Fundraising

No one goes on mission alone

If God called you, He’s calling others to send you!

From the earliest days of the Church, those sent were supported by those who stayed. Fundraising is a biblical and relational expression of the body of Christ working together—praying, giving, and sending so the Gospel can go where it’s needed most.

It’s time to gather your circle

Friends. Family. Churches. Small groups. Supporters.

God has placed them in your life for such a time as this.

Step 1:

craft your story

Take some time to reflect on what got you here. What moments or people did God use to call you to take this leap of faith?

For your own sake, write out where you were 3-6 months ago, and what God was teaching you. Try to recall any discontent or uncertainty you had about what He was calling you to do in your next season of life. Then walk through the scripture, events or people that led you to consider leaving home to serve those who need the hope of the Gospel.

Give a brief introduction of UK-USA ministries and the opportunities we provide for young people to share Christ in the United Kingdom. Share some bullet points of the ministry outlets you will participate in and how you hope to make an impact on those you come in contact with.

Lastly, list the things that you’re hoping the Lord will do in and through you during your time abroad. Make your excitement obvious, and your purpose clear. You want to be able to look back on this in a year and remember why you thought you were going and compare it with what the Lord actually accomplished.

Once you have your story written out, it’s ok to use A.I. to help you polish it up. Just make sure it sounds like YOU! You will also want to have a few different versions of your story to use in different contexts (social media, donor letters, in-person events, etc).

Step 2:

Make a list

List out the groups of people that you think would consider supporting you. This doesn’t have to be individual names, just buckets of contacts that you have access to. Even if you’re not sure if they would support, you never know what God can do in someone else’s heart when you ask!

Examples:

Family (immediate and extended)

Social Media followers (obvious, but sometimes the algorithm gets in the way)

Church members

School friends (don’t leave out teachers and coaches)

Your parent’s friends (the ones who sent you High School graduation gifts)

Coworkers

Step 3:

Establish your support channels

When someone wants to support you, what do they do next? We suggest you provide at least these three options: Pray, Purchase, Partner

Pray

This is the foundational way to support you during your time in the UK. Prayer is how God aligns us with his will and opens our eyes to see as He sees. If a supporter offers to pray for you, we suggest you give them a short list of immediate prayer needs that you have. Then beyond that, we suggest providing frequent updates to that list of prayer warriors either via social media or email during your time in the UK. People want to see and hear your story unfold and continue to pray for the mission field you’re encountering.

Purchase

We’ve found that a great kick off to your fundraising efforts is to sell a tangible item that connects people with your mission. Items like T-shirts, hats, stickers are products that people enjoy, have a great profit margin, and can build up your starter fund quickly.

This is why we partner with Fund the Nations to help you design, produce and ship custom products to raise the initial funds for your mission. Fund the Nations provides free, custom graphic design, one-on-one service, free shipping, and an online campaign platform that tracks orders for you! To get started, click here and put the code UKUSA50 in your message to let them know you’re with us and get $50 off your first T-shirt order.

You don’t have to sell T-shirts, but offering a product or service as a launchpad for your campaign is a great way to build moment quickly and give people something to latch onto.

Partner

One-time donations and ongoing support are going to be critical to raising the funds you need for your time in the UK. The important thing is to make it easy on your donors to give you money. This might mean publicizing your Venmo/Cash App handle, but it might also mean providing an address where they can send checks. Then, you might also need to send out reminders throughout the year to help people remember their commitment. This isn’t greedy, this is being effective missionaries.

Step 4:

Launch your campaign

What’s a campaign?

A campaign is your effort to spread the word about what God is doing in your life and invite others to commit to supporting you. Think about a political candidate trying to raise awareness in the months leading up to an election. Except this is raising awareness for the Lord, and what he’s accomplishing through you! This is a campaign that your family, friends and community will be excited to be a part of! But you have to invite them.

Your Campaign is unique to you, but here are some best practices that we think make them successful.

  1. Start with a big splash. Let everyone know (especially on social media) about the season that God has called you to serve in the UK. Use your story, and a recent photo, to update people on your life and what led you to pursue this opportunity. It doesn’t have to be long (it’s best if it’s not), but break it down into the important points.

  2. Set a goal and a deadline. This doesn’t have to be your final dollar amount, or donation period. But people need to know how much you’re hoping to raise and how long they have to give. If you do a T-shirt fundraiser, or similar, it can have its own deadline (short windows are best). But set a date that you want to have a certain amount of dollars raised or people committed to future donations. Then give updates along the way. People don’t like to be left out, so make a big deal out of the donations you receive and your progress.

  3. Make yourself easily accessible. Open your social media profiles, make sure your posts are public, allow people to DM/Text/Call you.

  4. Just Keep Swimming. We know that asking for money doesn’t come naturally to most of us. Just remember that you’re not asking for money for yourself. You’re inviting people to step into their own calling to support and build the Kingdom of God. It’s also important to remember that people don’t tend to follow through with something on the first ask. The average consumer sees an advertisement 7 times before they ever stop to read it. Every social media post, every text, every email, every letter is just one of many touch points that are required to get someone’s attention. So don’t be shy. Step out of what feels comfortable and remember that the God who called you to this mission is going to complete it through the people who support you.

Fundraising toolbox

Ideas for making connections, telling your story, and raising funds

Selling T-shirts is proven to be one of the most effective methods for raising funds. When you combine the power of your story with a product that people enjoy and want to wear, it makes fundraising a joy rather than a obligation. This is why we’ve partnered with Fund the Nations to help you fundraise in a way that rewards you and your supporters.

Fund the Nations offers free graphic design, free shipping, personal service and an online campaign tracker. One of their friendly Fundraising Coordinators will walk you through each step and help you make the most of your fundraiser. Click here to start designing an amazing T-shirt just for you! Mention UKUSA50 in your message to get $50 off your first shirt order.

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T-shirt Fundraiser

Personal Support Letters

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A thoughtful way to share your story and invite others into prayer and financial partnership. Personal letters allow people to hear your heart, understand the mission, and respond in a meaningful way. Send them out to extended family, your parent’s friends, other churches, etc. Make sure to include a recent picture and a clear destination for them to send funds through.

One-on-One Conversations

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Sitting down with someone personally creates space for deeper connection. These conversations help others understand the calling on your life and consider how they might support you through prayer or giving.

Small Gatherings in Homes or Churches

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Inviting a group together allows you to share your vision, answer questions, and build momentum. These gatherings create a shared sense of ownership and community around the mission. Provide coffee or cookies as an added incentive.

Restaurant Nights

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Partnering with a local restaurant for a fundraising night raises awareness while bringing people together. Supporters participate simply by showing up, eating together, and supporting the mission. Some restaurants will offer a percentage of their sales to your cause. Others may let you use a dining room to tell your story to a small group.

Church announcements

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Ask your church if they can share your story in the weekly announcements or bulletin.

Social Media

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Using photos, videos, and updates online helps tell your story in real time. Social media allows supporters to follow the journey and share it with others. Consider setting up a facebook page, or specific account for your mission effort. This keeps people up to date and gives you a dedicated place to share as much as you want.

Email newsletter

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Regular emails keep your support team informed and engaged. Updates help people pray specifically, stay connected, and see how their support is making an impact.

Bake sale or Goodie incentive

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Ask your friends or family to help you bake items to sell as a fundraiser. Or, offer cookies/brownies to every person who donates during a specific time window. This makes it personal, and gives supporters an added bonus for their donation.