Why do people need to fundraise for a mission trip?
Whether for short-term trips or longer stays, fundraising for mission trips is an essential part of the process. With trips reaching as far as Costa Rica, Guatemala, Thailand, and the Philippines, costs can add up quickly.
Here is what fundraising could cover:
- Pays for logistical costs such as airfare, visas, accommodations, food, and insurance.
- Covers supplies for the trip, including medical care supplies, school supplies, and building materials. For Christian missions, you will also need Bibles and religious literature.
- Supports the host community with donations to local churches and nonprofit organizations.
- Makes participation accessible and extends mission trip opportunities for everyone.
- Builds community between young adults and the community.
Why is it important to pay it forward during a missing trip?
Some short-term mission trips are focused on spreading faith through a church group, while longer summer mission trips are geared toward hands-on support, such as building schools or helping with disaster relief. Whatever the nature of the mission, we hope the following mission trip fundraising ideas inspire a desire to grow through the experience. Mission trips have the power to:
- Broaden one’s perspective of the world and provide a greater understanding of different cultures.
- Help put life in perspective and indirectly inspire a more worldly and mature outlook.
- Deepen one’s gratitude for the material security that isn’t available to so many around the world.
10 mission trip fundraising ideas that also help you give back
When it comes to raising money for a mission trip, it makes sense to give back in the process. These fundraising events allow youth groups to support their local community year-round while also doubling down on their fundraising efforts.
Remember to make it possible for supporters to make in-person and online donations by sharing your online fundraising page and having donation boxes at the events. Follow up with a thank you note and social media post to encourage further donations after the event ends.
1. Host a garage sale
Ask members of your community, neighbors, friends, and family to donate unwanted items to sell at a garage sale for your mission trip fundraising. You could even reach out to local businesses to ask if they have any goods to donate. Where you host it is up to you. These events are known as a garage or yard sale, but they can be hosted anywhere, including the local park, high school, or a local business.
You can build awareness around the garage sale and set it up for success by:
- Supercharging your promotion by combining physical and digital outreach strategies. Place posters around your community and post updates on social media, spotlighting your cause in ads and announcements to entice buyers and create buzz.
- At the sale, organizing items into relevant categories to make browsing easier.
- Taking your garage sale online so people who can’t physically make it can participate.
2. Go green for cash
Collect used and unwanted electronics—such as cell phones and tablets—from people in your community. Then, send them to a program like SmartphoneRecycling.com that pays cash for recycled electronics. If you’re exploring how to raise money for a mission trip by yourself, this is a relatively hassle-free way to supplement your fundraising, and one that’s good for the environment. If you host a garage sale first, you can go green for extra cash with any remaining electronics that don’t sell.
3. Host a community trivia night
There’s nothing like a little healthy competition to rally people together. This is a great fundraising idea that your friends and family will love, but it will also interest the wider community.
Here’s how to fundraise for a mission trip with a trivia night:
- Brainstorm unique facts about your community and craft them into trivia questions.
- Select a venue (such as a community center, school, local restaurant, or coffee shop).
- Sell tables for teams or individual entry tickets in exchange for donations to your fundraiser.
- As the facilitator, ask the questions and allot time for each team to come up with a response. Pay attention to which group raises their hands first.
- Tally up the points and award the prizes.
4. Organize a tea and painting party
Painting parties are one of the more unique fundraising ideas for mission trips that donors will love. Unleash your community’s artistic side with a small tea party accompanied by a step-by-step painting lesson. Teach the class yourself, or ask a local artist to help. Participants get to socialize with friends and leave with a masterpiece.
Partner with local businesses that might be able to host the event or provide materials. To raise funds for your cause, charge a small entry fee to join the party. You could host a bake sale and sell refreshments to raise more money.
Make sure to advertise the event both locally and on social media, sharing your donation page. Highlight the cause it benefits—people are often inclined to donate more, knowing you’ll be helping others in turn.
5. Publish a regional cuisine recipe book
Give your community a taste of your travels—literally. Read up on the country or place you’ll be going to for your mission trip, and create a book of well-known recipes from that region. This is a great way for you to get more familiar with the culture you’ll be working in while creating something sellable. Here’s how:
- Gather recipes, then design the cookbooks in a page-layout program.
- Print them through Office Depot, FedEx, or another local or online print-on-demand provider.
- Ask friends, family, and community members to purchase your cookbook with a donation to your cause.
- Contact local businesses for partnership and sponsorship opportunities to cover the cost of printing in exchange for a mention in the book.
- Consider hosting a silent auction with the grand prize being a meal prepared from the cookbook in the comfort of the winner’s own home or local restaurant.
6. Create a custom t-shirt shop
While you can just come out and ask people to “fund my mission trip,” it’s more effective if they too feel like they are getting something back. That’s why selling things is one of the best fundraising ideas for trips. Rally support for your cause by selling t-shirts or other apparel with a fun design that reflects your cause.
- Create a design on your own, or enlist a friend with design experience to help.
- Purchase apparel in bulk and find a local screen printing studio—making the shirts yourself allows you to raise far more money per shirt than if you used a print-on-demand service.
- Ask people to donate to your fundraiser in exchange for a shirt.
7. Babysitting
Offering babysitting services in your local community is an excellent way of giving back. You could also partner with local restaurants to offer parents a discount on their night off and share profits made from any bookings.
8. Dog walking
Who doesn’t love spending time with a furry friend? Dog walking offers a valuable service to those in the community, while also being good for the soul. Reach out to vulnerable community members or busy families who could do with an extra hand.
9. Host an online auction
Get any local artists and people who make ceramics or other types of crafts like t-shirt screen printing or clothing embroidery to donate some of their wares to an online auction to raise money for your mission trip. Make sure to showcase each artist and link back to their sites to advertise their work in return for their donated items. Include a link to your GoFundMe donation page on the online auction so supporters can also donate directly to your trip.
10. Run a read-a-thon
Team up with your local library or your school’s library to start a read-a-thon within the community to raise money for a mission trip.
- Create charts for people taking the trip to track their reading progress and signup forms for participants to collect donations for every chapter they read or for every 10 pages they read.
- Participants can also start their own GoFundMe pages to get people to donate to them online, or you can run a GoFundMe page for the read-a-thon where supporters can donate directly to the trip and you can post updates of all the participants’ achievements.
- You can raise extra money by running tutorials for children or adults who need help improving their reading skills.
Finding the best online tools for mission trip donation collections
Fundraising online is a simple and stress-free way to raise money for a good cause. Starting a fundraiser with a reputable and trusted organization is often free to start, keeps donations protected and allows you to tell your story in an engaging way. It also lets you keep donors in the loop about the progress of your mission trip fundraiser and the trip itself through updates, photos, and videos.
GoFundMe:
GoFundMe is the leading crowdfunding platform where more than 8,000 fundraisers are started every day, with a donation made every second. You can start crowdfunding for your mission trip in just a few clicks, with zero platform fees, and you can start withdrawing funds before you reach your overall goal, too.
WayGiver:
WayGiver offers Christian fundraising for individuals and ministries, and lets you collect financial and prayer support for your special need. It has a number of categories for people to choose from, including fundraising for a mission trip, and provides support and coaching from its staff.
GiveSendGo:
GiveSendGo is a Christian crowdfunding platform that is free to use and donates some of its own operations expenses to campaigns on its site each month. People can fundraise for mission trips or to help with medical expenses or church needs, and allows fundraisers to receive one-off donations or recurring monthly donations.
How to set up a GoFundMe fundraiser for a mission trip
Using GoFundMe to set up a donation page for your mission trip is an easy and simple process:
- Create an account:
Set up your account with GoFundMe and follow the prompts to select your fundraising category and your location, and set a clear fundraising goal.
- Write a strong story:
Write a strong and engaging story about why you are fundraising, what the money will be spent on, and how it will benefit the community you are hoping to support to connect with your donors.
- Post videos and pictures:
Use interesting and engaging pictures and videos to show donors who you are, who you want to help on your mission trip, and to illustrate your progress.
- Share your fundraiser on social media:
Harness the power of social media to promote your fundraiser across different platforms from Facebook to Instagram and TikTok. Get people in your congregation to share the fundraiser across their own networks, and promote the fundraiser in-person during community outreach programs.
- Post regular updates:
Keep your supporters engaged and informed about your fundraiser with regular updates about your progress. Let people know how well your fundraising efforts are going, how the money they have donated is being spent, and the difference their money is helping to make. And don’t forget to thank donors for all their help with getting you towards your goal.
Where can people donate to support mission trips?
People can support your mission trip by donating directly to your fundraiser. Share a link to your GoFundMe page with friends, family, and personal networks such as among your colleagues or congregation to help raise money for your cause easily. Reach a wider audience of friends and followers by sharing the link on social media, too.
Engage local churches and communities by telling them about how they can support your own and your community’s mission trips during community events. You can also ask your local church community to include information about in-person fundraisers and GoFundMe fundraisers in their newsletters and community boards. Let them know they can track the progress of fundraisers through GoFundMe in real-time and see how their money is being spent through updates and videos.
FAQ: Mission trip fundraising
How much money should I raise for a mission trip?
You can raise as much or as little money as you want to help fund your mission trip. You can raise enough to cover the cost of the whole trip, including your airfare, food, and money to support your host family, or you can fundraise for one of the more expensive parts of your trip, such as vaccinations or to cover the cost of any specialist equipment you may need.
Can people outside my church community donate?
Anyone can donate to your fundraiser! All you need to do is share the link to your GoFundMe page with them or collect donation money at in-person fundraising events.
How quickly can I set up a fundraiser?
Setting up a fundraiser on GoFundMe is quick and simple. All you need to do is set up an account, pick a title, set a clear goal and tell people exactly what you’re fundraising for… and that’s it! You’re good to go.
Is GoFundMe safe for donations?
Donating on GoFundMe is easy, secure and transparent. People can make donations easily using Apple Pay, Google Pay, Mastercard, Visa and more, and all donations are supported by the GoFundMe Giving Guarantee.
Start your mission trip fundraiser today
On top of reaching out to organizations that donate money for mission trips, setting up a fundraiser for mission trips is an ideal way to reach potential supporters. Supplementing your fundraiser with events like those described above can raise both awareness and money.
At GoFundMe, our online fundraising platform makes it easy to raise funds with any mission trip fundraising ideas you choose to implement. Look to our website for more tips and ideas.
Make the most of GoFundMe’s Teams feature, which allows you to collaborate with team members to fundraise together. Rally other mission trip participants, leaders, friends, and family to work together.
Most of all, remember to have fun. You’re about to take the journey of a lifetime, and we’re here to help. If you haven’t already, start your mission trip fundraiser today.
