"I would like to see you on my way to Spain and be helped by you to go there." -- Romans 15:24, Good News Translation
How to write support letters: Use one of these letters as a guideline or template to create your own mission trip fundraising letter. These are good examples of how to make your need for financial support known. Most of these samples promote the ministry rather than making raising money into the main issue.
Dear friends and family,
Can you envision a land where cows are holy, animal sacrifices are a weekly occurrence, and human cremations occur daily? I want to share with you a challenging ministry opportunity God has presented to me. From March 28 to April 10, I will be going to Bangkok and Nepal with a team from First Christian Church.
Our two-week trip will focus on Hindu and Buddhist cultures in this area of the world that is sometimes referred to as 'the heart of darkness.' The purpose of our trip is fourfold:
I'm excited about the opportunities and experiences that lie ahead. I hope you see the value in what we will accomplish. As you can imagine, a trip like this requires financial support from a number of people. I need to raise $3,000 by March 20th. I would be very grateful if you could help financially support me. Most importantly, I need your prayer support. Prayer is the fuel that will allow us to be successful as we follow God's leading in ministry in these countries. Without prayer, nothing will happen.
If you would like to be part of this mission through your financial support, send a check to: [ insert church address here ]
Envelopes are enclosed for your convenience. Please make your check payable to [ insert name of church here ] and write "Nepal" and my name on the memo line. All contributions are tax-deductible.
While money is important, it comes in a distant second to my need for your prayer support. Since prayer support is so important to the success of this mission, I would like to know if I can count on you in that area. Enclosed is a bookmark that you can put in your Bible, on your bathroom mirror, on the "fridge", or anywhere else you will see it at least once a day. Please pray daily for the areas listed.
Because they haven't heard,
(Signed)
Dear Family and Friends,
Greetings! I pray that this letter finds you and your family well. I am now in my fourth and final year of nursing school. The Lord has been so faithful! He is doing wonderful things, and I know He will continue to be faithful in finishing the good work He has started in me, especially this last year of school. As I finish my training, God has given me to the opportunity to go to Guatemala not only to further my education but also to join Him in His work there.
On January 4, I will be departing on a medical mission trip to the central highlands of Guatemala for 10 days. Not all that long ago, Guatemala was involved in a civil war. Thousands of children were orphaned as a result. This mission trip aims to provide medical treatment for these orphaned children, most of whom have never seen a doctor. We anticipate treating 450 to 500 children. The treatment will include a complete physical, treatment for intestinal parasites and head lice (all of the children seen will be treated for these two conditions), vitamin K shots, immunization, and treatment of any other condition within the capability of the medical team. A physician and a dentist will be a part of the mission team. They are both missionaries in Guatemala. The remainder of the team will be nurses and nursing students.
The trip is being funded entirely through donations and by those on the mission trip. Everything that will be used on the trip must be taken with us. This includes all medical supplies, medicines, syringes, bandages, etc. Donations of medical supplies, books, shoes, etc. are being sought. Fundraisers are being held by those going on the trip. Every penny collected will be used to benefit the children of Guatemala. Any unused medical supplies will be left with the missionaries.
I am excited about the opportunity to serve and minister, and I ask you to join me in ministry. I am seeking your support and prayers for this mission trip. If you can assist with this trip, please forward any donation to me with the check or money order payable to "MNU Guatemala Mission Trip." Upon our return from Guatemala, an accounting of all funds will be available for anyone to see.
I thank you in advance for your prayers and your financial support. May God bless you richly!
His, therefore Yours,
Dear [ name ]
This summer, June 2-9, I have the opportunity to join churches around the Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex and across the U.S. on a mission trip to Juarez, Mexico. On our trip, we will be holding vacation Bible schools for children and working on church construction sites around Juarez. What an opportunity we are getting to minister to others!
I am excited about what God will do in me and in other people's lives through this ministry this summer. However, I need your help. We will be flying to El Paso and then busing over the border to Juarez. I will need to raise around $1,500 before June 2. Anything you can do to help will be greatly appreciated.
Please participate in this awesome opportunity, especially in praying for us. I know that you, too, will be blessed if you partner with me. Thank you and God bless
In Christ,
Dear friends and family,
Good News! God has relieved me of an uncomfortable and sometimes difficult task . . . asking for money. But God has challenged me with a ministry opportunity in Bangkok, Thailand, and Kathmandu, Nepal.
I guess you could call me a "missionary," though not in the traditional sense of giving up the comfortable life here to disappear in a remote jungle for 10 or 20 years. Mine will be a short-term journey with a team from First Christian Church from March 28 through April 10.
Our two-week trip will focus on Hindu and Buddhist cultures in an area often referred to as "the heart of darkness," where idol worship is a daily routine, and animal sacrifices are part of the ritual.
The purpose of our trip is fourfold:
We're excited about the opportunity and experience that lies ahead, and we hope you see Kingdom value in the ministry planned for us. As you can imagine, funding for a trip like this requires financial support from a number of people. I need to raise $3,000 by March 20th.
Now, why did we say that God has relieved me of this fund-raising effort? Simply because I know I can leave that task in His hands. It's my job to go and to let you know I'm going so if you would like to support this mission financially, you can do so.
When it comes to missions, people can be active in three categories:
As I said, God has relieved me of the fund-raising responsibility. My job is just to let you know about this opportunity. Maybe you haven't thought of yourself as part of a "missions team" but if you want to become one of the all-important "senders", you can mail a check to: [insert church address here]
Envelopes are enclosed for your convenience. If you make your check payable to [name of church], it will be tax-deductible. Just be sure to write "Nepal" and my name on the memo line.
If you can't be a financial "sender," that's oky. Please consider being a "sender" in prayer. Because prayer support is critically important to this mission, I would like to know if I can count on you in that area. Enclosed is a bookmark that you can put in your Bible, on your bathroom mirror or "fridge," or anywhere else you will see at least once daily. Please pray daily for the areas listed.
Because they haven't heard,
(Signed)
[the bottom third of the letter was a response form to be returned]
Dear ______,
Southway Church's upcoming trip to Kenya affords the best opportunity we have yet seen to have large numbers of people come to the Lord. The scenes of our previous trips, Spain and Mexico, seemed to be hard fields; Kenya is much more open. I will be leading a group of 15 people from Southway Church to Kenya this summer.
We will be going there to help our missionaries, Doctors Nate and Kim Smith, reach out from the Kijabe Medical Center. Some team members will help the outreach by training the staff at Kijabe in the areas of their medical specialties. For the rest of us (non-medical people), the Head Chaplain has thrown open the ministries of the Kijabe Medical Center.
We will share the gospel and God's comfort with patients at their bedside. We will sing and preach at noon evangelistic services at the hospital. Through the Mobile Health Clinics, we will take the word of God and infant inoculations to little towns where the children have never seen a white man.
We then will minister to the refugees from tribal conflicts in the settlements of the Elementaita area (specifically Oljorai) with medical work and a crusade for which we will provide the preaching and the music.
We also hope to meet up with AIM missionaries working with the Maasai tribe and encourage them in their work.
We believe that God will work in us and through us on this trip and afterward in the life of Southway Church. We'd be very grateful if you could support us in prayer and/or financially. The total cost of the trip is a little over $2000 per person. Though the trip doesn't leave until June 22, we must buy tickets and make other preparations now, so we need your prayers and financial support as the Lord leads you. Please make any checks out to [ insert name of church ].
Please pray that:
Thanks for your prayers and support!
Love,
Notice how Sarah has personalized her fundraising letter. Note how she lays out her dreams and hopes for this mission trip in a vision-casting way.
Dear family and friends,
I hope the new year is treating you well.
I have just begun the second semester of my Junior year of nursing school at Southern Nazarene University. This year has been inspiring with my involvement as Resident Advisor in one of the girls' dorms. Although I am busy, I am learning many new things from the girls on my floor, my patients at the hospital, and the professors on campus. Last semester was wonderful, but I am looking forward to the adventures of this new year.
In fact, I have come across an opportunity to go on a mission trip this May. Commission Unto Italy is a two-week Work and Witness trip to Catania, Italy. The opportunity I have to go on this trip carries great meaning for me. My father worked on this very site the summer before his unexpected death. My dream has been to return to the church where my father ministered. On this trip, our team will be working on the church property, doing outreach to local children, participating in church services, and helping plant a church in the city of Palermo.
To make this trip possible, I am responsible for raising $1,800. This figure includes transportation, housing, food, insurance, and project materials. Our goal is to raise the money from individual sponsors.
If you would be willing to help sponsor me financially, I have included a self-addressed stamped envelope for your convenience. Any donations will be greatly appreciated. If you wish to donate by check, make it payable to "Church of the Nazarene," and I will run it through my local church so that you can claim it on your tax return.
As important as the financial aspect is, I will value your prayers even more -- not only for me personally but for our team's ministry in Catania.
This is an opportunity of a lifetime, and I feel very fortunate to be able to participate. Thank you for helping make it possible.
In Him,
Sarah
Second letter sent to those on the support mailing list as a pre-trip report
Wednesday, May 1
Praise the Lord! He has done great things! These past several months have been a growing experience for me. The Lord has shown Himself to me in mighty ways.
When I decided to send letters out to family and friends requesting prayer and financial support for a summer on a mission field, I wondered how God would choose to touch the hearts of each of you that I had placed on my support list. Would you feel led to give financially or to pray, or to participate in both? I knew time would tell.
I received three checks within a week after sending my letters out. Over the next several weeks, I received many more responses containing both financial and prayer commitments. Each day, I couldn't wait to run to the university commons to check my mailbox. The excitement of seeing a response thrilled me, and it still does. In just a short period of time, I had received $1,350.
I began to see God's faithfulness working. I had prayer commitments for safety, health, adjustment, spiritual growth, and much more. What an encouragement to know that people all over the world were praying for me! Just this last week I received $1,475! That means I now have only $672 left to raise before May 15. Praise the Lord!
Nursing school has been demanding this semester. However, I've met with a small group of three other girls each week for spiritual fellowship and to pray for this summer. I have seen God's faithfulness working through each of their lives.
To prepare for overseas travel, I have to deal with lots of details. I got my passport renewed and even got an International Driver's License. Next week I'm going to the State Health Department to get my Yellow Fever vaccine.
As our departure date nears, I become increasingly excited! I'm excited to meet my teammates, taste new food, learn some words in a new language -- French -- and hopefully see wild animals in Africa. And, of course, I'm excited to be able to minister to the people of Cote d'Ivoire and to have them minister to me.
Please pray for my team and for me. I have enclosed a picture card for you to post as a reminder to pray. I will send an update either during July or when I return. So, keep your eye out for something special. Thanks again for your prayers and financial support! See you in August!
-- Jessica
-- Howard Culbertson,
Embarking on a short-term mission trip abroad can be a thrilling endeavor. There is no better way to rally the support needed than through heartfelt letters to friends and family. Each letter becomes a conduit for sharing the vision and purpose behind the journey. That should spark enthusiasm in the hearts of loved ones.
These letters aren't just about soliciting financial support. They are about inviting others to join you as "senders" in the mission. They need to see how they can be a part of something greater than themselves. Through your messages to friends and family, bonds will be strengthened. A sense of community will transcend borders. The "goer" and the "sender" (supporter) will be united to spread hope and love to a distant corner of the world.