Written by Eden and Levi Greer
Fundraising can be daunting. There is something about the numbers and deadlines that looms over you like a dark cloud, but once you get the ball rolling, it seems a lot less scary.
We have tried several different methods of fundraising, and one thing we have learned is that different methods work at different times. In one of our first rounds of fundraising, we spent a lot of time going and speaking at churches. This has been one of my favorite methods because not only does it help raise support, but it also allows us to share with other believers how there are opportunities for them to be involved in missions, even in as a smaller churches. We contacted the churches by mailing letters. Some of them responded, saying they would love for us to come speak. There were others who said that they did not have the availability for us to share, but that they would love to support us financially. You may not get an answer from every church you reach out to, but it does not take a lot of time, and if they say no, then you’re not out the expense of buying the materials for a traditional fundraising event, where you do not know the turnout.
The most daunting part is getting the ball rolling, especially when acceptance letters first come out, and you see that fundraising dollar amount. On the bright side, letters fall at the time of year when people often feel the most generous. My advice would be to plan ahead for those giving trends. If you try to start after the new year, it is going to be a really slow start simply because everyone just spent a lot of money during Christmas time, and now they are typically more money-conscious. Fundraisers we have done during this season have been gift wrapping or selling hot chocolate. We found out early on that some businesses will allow you to set up outside their storefront and fundraise. We only did this once, but one year we set up outside of a shoe store and sold hot chocolate. This may not be the most successful, but it did not cost a lot of money, and we were able to come into contact with people we never would have previously met–it is also a good opportunity to reach your community and practice getting comfortable talking to new people.
Getting out of your comfort zone is good preparation for the field, because it will happen a lot. Another thing we like to do is wrap gifts. It is common that many people dislike gift wrapping, it’s just not everyone’s cup of tea. What is better than giving people an out and allowing them to donate to a good cause? I will caution you by mentioning that the biggest downside to this fundraiser is the overhead. There are ways to prevent this though, such as getting the news out early by taking preorders so you know how many supplies you need to buy. On the bright side, wrapping supplies do not expire, and you can use them from year to year.
One of the key rules of fundraising is that your overhead needs to be significantly less than what you raise. When deciding whether or not a fundraiser is good or not, consider what the net is going to be. If your net money raised is in the negatives, then you should avoid this.
One of the fun parts about fundraising is that it is a great opportunity to showcase your God-given talents. If there is something you are good at, use it. Maybe the Lord has gifted you with creativity. Using your talents is not only good for reaching your goal, but it is also an opportunity to exercise stewardship with those talents.
For us, we both love to talk about missions, and so speaking about our upcoming trips is something we have both enjoyed, but our mom likes to crochet, and so she will make things we can sell to raise money. Maybe you like to paint, so then you can paint bookmarks and sell them, or maybe you are good at baking, so you host a bake sale. You will also have people who want to support you, but instead of giving you money, they lend you their talents. One of our dear friends has worked with us over the past few years, and instead of giving us money, she would let us help her bake sourdough bread. We were able to raise more money this way than if she had just donated money to us because we could sell the bread to people who previously would not have donated to us. If you have a talent, or know other talented people, there is a way you can use it to help in fundraising.
One of the best ways to fundraise is work with your church. Our church congregation has been really supportive in the past, and even though they may not have a lot of money, they are always willing to help in any way they can. For example, our church does a yard sale as a fundraiser for the youth, and we have helped run it. The church has used a percentage of the proceeds to donate to our trips. We have also organized lunches after church where we cook a meal, and people donate what they can.
One thing that has always been a comfort to us is knowing that God will provide for us, no matter the monetary amount we have to raise. A quote that has always stuck with us is by Hudson Taylor. He said, “God’s will done God’s way, will never lack for God’s supply.” It’s encouraging to know that He has it in His hands and we only have to let Him work through us, and He will do the rest.
