Fund raising: Need money for a mission trip?

Fund raisers for short-term trips

Fund raiser ideas based on material by Kevin Paszalek, Houston (TX) Southway Community Church

This is the short form. Click here to go to an expanded form

Building financial support through the mail

1. On the average, $2500 can be raised through well-written letters sent to about 75 people who know you: family members and friends
2. Some groups prepare a fund raising letter in an electronic format so participants can easily personalize it [ more info ] [ sample letters ]
3. Spread the word widely; don't limit the letters to Christian friends and family.
4. Send thank-you letters for every financial gift. Sometimes, "thank you" notes will even bring follow-up financial gifts

How local churches can help come up with the needed money

1. Give official blessing or sanction
   • Provide letters of endorsement on church stationery
   • Let individuals share with the congregation in services
   • Allow pleas for donations during services
   • Host informational meetings about the trip
2. Publicize the trip
   • Information in the congregation's monthly newsletter
   • Inserts in the weekly church bulletin
   • Call attention to those who get involved in local ministry when they return or decide to go long-term as a result of going short-term
3. Provide direct financial support
   • Provide partial funding from the church budget [ one church's policy ]
   • Help in getting out a support raising letter [ see samples ]
   • Organizing prayer support
4. Organize fund raising events within the church
   • Sell salvation bracelets [ more info ]
   • Auction off 6 hours of the trip participant's time [ more info ]
   • Hold dinner/auction of baked goods [ more info ]
   • Auction of baked goods with pie-in-the-face
   • Penny drives

Other ideas

1. Car Wash: Sell car wash coupons [ more info ]
2. Collect old cell phones
3. Percentage of purchases people make through an online site
4. Organize dinners or dinner theaters and sell tickets
5. Chicken catching [ more info ]
6. Hold giant garage/rummage sale
7. Sell barbecue
8. Organize and teach an Internet beginners' course[ more info ]
9. Sell tubs of frozen cookie dough
10. Find a restaurant that will donate part of the cost of a meal or provide meal
11. Sell restaurant meal tickets
12. Sell discount cards
13. Car-hopping for tips
14. Selling t-shirts
15. Sell soap and other fair trade items made by African villagers or contact info@zambiansoap.com ]
16. "Green" fund raiser: Get people to donate used, unwanted consumer electronics and gold, silver or platinum jewelry
17. Set up a website at youcansend.me For $10 a month, you get a personalized fund-raising website to share with friends and family.
18. Sell IV7 disinfectant. To get to fund-raising video, click on "Mission" at bottom of page and then click on panel that has a chess piece with a cross on it. Or contact Victoria Pate 870-447-2611 gillisv@windstream.net

Source for products for fund-raising

Note: Andy Lepper of MissionTripFundRaising.com helps groups with fund raising events like the above list. However, he says, "Realistically we will probably only be able to help them with 25%-50% of their trip depending on the cost."

The joy of giving

One story of how giving to people going on mission trips brings joy [ read more ]

Howard Culbertson, Southern Nazarene University, 6729 NW 39th, Bethany, OK 73008  |  Phone: 405-491-6693 - Fax: 405-491-6658
Copyright © 2000, 2001 - Last Updated: February 16, 2014 |  URL: http://home.snu.edu/~hculbert/