Raise Fundsand Promote Your Ministry

How to

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Raise Fundsand Promote Your Ministry

How to

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Introduction The principle of ethicsValues to consider in fundraising Understand the donor’s point of view Look for donors with good ethics Gratitude Maintaining a good image Be willing to be accountable The Bible Our attitude toward moneyDevelop a fundraising strategy Approaching donors Printed materials Presentations and meetings Foundations VolunteersIdeas for short-term fundraising or small budgetsMy fi nal recommendationsInformation sources

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Contents

By Verónica TojGuatemala Citypedidosguate@losninoscuentan.com

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Psalms 138: 8 “The Lord will vindicate me; your love, Lord, endures forever— do not abandon the works of your hands.”

The issue of fi nance in our ministries is almost always a concern for those of us who are seeking the development of our ministries. We must begin with a vision, mission and then choose a plan that ensures the resources necessary to implement our strategies. And we must do all this without forgetting our call from God. We can think of ways to get different types of support, encouraging people to pray, volunteer and participate in campaigns and approach donors to get funding.

Some Christians think that people are not trusting God if they constantly seek funds and have a plan to raise money. However, we must be careful and think in methods that coordinate with our Christian faith, so as not to distress others by taking advantage of their goodwill.

As the word of God asks us, we must plan every project we are going to carry out.

Planning is an essential stage for the successful completion of a fundraising campaign.

• How much money do you need to raise?

• When do you plan to start?

• How much time do you intend to spend on fundraising?

• How many people do you think will participate?

• Do you have experience in organizing collected funds?

- If not, do you know anyone who could help you?

The next step is to determine what type of fundraising should be used. There are several types, including activities such as auctions or the sale of sweets or magazines. To decide which type of fundraising is most appropriate for your group, check the list above and discuss with your organizing committee what would be the best option and why.

You can increase the results by combining available products or simply by combining the products with a specifi c event, such as a raffl e, a spaghetti dinner or car wash. These activities can be quite

Introduction

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fun and can help raise a lot of money. For example, during car wash or spaghetti dinner, you can also offer quality chocolates. When participants buy tickets for one of these activities you might ask if they would also like a chocolate bar.

It is also common in most ministries that in the months leading up to an event (school holiday, camp, retreat, celebration, etc.) leaders are given the task of pursuing activities or ideas to raise funds and gain extra capital to run the event. Often, the hardest part of fundraising is to come up with a creative idea that will motivate people attending the fundraising event.

Funds are often collected in a disorganized manner in response to needs, rather than planned, strategic and forward-looking. We will talk about some fundamental principles of fundraising.

It is important that our collection methods refl ect the values of our organization. We do not want to offend potential donors in any way or damage our reputation. For example, Christian organizations may decide that they will not use any method of collection related to gambling, such as lotteries and raffl es. Others may decide that a beauty contest is unethical because the Bible says that God looks at the heart and not the outer beauty.

The principle of ethics

Incorrect attitudes: Exaggerating the needs of the benefi ciaries to obtain more funds.Using pictures of troubled children to increase donor compassion.

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• There must be a good balance between the rational and the emotional in any proposal.

• Money, prayer and time have the same level of importance as forms of support.

• Thank the donors for each donation, unless the donor has indicated that it is anonymous.

• Try to inform those who give their support about the impact of their contribution on the benefi ciaries.

• Try to provide the best possible service to those who support, regardless of the value of their contribution.

• Seek to express the truth in all funding proposals.

• Do not spend more than 15% of fundraised revenue on advertising.

• Respect the wishes of donors in using their contributions, while at the same time making clear how the greatest impact for benefi ciaries can be achieved.

• We are the representatives of the benefi ciaries, who are real people and not symbols of suffering that will give us the possibility to raise more funds.

• In visual images, the primary principle is to maintain respect and dignity in the representation of people and their situations. Do not take advantage of the situation (that is, do not ask a benefi ciary to cry for the photo).

• Use images honestly. If possible, seek a balance between positive and negative images to refl ect the reality of the situation.

• We must have a person-to-person approach.

• Treat donors as people, not just as providers of money.

The way we ask for support depends on the culture of the place. It is important to use appropriate ways to approach potential donors. In some cultures, asking for money can give us shame.

Values to consider in fundraising

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For example, in educational materials, fundraising brochures and proposals, always provide a postal address so the person can get in touch. Provide piggy banks and leave them in homes and offi ces, and arrange for them to be collected regularly.

Our goal should be to form good links between donors, the organization and the people we serve. This can take a long time, but it is worth the effort and is more effective.

We must show them that those we serve are specifi c people and not just a certain category of people who receive support from donors.

We also must realize that we are representatives of the organization for which we work. If we want to be entrusted with their money, they should see us as professionals and as people at the same time.

We must think carefully about how we will approach donors to ask for money. If we decide to write, it is better to use letters addressed to individuals than to use general letters that are impersonal. It is important to spell names correctly. The most effective way is to meet face to face with people because it is easier to attract their attention. This may involve visiting a church, a company or a funding agency. Wear appropriate clothing, since the fi rst impression is important.

Using stories of people in our fundraising materials can help potential donors better identify with the needs we are responding to. Stories help them realize that they are real people who are experiencing real problems. If we can tell the donors of specifi c people who are already benefi ting from our work, they are more likely to give money because they know what kind of person will benefi t and know that their money is used well.

Example: If we are raising funds to educate children, we could use stories of uneducated children, those who are currently benefi ting from the project, or children who have completed their studies and have found work. We could also include stories of parents whose children have benefi ted from the project and describe the impact our work has had on their lives. In some cases, we may decide to use omit last names or to change names to protect their identity. We may also decide not to use photos of individuals that may expose them to any danger. Posting, for example, a photo of a man with HIV can marginalize him from his community if someone in the community sees the photo.

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Donors regularly have two main reasons why they contribute to our work:

• They trust that we will use their money wisely.

• They think their contribution will affect people’s lives.

Some donors may have other reasons to contribute to our work, and it may be helpful to think about what they might be. Some companies, for example, may be willing to give money only if they can make a profi t. We must decide carefully whether we want this type of fi nancing.

Sometimes we will have donors who are very interested in our work but cannot give money. We could think of inviting them to give their time or to participate in the work of our organization through prayer. Example: A donor has an interest in supporting an organization. The organization has several projects, one of which is the construction of a school. When the fundraiser speaks to the donor, she discovers that the person was a School Principal and is still interested in education. The fundraiser can then talk about the school project, and the donor might have a particular interest in supporting it.

It can be very tempting to go after easy sources of fi nancing or accept any money that we offer to maximize our resources. However, in cases of donors who give large sums of money, especially companies, it is important to think whether accepting money from them could be negative. Let’s think:

• If the donor has a bad image, by accepting your funds we may jeopardize our ability to raise funds from other donors.• The donor may want to exert an infl uence on our work in a way that goes against the mission and values of our organization.• The donor may raise funds in a way that is unethical. A garment factory, for example, may be hiring children in its production.• Perhaps the donor’s mission and values confl ict with ours.

Understand the donor’s point of view

Look for donors with good ethics

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For example, a Christian organization may decide not to accept the fi nancing of a weapons factory. While government grants and funding may be a valuable resource, we may choose not to apply for government funding in certain places because it is not governing legitimately.

We could think of the following aspects of donors:• Do they act responsibly before society? That is, do they care for their employees, conserve the environment, and work to improve society?• What concept do people have in general?• Are there differences between its values and mission and what our organization represents?• Do the work practices of the organization match the right principles of community development? For example, do they discriminate against certain staff based on gender, age or ethnic group?• It may help us identify the type of donors that we will not seek or accept funding from, such as those involved in the manufacture of weapons or tobacco.

It may seem an obvious principle, but thankfulness becomes diffi cult as the number of donors increases. Saying thank you and showing that we value the donor’s generosity is not only a question of courtesy but is fundamental if the donors are going to give again. It is important that our expression of gratitude be appropriate, at the right time and not considered a waste of time.

How we express our appreciation will depend on the donor. If a church or community group has raised funds, perhaps a staff member could visit the group to thank them in person. Another alternative is writing a letter. Some organizations have a model thank you letter to send to their donors. Try to make it personal and directed to a specifi c person. Expresses something specifi c about the impact of that donation.

While it may not be appropriate to thank institutional donors

Gratitude

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Maintaining a good image

Maintaining a good image will help us retain donors and attract new ones. People are likely to give money to an organization they have heard of and that has the respect of the community. Our image is as important as the quality of our work and our methods of fundraising.

We must ensure that our work in the community and our fundraising refl ect the values of our organization. Our image must closely resemble what we really are as a Christian organization. As a general rule, the closer these two elements refl ect each other – our work and our portrayed image, the more our donors will trust us.

We must be open about our achievements and failures. For example, we must make project evaluation reports available to anyone who requests them, even if the project has not been successful. Honesty and openness lead to trust and the formation of a good image.

Some practical ideas for spreading our image include:• Keep copies of letters from grateful recipients and gather quotes from positive comments that people have made about our work.• Conduct evaluations of our work.• Provide an excellent service to our donors, thanking them, responding to their correspondence without delay, and keeping them up to date on our work.• Seek the media to cover our work. The more we can spread the knowledge of our work in the press, the more money we will have

in such a personal way, it is worthwhile to let them know how we appreciate the contribution they have made to our work.

A brief initial thank-you letter is often suffi cient to let you know that we have received the funds you have sent. Later, they should receive regular reports throughout the project as part of the fi nancing agreement and will be able to fi nd out in detail how their money has been spent. These reports will affect their decision to provide fi nancing again in the future.

Example: A church gave a donation to buy some play equipment for a street children’s club. The church received a thank-you when the donation was made, then three months later they received a letter and photos of the children climbing on the equipment.

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the chance to gather. (Having good media coverage can also lead to more people fi nding out if something negative happens in the organization.)• Have our accounts in order to show to donors who request them.• Write articles for academic publications and conferences to raise the profi le of our organization.• Incorporate recognized people into our organization and invite them to be sponsors, advisers or members of the steering committee.

When donors fund our work, they expect us to use money wisely. If we do, they will entrust us with their money again. However, if we do not use it wisely, they will have no interest in fi nancing our work in the future, and we could gain a bad image. Through accountability to our donors, we are also being accountable to God for what He has provided for us.

Be willing to be accountable

The Word of God refers frequently to the subject of money and possessions. It will help us think about what it means to be good stewards of the money our organization receives. It will also challenge us to give generously as individuals. It will help us to encourage our local churches to think about giving money toward the needs of their community.

Being good stewards and accountability are linked. When we are stewards, something has been entrusted to us. If we are to be accountable, we must use what has been entrusted to us for the purpose set by the donor.

Accountability will vary depending on the source of funding. For example, we can be accountable to individuals and churches by sharing in meetings or by producing literature that describes the projects we have undertaken. We can be accountable to institutional donors by submitting regular reports and organizing an independent evaluation of our work.

The Bible

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How we handle our possessions refl ects our commitment to God. God does not look so much at what we have, rather at our attitude toward what we have.

• The 10th commandment is “You shall not covet” (Exodus 20:17). People often regard the value of others in terms of the material possessions they have more than anything else.• Our attitude toward money greatly affects our relationship with God. In Deuteronomy 8: 10-14, God is concerned that our greed for material goods will fi ll us with pride and lead us to forget God and His goodness toward us. This is refl ected in Proverbs 30: 8-9, “...give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.” (NIV)• The New Testament encourages us watch out for desire for riches. Jesus did not say it was wrong to be rich, but he had a lot to say about priorities and attitudes toward the money we have. Jesus tells us to watch out for greed (Luke 12:15).

There are many reasons for giving to the poor, which include the following:

• Giving money to the needy is something that was praised and

Our attitude toward money

Genesis 1: 1 tells us that God created the heavens and the earth.Because God created all things, all things belong to Him, Exodus

19: 5 and Psalms 24.In Genesis 1: 28-30 and 2:15, God gives human beings the

responsibility to take care of their creation. God is still the absolute master, but human beings are stewards.

All things that God has created have been entrusted to human beings, who must take care of them and use them wisely. This means that we must be good stewards of our body, our abilities, our time, our possessions and the world around us.

Deuteronomy 8: 17-18 reminds us that the resources to which we have access and the power to use them are given to us by God. We are therefore accountable to God for the way we use the goods we are provided.

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encouraged in the fi rst church (Acts 4: 32-35, 1 Corinthians 16: 1-4, Galatians 2:10)• We are called to be compassionate (Deuteronomy 15: 7-11; 1 John 3:17).• Giving is a demonstration of our obedience to the Gospels. In Luke 19: 1-10, Zacchaeus showed real repentance by showing that he could free himself from his attachment to riches and that he could trust God and give the poor half of everything he had.

It is important to establish and plan a fundraising strategy to help us identify our needs.

A fundraising strategy is not the same as a project proposal. A fundraising strategy examines how an organization will raise money for its work. A project proposal is used to raise funds for only one project and is only one element of an organization’s fundraising strategy.

Staff members working on fundraising should write down the strategy and then submit it to the board committee for approval. Many smaller organizations and others that have not yet developed their fundraising work may perhaps not hire a person for the occasion. Organizations should consider hiring a person to raise funds if they believe that the person whose main function is to raise money can raise more money than his or her own salary and operating expenses. Alternatively, they may recruit someone who is willing to do it as a volunteer.

A good fundraiser should be well informed of what is happening in the rest of the organization. Other staff members should be notifi ed of the collection work being done to ensure that resources are used wisely. For this reason, if possible, other staff members should be involved in the development of the fundraising strategy and collaborate with the work.

Develop a fundraising strategy

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Gathered information could be adapted to a written proposal, an application or a letter. It could be used for promotional brochures or could be adapted for use at fundraising events and public lectures and conferences.

It is important to assume that the donor knows nothing about our organization or our work. It may be helpful to show our fundraising materials to someone who does not know our organization before presenting them to potential donors. That person can read the materials and tell us if something is not expressed clearly or if there is missing information that needs to be completed.

The important questions to ask are:

• What information does the donor need to make an informed decision?

• What does the donor not need to know?

• What do we want you to know that could affect your decision to donate money?

Remember to accentuate the logo, slogan, and description of the organization.

We must think about who our audience is, and make sure the language and language level are correct. When approaching donors in other countries, avoid sending translations of documents that are of poor quality.

Be honest. It is easy to exaggerate the truth so that the petition of funds seems more urgent. The risk is that dishonesty may later affect the image of our organization.

It might be worth thinking about putting together a web page if you have staff trained in web development within your organization. The site could include information about the organization’s work and an explanation of how to donate.

The following table is a checklist that helps us think about all the elements that make up a well-written application.

(See Tables 1 and 2.)

Approaching donors

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Most donors receive many requests, and it should not be surprising that some never respond. Some will simply tell us that they have received the request, while others will contact us for more information. If they tell us that they have no interest in fi nancing us, we should try to fi nd out why. This will help us learn and improve our approach to fundraising.

In some cultures, “no” means “no.” Therefore, if a donor whom we approach tells us that he is not willing to donate money to our organization, it is not worth asking again later. However, in other cultures ‘no’ may mean ‘not now,’ and it may be very acceptable to come back to another occasion when we may be able to receive a positive response.

It is very convenient to start a collection fi le to keep the records of all the contact we have had with potential donors so that we can stay abreast of the collection work being done by our organization. This is particularly important for organizations that do not employ a fundraiser, but from time to time different staff members carry out fundraising activities. The fundraising fi le will help avoid unnecessary repetition of activities and will allow staff members to know which donors the organization has already contacted. It will also serve as a reminder for busy fundraising staff to track donors when necessary.

• Use images and photos to attract attention.• Use real stories from specifi c people.• Use simple words and forms of expression.• Provide enough detail to explain the need and how our organization can help.• Simplify giving for donors. For example, provide a form to complete and return by mail.• Tell the donors exactly how you will spend the different sums of money they may contribute.

Printed Materials

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Characteristic Questions to ask ourselves

Dra

ftin

g Title Is it concise and appropriate?First paragraph Does it create enough interest for the reader to

continue reading the proposal?Drafting Is the composition of the proposal easy to read?Composition Does it have the proper length?

Does it include all the important points we want to communicate?Can we take out unnecessary words?Have we tried to say too much?

Tone Is the proposal made in a positive tone to express security and enthusiasm?Does it create a sense of urgency and importance for the project?

Logical sequence Does the proposal have a logical structure?Is there repetition?

Visual impression

Is the proposal well-presented, with short paragraphs, subtitles, and graphics where appropriate?Is it well written, neat and without spelling mistakes?

Com

mun

icat

ion

wit

h th

e do

nor Personal focus Does the application show that is adapted to the

donor?Previous contact Does the application mention previous contacts we

have had with the donor?Interest of the donor

Is the proposal likely to arouse the interest of the donor?Does it respond to the donor’s concerns and priorities?

Amount requested

Is the requested amount reasonable?Does the donor have enough resources to give us the sum of money we have requested?

Reasons Have we presented good reasons why the donor should want to support our work?

Signatory Is the person signing the letter the most appropriate for the donor?Is this person the fi rst point of contact?

Follow-up Do we offer any follow-up in case there is interest in the proposal, such as a meeting or a means to obtain more information?

Table 1:

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Yes/No Action Points

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Characteristic Questions to ask ourselves

Cont

ent Need Have we explained the need in clear terms and have

we mentioned the impact our work would have on the benefi ciaries?Have we corroborated it with relevant concrete data?

Credibility Do we assume that the donor already knows us?Have we shown that our organization has the capabilities, skills and other resources needed to make an impact?

Proposal Have we explained in clear and straightforward terms what we hope to do?Is everything that the donor needs to know included?

Goals Have we set clear and measurable objectives for our work?

Evaluation Have we shown how we will evaluate the progress and results of our work?

Diffusion Have we shown how we will share the results of our work?

Offer Have we indicated the amount of support we are looking for?Have we mentioned where the rest of the money would come from?

Future funding Do we show that we have already thought about the implications of the proposal for future funding (e.g., operating expenses)?

Bud

get Calculations Have we done the calculations well?

Costs Have we included all the expenses?Are the estimated costs of each point reasonable?

Value Is the total cost of the work that we intend to carry out reasonable?Does it represent the value of the donor’s money?

Table 2:

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Yes/No Action Points

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• Use simple words and expressions. Avoid using slang words.• Take the opportunity to educate those present on your cause.• Use visual images to hold people’s attention.• Provide a place to collect donations.

Presentations and meetings

Foundations are charitable bodies that receive funding from wealthy people, companies or public calls for solidarity. They are usually created to respond to specifi c developmental problems.

Foundations should be considered as a good possibility as a source in our fundraising work. Many foundations are interested in supporting new ideas and Christian works. They are often a good source of short-term income.

It is important to do research on foundations to fi nd out which areas are funded and who are the decision makers. It is more convenient to spend two or three months researching foundations and then approaching four or fi ve with a request tailored to each foundation than sending a bulletin to hundreds of foundations.

Foundations

Volunteers are an invaluable resource for organizations. They do not require a salary and can help raise funds, freeing resources that would otherwise be used to hire salaried staff to fulfi ll their function. They may also provide advantageous knowledge and skills. The use of volunteers allows community members to contribute to the work of the organization by providing service instead of money. It can help the organization to know and identify better with the community it serves.

Volunteers can play a major role in maintaining the functioning of the organization. They can contribute their time to help with

Volunteers

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administrative tasks, to collaborate and speak at fundraising meetings, and to do tasks that support other employees in their work, such as building maintenance or vehicle management. Sometimes volunteers can provide technical skills, especially in the case of retired people or people who have some free time during the day.

Some people come to an organization asking to work as volunteers. Sometimes the organization will have to go out and look for volunteers. Either way, organizations should be careful not to receive volunteers simply because they offer their services. Measures should be taken to reduce the risk of taking unreliable volunteers. These actions should include having volunteers read and sign a child protection policy.

There are many creative ways to recruit volunteers:• In your printed materials invite people to contribute not only money but also time.• Visit students and other groups to talk about what the organization is doing and suggest ways they can help.• Make announcements in the local newspaper, in the organization’s newsletter, and on the radio.• Approach institutions that may have experts in specifi c fi elds who may be able to volunteer.• Spread the word to seek out people who can perform a specifi c function.• Despite the great contribution volunteers make, they often do not receive from organizations the appreciation they deserve. Often, they are not treated as well as salaried staff, although the organization should be as grateful to them as to their salaried staff! If organizations are going to keep their volunteers and attract more of them, they should make sure to respond to their needs. This involves providing them:

- A warm welcome and a good orientation- A function that matches their interests, abilities, and availability of time- Training to fulfi ll their function- Payment for your transportation expenses to come and go for work and lunch breaks.

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- Regular comments on their work.- The freedom to be creative and develop their functions.- A reasonable workload.

• It is important to treat volunteers similarly to salaried staff. (For this reason, volunteer management can be expensive.) For example:

- Conduct an interview and consult their referrals to make sure their skills match the role given to them.- Provide written agreement detailing the conditions under which the volunteer works for the organization. This will protect both the volunteer and the organization and help the volunteer know what to expect from the organization. If there are problems on the part of the volunteer or the organization, either party should be able to terminate the agreement.

• Provide a job description for volunteers to know what their role is.• Make clear how many hours the organization wants them to work.• Administrative staff should have regular meetings with volunteers to discuss any problems or other matters related to the functions they are performing.• Volunteers should receive the same supervision and support as salaried staff.

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Ideas for short-term fundraising or small budgets

This is the fi rst effective step for fundraising. Gather your mobile numbers, your email address book and any other place with lists of family, friends, neighbors, friends of the school, business contacts, dentists, doctors, etc. Organize your list according to the type of contact (family, friend, co-worker) and according to the probability that they may help (most likely, likely, less likely). Then, begin by calling those who would be very interested, and do it with enthusiasm.

My contact list

Many companies will match your fundraising; this is when a company fi nances the amount you are receiving in a way that doubles the incoming revenue.

Cause Financing / Matching

Make sure the prize is something people want (iPod, microwave), or ask a store or restaurant to donate a voucher, and sell tickets for 2 or 3 weeks. Generally, the ticket winnings can cover the cost of the prize and leave money left over for the cause.

Raffl es

Invite friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors and charge them a certain amount.

Barbecue grill

You could ask people to donate to fundraisers instead of buying a gift.

Birthday Promise

To encourage people to give, you can promise a dozen homemade chocolate cookies to everyone who donates a certain amount.

A dozen chocolate chip cookies

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Have donors pay $ 1 for one vote, to decide what form of “torture” to infl ict on the leader of the organization (hair dye, dressed as a clown, a day job, among others.)

Select the torture

When you talk to people, tell them what your highest donation is so far, and ask them to overcome it. Many people have a competitive spirit and are likely to be spurred on.

Be my biggest sponsor

Learn how to make balloon fi gures, go to a public place where there are children and ask for a donation for each fi gure. You will make the children happy, and the parents will compensate.

Balloon fi gures

Many people have excellent memories of the sales of school cakes. Ask several people or bakeries to donate a variety of baked goods, such as cakes and cookies, then sell them. Neighbors who have businesses might even show their business cards at the tables.

Sale of cakes and biscuits

Offer your services to wash cars for a fee. Ask your business if you can use the company parking lot on Saturdays.

Provide plenty of soap and water, and offer fast car washes. If you can, offer extra services like vacuuming and waxing at a minimal additional cost.

Car wash

Ask your friends and family who want to donate old jewelry they no longer use, organize a jewelry bazaar and collect lots of funds.

Goldmine

Coordinate with a store to offer holiday giftwrapping services. Giftwrapping

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Get your boss’s permission to serve coffee and croissants several mornings a week in your offi ce. Fill one or several thermoses with coffee, buy the croissants and charge more than you normally charge for coffee and croissants. Make sure everyone knows what it is for.

Coffee and croissants

Invite family, friends, neighbors, and colleagues to help you. Bring your volunteers to a location and sell something: handmade jewelry, used clothing, used appliances, etc... Ask family and friends if they have something to donate.

Another option may be new clothes. You could get a box or package of new clothes from a dealer (or a friend).

Bazaar

Set up a famous stand selling lemonade or other cool drinks for hot weather.

Lemonade, frappe, or slushy stand

Sell something on eBay and donate the proceeds. You can make a fundraiser on the Internet. There is an online magazine fundraiser that can be done 24 hours a day, 365 days a year from your home. This online program will help you raise more money with little effort.

eBay

Offer to clean or weed people’s gardens for a fee. Gardens

Offer haircuts and manicures for friends and acquaintances. Haircuts, manicures

You can do makeovers for women. Beauty treatment

Find a karaoke system and invite people to a night of music and fun.

Karaoke night

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Men and youth can offer to shine shoes for family and friends. This may seem like a humble job, but it will show people that you are serious about raising funds in everything you do.

Shine shoes

Get sponsors for every pound/kilogram that you lose during a period of time. People know how hard it is for some people to lose weight, and when they see that you are willing to do it, despite the diffi culty, they will sponsor you. Friends will do it because they want to see you healthier.

Weight loss

Invite people to your house to have tea, cake, and conversation. Tell them that everyone must donate a certain amount because it is for a good cause.

Tea Party

Decide to walk 3 to 5 miles or kilometers around the local streets or in a nearby park and get a sponsor who accompanies you every kilometer walked or pedaling.

Walking / Cycling

Offer your help as a support teacher or tutor to help with the school subjects that you are good at. Offer English or other language classes to people who do not speak well.

Support teacher

If you have a long ladder and are not afraid of heights, offer to clean the windows for your neighbors and friends.

Clean windows

You can buy red roses and sell them to make a profi t on a busy street, or ask the owners of several restaurants to allow you to enter and sell roses. Wrap each one in a plastic and tie a ribbon around it (small detail that will make the rose look worth the price).

Red roses

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You could get a company to sponsor and a group of friends to clean a nearby park.

Cleaning a park

Nothing communicates the importance of a charity more than explaining your personal experience fi rst-hand.

Your Testimony

When people know the destination of the funds, they will be more likely to give something that will make a difference.

Your goal

If there is a Neighborhood Association where you live, submit a piece in the monthly newsletter, inviting the neighbors to sponsor it.

Neighborhood Association

A group of people can dress up and sing some traditional songs at the exit of a shopping center or on a busy street.

Singing on the sidewalk

Many people work overtime in companies where there is that possibility. If your company is like this, you could start by working 1, 2 or 3 hours overtime each day.

Extra hours

Form 2 teams that will play on a certain day in the park and let everyone donate a fi xed amount. Many people love to play, but they do not want to bother forming teams. You could do the organization and get the benefi ts. To add excitement, make each team of a certain type of people... for example, the team of 30-year-olds against teenagers.

Football games

Dogs need to walk every day. You could offer to walk every day to the dogs of your neighborhood for a special price.

Walking the dog

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Ask your neighbors and friends if they have small repairs to do at home and offer them a donation for your cause. (Painting, plumbing, changing a door lock, etc.)

Small house repairs

Offer to clean the house of your neighbors and friends. Alternatively, if your offi ce does not have a full-time cleaner, offer to come to work an hour or two earlier and clean offi ces for a certain amount.

Cleaning for offi ce and house

Get a helium tank and sell balloons in the park. Children cannot resist them.

Balloons

Offer your services as a babysitter or nanny to friends and neighbors for a fee.

Babysitter

Find a place where they sell you a dozen donuts for a bargain and tell them it is for fundraising. Then sell them individually at the price you want.

Donuts Sale

Organize sports activities (basketball tournaments, volleyball, etc.) or take advantage of school activities to sell food, sweets, confectionery (donuts), and beverages, etc. In this case, you have several options:

• Use the class fund to buy items to sell. • Ask parents to cooperate and help to buy things.• Find sponsors who donate money or food to sell.• Take advantage of all your school’s sport activities: volleyball, basketball, etc.

Sport activities

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Place some brochures or a notice in your building and offer laundry service. Many people have diffi culty washing their own clothes because both the husband and wife work. Let them leave their laundry with you in the morning and for a price based on the amount of clothes and ironing. Give them their clean and ironed clothing when they get home from work.

Laundry service

Carnivals or fi eld days are an excellent way to raise funds with maximum enjoyment. Set up a variety of games and activities and sell food at a house party, carnival style.

• Run 1 per month.• Plan these days according to seasons and holidays, example: Valentine’s Day, Christmas, Mother’s Day, etc.• Make each party with a different theme like splash day, pool party, with clothes of a specifi c color like black & white party, etc.• Make posters and fl yers to promote activities and promote it as an event on Facebook and other social networks.• Ask around for someone with a large house that can you can borrow for some activities, thus saving money on the location.

Carnival

If you are a good cook and you have free time, you can cook for your neighbors so that on their way home from a busy day of work they can stop by and pick up your hot homemade food. A saying goes that: man is reached by the stomach before the heart; it isn’t far from the truth. So, another good idea is that you ask your church’s main pastor to permit you to sell food on a Sunday after the worship service. Another variant is that you ask that families and groups to donate dishes and sell them. That way you will have a variety of food.

Make meals

Ask a local restaurant to donate 10% of its winnings on a designated night toward your cause in exchange for bringing customers to eat there.

Eating for a cause

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Coordinate with a local service station for volunteers to serve as gas pumps and windshield wipers for one-day donations.

Attendants at the gas station

Use a service that allows your organization to receive donations by text messages from subscribers.

Donations by messages

Sell pieces of adhesive tape so that donors adhere your organization’s leader to a wall where they will remain above the ground during an event.

Catch a fl y

Hold a talent contest with a registration fee for each act and for attendees.

Talents

• Hire a clown, or wear a costume yourself and paint the children’s faces.• In the same activity take the opportunity to sell sweets, hot dogs, hamburgers, popcorn....• Bring infl atables or bounce houses.• Conduct competitions.

Activities or parties for small children at school, church, or neighborhood

You can buy water, soda, chips, chocolate bars, etc. at low prices in a store and then sell them at a higher price. If you are going to sell soft drinks and water bottles, it is best to keep them cold.

All for a coin

Kids like to have their faces painted and parents happy to pay for it. Find a good place to set up. If you are an artist and creative, it should not be diffi cult.

Paint faces

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Insert numbers corresponding to tickets for a raffl e into balloons, then sell the balloons. Shoot a balloon for each available prize and record the winning number.

Surprise balloons

Volunteers promise to shave their heads if a certain amount of money is raised by a certain date and time.

Charity Head Shave

Collect promises from students to receive “A” and “B” grades (3.5 and 4.0, 80% and 90%, etc.) at the beginning of the school semester or term. Collect donations when they receive their report cards or grades.

Passing grades

Place a large container on the table of your work and next to a sign that offers a prize to the person who guesses how many marbles are inside (or closest to the correct number, without going over). Let the bottle be large and colorful to attract people. You can charge 1 banknote or coin to guess. You should have a list of each person’s answers in a book and make sure that no two people say the same number. Give the prize to the winner on a predetermined day.

Marbles in a jar

Make fundraising bonds or vouchers. They are strips of colored paper that you can make with some value. Approach the brothers and sisters of your church and ask them to buy a bond, then let them buy the bond / voucher for the value they want. Do not try to sell bonds to the same people repeatedly.

Bonds or vouchers

Organize a contest to spell diffi cult Christian words. Each contestant gives a donation to participate. Winners will receive donated prizes.

Spelling Bee

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Sell regional sweets or set up a craft fair. If there are not enough people to make crafts, limit it to something easy like home cards. Everyone can do them, and they will be easy to sell.

Ask for a special offering to raise money. Surely in your church, there will be people who have that passion for children or youth, even if they do not serve within the ministry. You can place a table at the event with a bag, boat, or whatever you want to collect envelopes for a special offerings or donations.

Candy Sale or Craft Fair

Sell tickets for a raffl e and offer half of the winnings as a prize.50/50

Sell silicone bracelets that promote your cause.Bracelets

Use this date to go door to door to collect coats, sweets, or a donation for your activity.

Anti-Halloween Collection

Participants agree to give up a regular activity for a month and donate the money saved toward your cause.

Let it go

Sell golf balls for some price, then take participants to a hill where each participant hits the ball while blindfolded. The 3 who send the ball closest to the center marked “X” win cash prizes.

Take advantage of special occasions or seasons, Christmas, Friendship Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, student’s day, breast cancer day, sports activities; any excuse is perfect for fundraising. Example: Sell fl oral arrangements and teddy bears (February or Mother’s Day)

Mark the spot

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Let potential donors know about your need for fundraising through Facebook and Twitter.

Social networks

They are easy and cheap to do with modern technology. Use your organization, company, school or cause as a source of inspiration, and take a different photo for each month of the year. Sell the calendars at a reasonable price. Calendars are useful, and people like them.

Calendars

Ask people to donate whatever coins they may have collected. They can also donate any change or lose money they may have. Coin collecting is a good way to raise money because it does not make people feel that you are asking for much but gives them the freedom to give as much as they want.

Collecting Coins

Recruit volunteers to give manicures and pedicures or 5-minute massages on a ladies’ night.

Spa Night

After a Sunday service, invite people to a spaghetti feed or serve some other basic food. Decorate the room, include a show, and utilize a giant screen or projector. Offer different sauces for the spaghetti and print menus for the attendees. You can sell tickets for entry to the event and a certain number of helpings. Sell them several days before the event to make sure you have attendees.

Spaghetti Feed

Members of the group offer their best family recipes from home cookbooks and sell them.

Recipes

All potential sponsors receive a ticket for the raffl e to resell for ‘X’ amount, to avoid any penance.

Reverse Raffl e

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Begin a competition between classes, families or individuals, giving each one a piggy bank to collect funds by a certain time. The one that gathers most in the shortest time wins.

Piggy bank competition

Go door to door negotiating with each neighbor how much they are going to pay to see you do something crazy with a raw egg (juggling, breaking it on the head, throwing it up in the air and catching it).

For an egg

You can do some activity in which you announce the presence of a famous person, not precisely at the activity, but that will attract the attention of the donors.

Famous

• Make a newspaper of greetings or messages between couples or spouses. Those who wish to send a message to their spouse or friend can pay for one; vary the prices according to the size of the advertisement and a number of letters. They can also send messages by microphone or intercom. • Buy chocolate, melt it and pour it into molds. Then attach personalized messages and sell them. Dip strawberries into melted chocolate or put marshmallows on skewers and dip them in chocolate.• Have a meeting, and go dressed in a red shirt.• Host a raffl e for an item related to Valentine’s day, or give away gift cards for 2 people to a restaurant for a couple’s dinner.• Sell fl owers like roses or daisies. Sell them individually or in small arrangements. Add balloons or stuffed animals.• Sell arrangements of candy, stuffed animals, etc.• Sell balloons.• Sell note cards related Valentine’s day.• Housework / babysitting: volunteers commit to work for an afternoon for whoever hires them.• Sell food.

Activities in the month of Valentine’s day

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Give each person in your organization “X” amount and of money and a time limit to use that fund to raise double or more.

Prepayment

Design and sell shirts that announce the cause of your group.T-shirts

Younger members of your organization can create a drawing that is transferred to cards, t-shirts, mouse pads, or coffee mugs to sell.

Artwork

This idea is excellent if you have contact information for a music band (that hopefully does not charge), some comedians, soloists, games, an entertainer that “motivates,” work teams for greeting at the entrance, working in the kitchen, running audiovisual equipment, etc.

Concert coffee

Please do not go into debt. Try not to spend more than your ministry’s budget allows you. That way you will not have problems with owing other people.

Try to present something different. I assure you that if you try to raise funds for three consecutive years with the same method, surely in the third year the method will not be as effective as it was in the fi rst or second year.

My fi nal recommendations

Fundraising by Rachel Blackmanhttp://vidaextrema.org/ministerio-juvenil-7-ideas-recaudar-fondos/http://www.elmejorcompartir.com/2013/09/50-ideas-para-recaudar-fondos-para-tu.htmlIsabell Hue Marcelo Alberto Zuniga LariosNational Union of Young Baptists of Chile

Information sources

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