How to Raise Money for a Missionary Trip

Missionaries are responsible for doing a great deal of humanitarian work around the world. From providing medical care in third world countries to running food drives for starving nations, missionaries come from a variety of religious and spiritual-based organizations. However, going on a mission of any kind requires funding and this is a pressing problem for many missionary organizations. Raising money for a missionary trip requires ingenuity, creativity and a willingness to approach people from all walks of life and convince them to support your cause.

Ask family and friends for monetary support. This is where most missionaries start when they initially make plans to go on a trip. Family and friends are a great means of support and can usually provide some kind of monetary contribution, even if it is fairly small. Inform them of what you are doing and why and ask them to help monetarily in any way they can.

Hold a special offering in your place of faith. Since most missionary trips are conducted through faith-based churches and temples, ask for a small, special offering to go toward your missionary trip costs. Most faith-based places of worship will also ask certain groups of members to contribute to the missionary fund, particularly if the trip is in the name of the organization.

Ask for donations from the community via the local media. Send out a press release about the missionary trip. Include information about where you are traveling and what your goal is in helping the culture of that particular region. Note that you are also asking the community for monetary assistance for this trip.

Hold special fundraising events. Car washes and bake sales are popular ways to raise money for a project or organization. Ask local businesses to donate the space in their parking lot as a way to contribute to the cause. Consider a rummage sale or offer the collective services of your missionary group to clean houses or perform handyman work in your community.

Make an online appeal for monetary resources. Make a Web site detailing your plans for missionary work. Talk about where you are going and why. Post on your Facebook and MySpace profiles, and ask those on your page for assistance in raising money. There is a Facebook causes feature for charity and missionary activities; however, it should be noted that many groups have found that this method is not very successful as people join your cause, but do not necessarily donate to it. The only way you can measure success via this tool is through seeing the number of people that join your cause; there is no way to monitor their action upon joining. You will likely see increased success with a stand-alone Website versus utilizing social media, when it comes to direct monetary contributions.