Fundraising Guide
God wants to show you that He can provide for you. Learn to do your part well and let God do the rest.
Trust God and live with peace.
God sees every bill, every deadline and will provide for our needs. We can overcome anxiety about finances by filling our minds with biblical truth.
Our first task when raising money is to trust God as our provider and seek Him for a strategy. Sometimes we view our wealthy aunt, our church or summer job as the solution to our financial needs. God might use these things to provide but He could also have a different plan. The important part is to ask God and obey His direction.
Philippians 4:18–19: “At the moment I have all I need—and more! I am generously supplied with the gifts you sent me with Epaphroditus. They are a sweet-smelling sacrifice that is acceptable and pleasing to God. And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.”
Psalm 121: “I look up to the mountains—does my help come from there? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth! He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber….The Lord himself watches over you…. The Lord keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever.”
Build Relationships
Our supporters spend hours of their week working for finances which they generously share with us. They deserve real friendship. Their support check is not a business transaction; they are co-laborers in the Gospel with you.
Keep them updated, pray for God to bless them, and ask for updates on their life. The deeper the friendships become, the more fun support raising becomes! Jesus and his disciples lived this way.
Luke 8:1–3: “Soon afterward Jesus began a tour of the nearby towns and villages, preaching and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom of God….Among them were….Herod’s business manager; Susanna; and many others who were contributing from their own resources to support Jesus and his disciples.”
Ask People Directly
People are more likely to donate if you meet in person, share your story and ask them to financially support you. Having a conversation on the phone is the second best option. Personal emails and text messages also work well.
If you want to raise money, you have to ask people personally. How many times have you donated to something without a personal invitation?
Update Supporters Every Month
Your supporters deserve a return on their investment. They want to know what happened with the money they invested in you. When you write an update ask yourself this question, “Why would my supporters want to read this? What do they get out of it?”
Practicals
1. Create a list of names.
Open Google Sheets or Excel and start writing down a list of everyone you know. Literally everyone. Teachers, your dentist, school friends, family and all your parent’s friends. For each person, gather their email address and phone number. You want to get at least 200 names.
2. Send a short message and ask if people want to hear about your need.
Here’s an example of something you could send to start the conversation. If they agree, take them to coffee, set up a phone call or send them an email. “Hey Johnny, how are you? I just signed up for a missions training school. Would you be interested in hearing about what I’m doing and the financial support I’ll need?” If they say “yes” then you’ll know you’ll be talking to someone interested in giving financially.
4. Prepare your story (example):
Hey Payton,
When I was 12 years old, I was sitting in my room and God spoke to me about being a missionary.
Today, 12 years later, I'm stepping into what God spoke to me that day. I can say with confidence that I am to give myself fully to the Great Commission—for every tribe, tongue, and nation to hear the Gospel.
I would like to join this missions training school. Every year they send hundreds of young people to share Jesus in unreached villages, high schools and homes around the world.
We will see thousands of people encounter Jesus. And many students feel God call them to long-term missions.
My heart longs for people to know Jesus. I want to follow God’s call into this school but I need to build a team of financial supporters. A group of friends who want to reach the nations for Jesus. I'm wondering if you might be one of those people!
Would you consider donating to cover the costs of this school?
5. Follow up, follow up, follow up!
Life is busy, people forget. Don’t say “no” for people. Keep following up until they give you their “no.” It generally takes three follow up emails after an ask to get an answer from people. (Another reason why meeting in person is better!)
Here’s an example follow up email: “Hey Johnny, just following up to see if you had a chance to think about my support email. Let me know, thanks!”