Fundraising Help

Dear Mission Team Member,

Below is information to help you raise funds for your mission trip with Allow The Children. If you have any questions or concerns about the information we have shared, please contact us.

-- Allow The Children Administrative Team

Suggestions for sending a fund raising letter for your mission trip:

The more personal the letter, the more effective it will be. It should not sound like a form letter or be identical to everyone else’s letter.
Write a few lines about what you will be doing and why you want to go.
Consider including a picture of yourself to catch the reader’s eye and to make it more personal and interesting. It is probably worth the cost to print in color.
Limit yourself to one page and some white space, no matter how tempting it is to write more. People are busy and some will not read ANY of your letter if it looks too long.
Mention the dates, the project and the destination country of the trip.
Include the total cost and the date you need the money.
Resist the idea of asking that the gifts be sent directly to you. This could discourage those who might want to keep the amount of their gift anonymous. We will supply you with a list of your donors’ names for thank you notes.
Be VERY CLEAR about how and where gifts should be sent and that gifts written to Allow The Children will be tax receipted. You may use the information and the wording as shown below, if you wish.
Consider enclosing an addressed envelope to make giving as convenient as possible.
Remember that you may not raise funds under our ministry name until we have received and accepted your application for the trip. At that point, we will set up a fund in your name and we can accept gifts designated for your travel. You and your donors should understand that gifts received and receipted to Allow The Children cannot be returned. If you choose not to go on the trip, or circumstances prevent your participation, we will make a decision with you about how the funds should be used or held for a future trip.
An important aspect of your letter is the question, the appeal. If you want people to help you make a fun trip, it is difficult to ask for money. But if you intend to give your time and effort for a mission project serving the Lord, there is no need for hesitancy or apology in asking others to participate with you.
If you also want them to pray for you, say so. But you are sending letters to gain the means for the trip, so be honest and graciously direct in your request.
This is probably the most important suggestion of all: Include a handwritten note on every letter. If you would like the recipient to take the time and trouble to write a check, you can certainly write a short note for each letter. Remember that anything handwritten, will almost certainly be read and probably read first.
Send a follow up letter to every donor after the trip. Describe what you did and what it meant to you. Enclose a photo or print on the letter itself something that shows YOU doing something. Certainly thank the donor again, but also help them feel that they were a part of the ministry—because they are.

Download a sample fundraising letter template in .DOC or .PDF format:

Letter Template (DOC)

Letter Template (PDF)

Sample verbiage to include in your support requests:

If you can help with the expenses for this mission trip, please send gifts to:

Allow The Children
PO Box 15039
Lynchburg, Virginia
24502-9004

Checks should be written to Allow The Children with Your Name Trip on the memo line or note enclosed.

Contributions can be sent by credit card or check draft through the website at: www.allowthechildren.org with Your Name Trip in the designation box.

Your gift will be tax receipted.

Frequently Asked Questions About Fundraising

Wouldn’t it be better to give the money that would be spent on a trip to help the people instead of spending it on an experience for an American?

After you put your own eyes on a project and hands to help, you will CARE about it and about the people and about the ministry work in this place more than you ever would have without the trip. Mission trips cure spiritual apathy in yourself and those around you. Mission trips can energize and motivate an individual in his service to the Lord—no matter what or where he does it. It affects his family and friends and his church. Many people have said that making the trip was a life changing event in their lives. The Lord can make what He wants to happen without the money—but He uses these experiences to move the hearts of His people.

If I join a building trip to a third world country, am I taking work away from a laborer in that country who needs it?

Yes, maybe you will to some extent. But in many cases, if the Americans did not come, he would not have any work at all—and he might not have had the well in his village, or the Bible in his hands or the preaching he heard or the doctor who came. Your presence, your willingness to travel so far and to do this work is often a huge encouragement to the people we go to serve. You cannot know how the Lord will use the trip in your own life or use you to affect the people you will meet. You may return to the US with a clear direction from the Lord to do something you would never have otherwise considered—something that will make a difference far exceeding the salary issue.

What is the benefit of a mission trip other than a neat experience?

Ask people who have made a trip and they will tell you that you will never be the same again. Your trip will change the way you look at missions and the world and the way you serve the Lord. You will pray differently and give differently and understand in a way that is deeply personal. You will talk about your trip and influence others more than you will ever know. You can make a difference when you return in ways you could never have done without the trip. You can read about poverty and evangelism in other places, but seeing with your own eyes is like the difference between reading about a sports event (or an important business meeting or a wedding) and actually being there and participating.

Should I ask others to help pay the costs for me to go on a mission trip?

If your goal is to have a neat experience for yourself, then perhaps you should not seek support from others. But if after prayer, you feel a deep desire and leading to give your time and efforts to serve the Lord in this way then there is no need for apology or hesitancy in asking others to participate with you. You may be giving up income, vacation time, family time or other sacrifices in order to go and to cover the expenses is out of reach. Even for those who are able to pay their own way, raising up a group of supporters brings faithful prayer and accountability which is regrettable to miss.

Why should I give to help someone else make a mission trip?

A mission trip is more than just money. A short term mission team member has a very special opportunity both to be a blessing to others and to have experiences that may affect his future life and ministry in whatever walk the Lord calls him to take. Many full time missionaries began their ministry with a short mission trip. Senders need to faithfully pray for the team member and the project and all areas of the ministry. Raising this prayer support is a huge benefit in itself, bringing God’s people together for a common cause. But the trip does not happen without financial investment. Air tickets cost money. Feeding and sleeping and moving the team on the ground costs money. As you give, you are also a part of the project and part of what the Lord does in the team member’s life. Maybe you cannot personally go—but you can still have an important role in mission work and international evangelism as you enable others.