Whether you have had the experience of creating a fundraiser for yourself, your church or any other organization, you have attended a fundraising event or have not yet had the chance to go through this process, you might find this blog post useful.
In my opinion, fundraising can be very different when it comes to diverse countries and cultures. If I contrast my country (the Czech Republic) and the United States, it is much more common to fundraise money for just any cause in the US than here, even though fundraising has started having its moment in the last few years in the Czech Republic.
In 2013, God put on my heart to get to know Moravians abroad and go serve somewhere for several months. My second question, after where I was going to go, was how I would pay for it. As a student at the moment with no proper job, I did not see many options. Of course, God told me He would provide for me, so He gave me a part-time job as well as some ideas to fundraise. I looked for inspiration online and followed people who had done fundraising and found it interesting. The key takeaway for me was that fundraising does not equal asking for money because it can benefit the people who contribute. My plan then was very simple. While I told people about my mission and what I was going to do, I promised to send a postcard from wherever God was going to send me.
The years have passed and I must say that I have seen people do many interesting things in their fundraising campaigns. It is great to observe the culture, creativity and personality reflected in what people do. Most of all, it is necessary to pray and ask God to lead you if you want to go through a fundraising process. It helps you understand your "why" and be confident in your calling and the ways you use to fulfil this plan.
So, first of all, start with praying. Give all your dreams and wishes to God, He will show you the way and also give you inspiration and ideas that you can use. Then, start brainstorming. What are the things people around you enjoy having or doing? Will people want to support you? What are you good at? Do you have any good ideas, can you do something unusual? You can use all of this to help you move towards your goal. You do not have to ask people for money. You can give them something valuable for their support – either a product or a service. But most of all, your goal is to make them invested in your mission and have them as your prayer support and your sending team.
In the attached picture, you can find some ideas of what you can do. If you are lost, you can use that as your guideline. If you want more ideas, you can review this document with everything I have collected that people have tried and done. I hope it serves you well. Do not forget that you are not only asking for financial support but mostly prayer support and for someone who will keep you accountable in your mission.
If you have any other fundraising ideas or a story of your past fundraising, do not hesitate to share it with us!