If we design a personal fundraising page for you, we can also give you the text in a format you can use for your letter. (Contact us if you want a personal fundraising page.) If you prefer to write your own letter from scratch, here’s a suggested outline:
- 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.
- 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 Global Encounters donation slips. This makes it so much easier! You can print these from the myGlobalEncounter site once you are an official team member.
- Prayer:
- Give specific ways they can pray, not just a general “please pray for me.”
- 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.)
- 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.