Need some help writing your fundraising letter? Here’s an outline you can follow:
- The basics. Explain…
- Where you are going
- When you are going
- What you will be doing
- Talk about WHY you want to go. This is the most important part of the letter! Here are some ideas you might include:
- What type of ministry will you be doing? Why is it needed?
- What are the needs in the country where you will be going?
- Why are these needs important to you? Do they intersect with your story in some way?
- What do you hope to accomplish?
- How is this part of the long-term work God is doing. For those who are skeptical about the value of short-term ministry, this is a very important point. You are not going to be a part of a one-and-done project. Every Global Encounters team partners with a long-term ministry. If you need more specifics for your team, click here.
- The money part
- The total cost of the trip
- How much you are planning to cover yourself. People want to see that you have some personal investment.
- How much you need to raise
- The date by which you need the money
- How to give
- On the Global Encounters website. Select “Team Member Support” from the drop down menu and enter the name of the team member you wish to support in the comments field.
- By check: use the enclosed donation slip (Make sure you enclose it! Click here if you need to print more.)
- Prayer
- Give specific ways they can pray, not just a general “please pray for me.”
- Please, please do NOT use the phrase “what I really want are your prayers, but if you also feel led to give…” That is overused and sounds fake. Just be honest. What you are really hoping is that they will pray for you AND donate.
- How to get updates on your work
- Global Encounters’ Instagram (We post regular updates from active teams in our story.)
- Global Encounters’ blog (Select the right trip from the overview page.)
- If you are going to post personal updates, let people know where to find you. Don’t over promise. Remember that you may not always have internet access while traveling.