More Fundraisers!

[S. Capen]

- Car Wash?

- Raffle tickets for t-shirt/water bottles/wrist bands

- An all around Yard sale (donations to sell)

    Sarah Capen

[Rebecca Capen]

From: Vicki Chavka

Date: Thu, Jul 9, 2009 at 11:22 AM
Subject: Re: More Fundraisers!

Raffle - encourage a local business owner to donate an item to be raffled.  Ask help from someone at 5PCC who is experienced in holding a successful raffle, so that the results will not only be successfull, but a good testimony to the business owner that donates the item, as he/she sees you handle the raffle professionally, without failure, and that it did a good job of advertising his/her business to a lot of satisfied people.  So, if you've never managed a raffle before, you should have at least one person on your team who has done it before.  And pray!

 

Perhaps some business would donate an item that most people would enjoy or be able to use.  And if it's a seasonal item, it should match the season when the raffle is held.  Personal electronics are always popular (laptops, netbooks, stereos, iPods).  Ideally the prize would be an item that a lot of people would want to have. 

 

Alternatively, a business might donate a gift certificate entitling the person to select the item of their choice from the store.  You would advertise the $$ value of the item, and show that it is significantly more than the cost of a ticket. 

 

If a business offers a service, or a vacation package, or some such thing, make sure the business is reputable, so that the person winning the raffle doesn't have a bad experience.  In fact, if it's an item, make sure the item is of decent quality - for the sake of the trust that people are placing in you when they buy a raffle ticket for that item.

 

The winner will be responsible for any taxes.  You may want to investigate the laws.

 

The only thing about a raffle that I am not sure about - it's a bit like gambling.  Now, if the person understands that they will probably not win, and they are doing it because they want to make a donation, that's fine.  But are we promoting a gambling mentality, a lottery mentality?  That's a good question to ask first, before deciding whether a raffle is a good thing. 

 

I liked Sarah's idea of a car wash.  That is straightforward and wholesome (if the washers dress modestly and do their work with excellence and care).

 

Another idea would be to try and think of something that would appeal to homeschoolers, as a fundraising idea.  Then utilize your homeschool network to raise the funds. 

 

Another idea is a benefit concert.  But then, concerts are kind-of worldly, and the ones that aren't worldly might not attract people to pay money. 

 

There is something about fundraising gimmicks that is real slippery, the more I think about it.  Maybe there are better ideas though, that would seem more right.  Less gimmicky, and without any sticky moral issues.  I still like the car wash.

 

I think a great idea would be to design such an outstanding website that when people see it, they will be moved to give, without looking for something in return.  All of these fundraising ideas are getting me to think that it's cleaner and purer motivationally, and without any possible taint of sin, if people just give, without having to have any "bait." 

 

To make such a website would be an act of increasing your own skills - you would increase your artistic, technical, business, organizational, research, persuasive, and writing skills, as you develop ways to make the website far more interesting and informative.  Why not study other ministry websites?  See what they did well, and what did not work so well.  What parts of their website cause you to feel like you want to contribute to their ministry?  In your website, I think that the more photos and real-life stories that you include, the better.  And also, a sense of accountability, through articles and charts detailing where the money is going and how it is being used.  I don't like music in websites, so I don't recommend that - if the person is at a library or the office, music would be a problem to them.  And if they visit the site often, the music gets old.  Is Dry Tears affiliated doctrinally?  As a Christian, this has been a concern of mine - am I giving to a doctrinally sound ministry?  Of course, non-Christians would not worry about that, and might even be repelled by strong doctrinal statements.  Such facts create decision points for you - things to pray about, in terms not only of the website, but also of the direction of this ministry, and of your life.  And one primary thing is to increase not only your skills, but the strength of your relationship with the Lord, as you pray, seek His direction, and rely on His provision.

 

Well, that is my suggestion.  My two favorite ideas are Sarah's carwash idea, and the new-and-improved website idea.  The raffle I am not sure about because of the mindset.  Pray and see what other adults think. 

 

One other idea is to start a small business with part of the profits donated to Dry Tears.  What kind of business are you qualified to do?  How about beading jewelry?  It can't be too hard to learn.  Again, however, we run into Christian values.  If the jewelry is showy, if it is a vanity item, it might not be in a Christian spirit.  But if it is too nondescript, nobody will buy it. 

 

I know - how about sewing simple elastic-waist skirts for modest girls and women?  And donate part of the profits.  Such skirts are normally hard to find, although this year stores are showing the maxi skirt.  But it can still be hard to find the right maxi skirt - something decent for church.  If you find some useful fabric, and find a pattern that drapes nicely, with lots of small pleats to gracefully cover the woman's contours - and if the sewing is well-done ... 

 

Or locate some hard-to-find item that can be marketed to homeschoolers or church members who need that item.  As people of faith become less homogenous, perhaps this becomes more difficult.

 

Whatever business you might do, it is imperative that you look at it from the point of view of the customer.  There cannot be any delays, hassle, unprofessionalism, poor quality, etc.  The customer expects excellence and knowledgable, immediate service on all issues.  This means you need to think things through beforehand, and have a plan for everything, and be within the law, and not expect customers to be at all patient with amateurish service.

 

Another aspect of starting a business for charity is that a business uses your time - you'll want to evaluate how you could fit it into other necessities such as school, and soon, earning a living.

 

How about offering Fall lawn service?  Leaf raking, putting gardens to bed, etc.  You would need to make sure you have read some horticultural books, and have at least one trained person who understands gardens and landscaping at a professional level.  Again, this standard of excellence is for the testimony, and also for good public relations.  Whatever people pay you for, although it is a donation, they should get good value for their money, the service should be according to knowledge, high in quality, properly performed, timely, and exactly as advertised, reliable, and without mistakes.

 

One last idea is to come up with a website that can take advertising, and use the ad fees for Dry Tears.  How about a website that would appeal to homeschoolers - not a Dry Tears site, but a homeschool site (because it is a topic you know about, firsthand) - one that is so interesting, and constantly updated, that they would really read it and return to it often.  It could include articles on homeschooling ideas and methods, homeschooling legal issues, a world news report that is of interest to homeschool-type people, devotionals, academic helps, links to other websites of interest (where to find modest clothing, weather, Christian music, other sites on news and on spiritual growth, academic sites, musical instruments or scores or lyrics, where to find trustworthy legal help),  etc.  Then find businesses that you can truly believe in, that are moral or morally neutral, and especially if their products or services would be appropriate for homeschoolers, and have them advertise, for a fee, on the website.  This would be tricky, achieving the right "feel" to the addition of a commercial advertisement to the website.  Anyhow, the advertising fees could be donated to Dry Tears.

 

I don't know if any of these ideas are workable; they are just ideas.

 

I suppose one more idea is to find local businesses that would let you place a collection jar in their business.  Now this is a simple idea that could give perhaps good returns for the amount of effort and time and materials invested, and is quite straightforward.

 

Another idea is to locate people or businesses who might want to donate a percentage of their profits or earnings on a regular basis. 

 

In going forward, please ensure to your own satisfaction that Dry Tears is truly the ministry of choice, according to your beliefs and values, since you will be involving many more people in this ministry through their giving, and you want to ensure that their trust in you is justified, in terms of the money truly going to a cause that is pleasing to God and is according to His name.  In other words, you alone can "pre-screen" this ministry for those of us who are trusting you as we donate our money.

 

I hope these ideas/thoughts help.  Probably not all of them are good - you should sift, pray, seek counsel, decide.  I'm just spinning these ideas out very quickly, as I haven't time to sit and ponder and think things through - just trying to help fill up your idea bin, with what little time I have ... 

 

May God bless your faith, fulfilling the work of faith with power.

 

¹¹ Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power, ¹² that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Thess 1:11-12 NKJV

 

Vicki

 

 

[Rebecca Capen]

From: Vicki Chavka
Date: Thu, Jul 9, 2009 at 11:22 AM
Subject: Re: More Fundraisers!

 

If we do a carwash, point out in the advertising that the water used for the carwash is taken for granted, but children in Africa don't even have water to drink.

 

When doing the carwash, be careful that signs and people next to the roadside aren't so distracting to drivers so as to cause an accident.

 

Another idea - what if you sold water filters, and gave a portion to Dry Tears?  I saw a slide presentation saying that if people bought filters it could prevent so many bottled water bottles from going into landfills.  So what if you had a home water-filter business?

 

[Rebecca]

Hey, Vicki. Thanks for your input! I'll let Gabe explain how we
theologically view gambling/the lottery/fundraising, but as far as
what denomination DT is associated with, we don't really claim one. We
do work with Africa Inland Missions, and I know that the GA team is
Baptist. Beyond that, we don't really hold any titles. I love your
ideas, and Gabe and I are giving them a lot of thought, but we would
love everyone else's input. What does every one else think? What
fundraiser/promoter would you most support?