Process to fund raising for short term missions.
Commit to the process, not the outcome
God controls the outcome. Our job is to be faithful. Faithfulness is success. This is a rule for evangelism, discipleship, preaching, missions even fundraising. We don't control the outcome.
When we fixate on the outcome, we become desperate and are tempted to manipulation. Fear and guilt become levers we're motivated by in our fundraising. And we fail. Don't do this! Commit to the process. Pray If you're going to be asking people to get behind you, to come on your team and to support you by funding your trip, ask God first. This is low-hanging fruit. No one loves you more than God, affirms you more than God. And He provides. Identify Who are you going to ask? Think broadly. Be generous in your estimation and expect people to be generous. Don't discredit people who can only give small gifts. Don't decide for them whether or not their going to give. Give them an opportunity. Notify Don't jump straight to asking. Give people a heads up. Let them know what you're going to be doing and that you're going to ask them to join your funding team.
Here's a sample of simple notification ...
I'm trying to go to Honduras to serve orphans in a month and I'm really excited about it. I'll give you a call this weekend to tell you more about the trip and see if you want to help me make it happen.
That heads up removes awkwardness for them (Why are they calling?) and for you (How do I bring it up?).
ways to notify:
Paper newsletter
E-mail
Facebook message
Text message
Announcement at Small Group
Do this in person if possible. Over the phone is okay, but awkward. You have to wade through silences and give people space to think. Make sure people know what you're going to do and where you're going to do it and why. Feel free to share the total amount you need, but don't feel like you need to explain where every penny goes unless they ask. Don't hesitate to suggest an amount this helps people know you aren't asking them to bankroll the whole trip. Make sure you know how they can give.
And while you're asking put the money part first, but remember, you're building a team. Talk with them about how they might pray for your trip, supplies they might provide, ways they can follow your progress. Do the hard extra work to really include them. If you can't or won't do this, don't raise funds. People have to see how the trip went. They need to know that their generosity and sacrifice meant something. They need to hear stories and see pictures. Don't keep all the joy to yourself. And if you do this, they're more likely to go on a trip in the future and more likely to give to missions work in the future. A lot of us don't give to missions because we feel like we're giving into a black hole, throwing our money away.
