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Raising
Support for a Short-Term Trip
Asking for money
is not fun, especially if it is for you. It is a humbling experience
because we all want to be able to provide for ourselves. Counting on
God or someone else to provide for us is a scary thing. But, I think
that every person should have to live off of support from others at
least once in their lifetime because the fruit it produces in the life
of the person is something amazing – it accomplishes two things,
increased faith and increased humility. When the only way you will be
able to make it through the next month is by dependence on God
touching the hearts of people to give it creates a whole new level of
dependence on God.
With that said,
raising support for a short-term trip can be a great experience for
your personal spiritual growth. Half of the work that is accomplished
in your heart through one of these trips is often done before you go.
I can’t tell you how many amazing stories I have heard of God’s
provision of finances and time-off from work when they decide to step
out in faith and pursue going on a short-term trip. God does amazing
things before you even go on the trip.
So, I encourage
everyone going on a short-term trip to raise funds for their trip
rather than pay the entire cost themselves, unless you feel a clear
conviction otherwise (but make sure that conviction isn’t pride!). If
you do have the resources to pay for your own trip, I encourage you to
step out in faith in another way by offering to help cover some of the
costs of another team member going on the trip.
Remember, this is
not a vacation – this is business. You are going on a trip like this
to see what God is doing around the world and get a vision for your
part in that work. By you giving to help another person you are
extending your faith by showing the Lord you are willing to step out
with your finances. I guarantee you will see blessings come your way.
Investing in people always gives good returns.
So, here is some
very important information about raising funds for your trip.
The number one
rule of fundraising
People don’t give
to projects. People give to people.
You can have the
greatest cause in the world, but in order to truly sell that cause you
must have relationships. Sure, some people will quickly give to a
cause that tugs at their heart, but unless they feel personally
connected in some way to that cause the giving won’t last for long.
This principle is very important to understand when it comes to
raising funds for your short-term trip.
God will use
people to provide for your trip. He will also, often times, use
people you least expect. I remember at one point when I was living
off of support as a missionary about half of the people supporting me
were not even Christians. I am not even sure if they believed in what
I was doing! But, God had prompted their hearts to give. Don’t
ever forget this, God can use anyone. So ask everyone. Give others a
chance to bless you so that they can in turn receive a blessing. It’s
the giving principle God set up. Give and it will come back to you.
Never forget -
money is not an issue for God, he owns it all.
There is not one
square inch in the whole domain of human existence over which Christ,
who is sovereign over all, does not cry: Mine!”
-Abraham Kuyper
God owns all the
resources of the world. Money is no problem for him. He can provide
every penny you need with the stroke of a pen. Before we were
married, my wife felt the call to go on a short-term trip to China.
At the time she was serving as a missionary in Mexico and was living
off of minimal support. The trip cost was around $2500. About half
of that was airfare. She told me she really felt like she was
supposed to go on the trip, but she had no idea how she could get that
kind of money. I suggested we pray. I had seen God come through many
times before in these kind of situations and I knew if he wanted Emily
to go to China, he would provide the way.
Two days later I
was walking to the back of the church and a lady stopped me. She
asked if I knew of anyone that needed help going on the China
trip. I told her about Emily. She said, “I want to pay her
airfare.” I told her that it would cost about $1000. Unfazed by the
amount, she pulled out her checkbook and wrote a one-thousand dollar
check. In one minute God had provided the money my wife needed to get
to China. The rest came in shortly afterwards from a number of
different sources. Never forget, money is not an issue for God.
The Easiest Way
I have seen
thousands of people raise money for different projects with dozens of
different ways. People sell barbecue plates, do auctions, and have
fundraising dinners. Doing team fundraising can be a great team
building exercise, but I have found that the financial return on the
time investment is minimal and teams will still have great team
building on the actual trip. The best way I have ever seen to raise
money is the simple method of letter writing.
Writing letters to
friends, family, and even businesses is one of the most effective and
quick methods of allowing God to work in people’s hearts to give.
Here are some practical tips on what a letter should look like:
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Start sending
letters about 2 months prior to the deadline for when you need the
money.
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Make it short
and sweet – people are busy, they are interested in what you are
doing but usually they want the bottom line, not your spiritual
ramblings trying to persuade them why you need to go on this trip.
Remember, people give because they believe in you –not the project.
Otherwise, they would already be giving to a similar project. So
keep your letter short and to the point – see the sample below.
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Good letters
include two things: dates and exact amounts – people want to know
how much you need and when you need it by. For some people the
$4000 you may need is a simple business tax write off and no big
deal. So, make sure you give the amount. Also, make sure people
know when you need it by. People are busy and need deadlines.
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Write two
letters, two weeks apart – typically, someone receives your letter
and decides they want to help. They will throw the letter on the
counter-top to remind them. But, life gets crazy and they forget it
is there. They want to help, they have simply forgotten. So, a
follow-up letter about two weeks later is imperative to remind the
person of the need. Make it similar to the first and remind them of
the amount you need and when you need it by.
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Contact info –
always tell people where to send the money and how to label the
check. You can often work through your church and have them arrange
to receive money for you. In some cases the church will offer tax
write-offs for those who give toward your trip, if this arrangement
has been made make sure to put that in your letter. Also, make sure
to tell your supporter what they need to write on the check to make
sure it is designated to your trip costs. You don’t want your
supporter blessing another trip member! Just kidding!
-
Return envelope
– this can get a little costly, but it usually increases your
return. People are busy. If you can send a small return envelope
already made out with your address it will help supporters as they
will only have to write the check, stick a stamp on the
self-addressed envelope, and mail it.
Below is a sample
letter that you can use to create your own. I strongly discourage
using mail-merge options. It is better to simply put names into the
letter manually. You can use a form letter, but do all you can to
make it personal.
Most Important
Remember, no
matter how smooth your letter may be – it is God who will touch
peoples’ hearts to give. So, always pray before you write and send
your letter. Ask the Lord to touch the hearts of those who will
receive the letters.
Follow-up
When people send
you support it is very important that you immediately acknowledge the
gift. This can be done with a simple thank you card or a phone call
if you feel comfortable with that.
It is also
important to remember your supporters when you are on your trip. This
can be done by simply sending them a postcard while there and thanking
them, or if the trip is less than 2 weeks long, you can buy them a
small (nothing extravagant) gift as a thank you to give them when you
return. If you plan to send postcards make sure you take the
addresses of your supporters with you.
Sample Letter
(below)
Your Name
123 Street
City, St, Zip
15 November
2008
Dear ____________,
I hope this letter
finds you and your family doing well. I trust you have had a great
summer. I am writing to tell you about an opportunity I have been
presented to go to China. I will be
joining a team that will take Bibles into China and encourage Chinese
believers who are currently under intense persecution from the
communist government.
The trip is
from ______ to ______. I am writing to ask if you would be willing to
be part of this trip through prayer and financial support. The trip
cost is _________. I need to have the money by ___________. Thank
you for your prayerful consideration of how you can be part of this
trip. As you pray, please pray for safety and favor as our team
travels to
China. Gifts toward the trip can be sent to:
Your Church
123 Street
City, St, Zip
In the memo line
please write: Your name - China
Your gift will be
tax-deductible and a receipt will be issued by the church.
Thanks for your
being part of reaching China through this
trip. If you have any questions feel free to call me.
In Christ,
Your Name
:/: above image: team
member brett frey at semuc champey, march 2004 |
