, thoughts, prayers and support. I got for his blessings on your life.
* Yours in Christ,
Kyle
Sample Support Letter #2
Dear friends,
Nine out of ten people that intend to go to the mission field drop out before their second term. This truth frightens me, but shows the importance of adequate preparation for the field. This is why I believe the Lord has led me to the Baptist College for World Evangelism (BCWE) in Arequipa, Peru to train for the field, on the field.
The BCWE is an intensive six-month program to equip students for effective ministry on various mission fields. It includes some classroom training and language study, but it primarily consists of practical instruction through one-on-one discipleship in a variety of situations on the field. I have included an excellent brochure presenting the college’s unique plan of training in biblical discipleship and teamwork.
This program will be an indispensable link of preparation toward planting Spanish churches in needy areas. Already the Lord has given me the amazing privilege to graduate from PCC, work with the Bill Rice Ranch and Neighborhood Bible Time, and intern with evangelist Dave Young and with a local church in Florida, but BCWE will be unique in that it will prepare me for the very unique difficulties and challenges of the field.
BCWE holds a high standard of excellence that equips missionaries to continue on the field. The affiliates of the school have planted over fifty churches on foreign soil and the graduates are now active in many countries. This is my burden from the Lord, and, by God’s grace, I believe this training will greatly hasten success.
I am responsible to raise $900 a month for the trip. This includes the airfare, tuition, lodging, food, and all other expenses. Nine churches giving $100 a month would make this possible. I will be contacting you soon to see how the Lord has directed you in meeting these needs and if you would like a monthly prayer letter. I look forward to what the Lord will do through us in these next days!
In Christ,
Philip Bassham
P.S. For more information about BCWE, go to: www.bcwe.org
Please send all gifts to Macedonia World Baptist Missions, P.O. Box 519, Braselton, GA 30517 and mark: “BCWE – Philip Bassham”
Sample Support Letter #3
Or if you want to be more creative and “original” (not really since I stole this, and you would be stealing it as well, you could try something like this:
(via Stuff Christians Like)
Dear _______,
I never write you letters.
That’s a weird way to open a mission trip letter. My youth minister/pastor gave me a form letter to follow but that felt even weirder. The truth is that I don’t write anyone letters and if I opened up this letter by pretending this is just the latest in a long chain of correspondence we’ve kept up oh these many years, that would feel as fake as when people run out of things to say and ask you questions like, “hot enough for you?” Wow, that was a really atrocious run on sentence, but I’m excited about this trip and I’m not going to let sentence structure stand in my way.
If I were you, I would probably be thinking, “_______ is going on a mission trip?” That’s a completely fair thought. I keep asking myself that too. I’m not the first person people think of when it comes to feeding the hungry/helping the poor/working on a coconut farm. Plus, I’m so busy. School/work is really intense right now and this is not a good time to go on a mission trip. But I’m not sure if there is ever a “good time” to go on a mission trip. And I could probably come up with a list of reasons why I shouldn’t go, but I keep coming back to the one reason I should – God loves people.
I’ve been trying to live that in the life I currently have. I mean it’s easy to pray for far off places and far off people, but loving who you live and work with is a challenge. I’ve been trying to see my life as a mission field, not just this trip. And it’s been cool to see the way God has used this new approach to everything from the way I tip at restaurants to the way I treat people in traffic. But now, it’s time to take the things I’ve learned to a new longitude and latitude.
I’m going to _______ for ________days/weeks. Going wasn’t a hard decision. When it comes down to it, Jesus laid out a pretty simple religion for us, didn’t He? Love God, love others, and love ourselves. Nope, deciding to go was easy. Paying for it however, is a real challenge.
To be honest with you, I just don’t have $#####, laying about the house, eating baked Tostito chips and watching soap operas. So, instead of selling my plasma 87 times, I decided to send letters to people I don’t usually write and ask for something I don’t usually ask for, money. I’d love if you could financially support me on this mission trip. A little, a lot, any would be great. And if you want to know more about the trip, please let me know and I will give you a call.
The one thing on the form letter I got from church that I agreed with was the request for prayer. If you could pray about the trip, that would be great. As much as God loves mission trips, other people don’t. There will be a whole host of obstacles that pop up and entangle themselves around our ankles as we prepare to go love the people of ______. And knowing that you are praying would mean a lot to me.
Thanks for reading this rambling letter. I have included the form letter version as well in case you prefer a more traditional approach to the “can I please have some of your money” letter.
Sincerely, _________