I'll bet that at the start of fundraising a lot of racers felt like this…..and if noone else wants to admit it then I will be the first. When I started fundraising for the World Race back in June of this year I felt a little bit like Oliver, a total orphan. Here I was, printing and handing out support letters to every single person that I knew (and their moms) and then standing with my hands out waiting for someone……anyone to drop a coin into my empty bowl. "Please sir, may I have some more?"
And, although I am not yet fully funded for my race, which launches January 2013, I have since learned a lot about that empty bowl and the orphan holding it. I have slowly watched myself turn from an orphan into a daughter…..and have watched that bowl begin, slowly at first but with ever increasing momentum, to fill up.
Here are a few things that I have learned along the way that I feel are worth sharing with others that are on the same (but different) journey.
1) God is in control – not you……no matter how hard you try and no matter how much you solicit money, He is the one that is ultimately going to bring it in for you. So have a little faith (actually….you might need a lot) and just let Him do His thing, cause He is working.
2) Be Patient – Sometimes He will make you wait, He wants you to trust in Him and not in your own abilities….He will stretch you, you will be nawing at the inside of your mouth, pulling you hair, sometimes crying in frustration because nothing that you are doing is working…..just wait on Him and He will come through, sometimes right when you are about to throw in the towel and give up, and sometimes with tons of time to spare.
3) Talk – Reach out and share what you are doing with absolutely everybody you know!!! (and their moms)!!!!! cause you never know who's heart you will reach.
4) Let go of your expectations – because sometimes the people that you expect to invest in you won't, they just won't…..so stop expecting them to, and stop getting upset that they haven't…..and just let God work……sometimes the people that you least expect to give will give the most.
5) Make an effort – don't just hand out your support letters and then sit and wait for the money to start pouring in…..9 times out of 10 it won't. People want to give, most have no problems opening up their wallets and cheque books and investing in what you are doing….especially when it is going to such a worthy cause. Many however, want to see that you are working for it. Don't stand around like Oliver with your bowl out and wonder why it isn't being filled…..consider fundraising another job, and get to work. I have had a ton of people that have not been able to make it out to a fundraiser give money anyways….because they see that you are working for it and they want to support you.
6) Give people options – not everyone that you reach out to has the same amount of money to give. So be creative, and come up with a number of different fundraising options.
Smaller fundraising ideas
– sell Threads of Hope
– hold Facebook events – $11 on the 11th of each month
– Bake sale
Larger fundraising ideas
– host a Benefit dinner and Silent auction (sell tickets for the dinner, get local businesses and people you know to donate items to the auction, instead of serving dessert as part of the dinner get women to bake delicious desserts and hold a live auction after dinner)
– ask a local business to donate a percentage of a sale to your fund and advertise to everyone that you know
– Stand up and speak at your church, or others in your local area
8) You might not always get the desired results – you could slave over a fundraiser, you could pour ridiculous amounts of time and energy and even money into a fundraiser and come out in the end with much less than expected…..if this is you and you are beginning to get really frustrated I need you to scroll up and re-read everything I have just written……1) God is in control 2) He will bring it in at the right time, not your time, because His timing is always perfect 3) in the end the event is just an avenue for you to get the word out about what you are doing……so talk! To everyone that is there and that you invited! 4) Let it go 5) If you are holding an event you are making an effort and people will see that 6) Do something else next time 7) Get those prayer warriors prayin'!
And remember when you get frustrated, that God called you to this. I had a friend the other day give me these words and they were ridiculously encouraging!
Basically meaning God wouldn't give you a desire and then half way through peace out.
Psalm 20:4 May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.
Basically saying that your Daddy wants the things that you want to happen to actually happen, and he wants the plans that you make to succeed.
