Fundraising.
I have been avoiding this subject for a while. So much to the point where I avoided blogging here because in my previous post, I promised I’d be sharing about the subject. So I did what I do best and I shut down and procrastinated. Sure, I wrote ideas down in my moleskine, I finished my letter and saved it to a flash drive to print out, but I haven’t done anything beyond that point in anything regards to The Big F Word.
It’s like I’m in hiding, waiting for Voldemort to come out behind any corner and use the killing curse on me at any point now. From what I remember of the books and movies, Voldemort smells fear and feeds off of it. The fear of others gives him life, but in the end it’s the fearlessness of Harry, Ron, Hermione and the rest of the Dumbledore’s Army that kill him off.
In my own case:
Voldemort = Fundraising
Me = Hiding in Fear
Voldemort – 1 , Ashley – 0
I don’t know if any of that logic makes sense, but I’m just gonna go for it and hope that it does.
I don’t know what it is that’s making me so fearful. A few weeks ago when I got accepted, it was like everything was amazing and the fact that I had to raise money on money to go out into the world meant nothing. I could do it, right? …Now I’m looking at the numbers and thinking “what the heck have I gotten myself into, there is no way I can do this, what if I can’t raise money, what if I don’t raise any at all?”
See, last time I fundraised for a trip, I could barely even get to the mark of where I needed to be and ended up paying off the final tab with my own money. Looking back on that experience, my mistake was not talking about the opportunity I had with everyone I knew and I pick and chose who would get letters based on whether or not they were Christian. I didn’t even bother to think that there might be people out there who would want to give to me that didn’t believe in God, but because they believed in me and what I was doing for the betterment of a place somewhere in the world.
I don’t like calling people on the phone. If there is a stereotype for Introvert, I am the definition of Introvert when it comes to talking on the phone with people. I’d rather talk face to face, or email, or text. I know that phone calls are more personal and talking with people I haven’t seen or spoken with in a while will help me get money, but I would just rather send out my letters and hope that people give.
But God knows World Race Fundraising doesn’t work that way. I know World Race Fundraising doesn’t work that way. And to be frank, it scares me out of my pants. Which is probably why I have ignored the fact that I need to send out my letters soon, because sending out letters is going to mean phone calls, and phone calls mean time, and time means effort.
Returning to school in a week and a half will mean the same. School means effort, and school means planning for events that will help me fundraise. It means more of getting out of my comfort zone, talking about this with people who may not understand why I’m doing this after graduation, and asking people for their money. I wish I could do this on my own, but I can’t. It’s scary because I’ve never asked for anyone’s money like this before. I was always that kid that sold one Candy Bar in Elementary School… To my parents… Because I was too afraid to go door to door asking if people wanted to participate in the fundraiser my school was doing.
I’ve always been about conquering fear, if it only meant staying in my small little bubble. Fundraising for the World Race will force me to pop my own bubble, ask whoever I can think of for help (even if it involves people I haven’t talked to in a long time), and conquer Voldemort with the help of my own small Dumbledore’s Army. I think I’ll feel better once I start acting on things (being home has put me at a bit of a standstill and being at school helps me feel better in the purpose-driven area of my life; I act on things better there because I feel freer to do things in the Christ-centered lifestyle I desire for my life to be).
So, I guess I can start small and begin this week Fearlessly by printing out my letter and sending them to the first batch of individuals I have written down. I can then tell people about my first fundraising idea (which includes numbers and boxes). I was inspired by various other Squad-mates to do this as my first attempt at Fundraising. I have event ideas that I can begin planning for once I am back at school, and art-driven ideas (as I am a huge art fan and can share that with others). I also want to run a Half-Marathon with my school, so working out how to ask for sponsors for that race (if I can do it fundraising for The Race with my college) is going to be an adventure in itself when I figure out the details for that. I might be selling t-shirts, too, so be on the lookout for designs and prices!
It makes me excited to be writing and sharing all of these ideas, but the money-aspect is probably what is making me most fearful when I get right down to it. I just don’t know how to ask for it, how to handle it (especially if I end up selling t-shirts and things I’ve made by art). There are thousands of questions I need to ask that I always forget to ask when given the chance. I’ve always considered myself to be independent and this is throwing me for a spin because it requires a lot of trust on others and on God that I, quite frankly, have not been great at, like ever.
Anyway, I think things are becoming kind of redundant, so I’ll stop here. But before I do go, I just wanted to give the breakdown of money and what I need by what time so everyone has a general idea about what needs to happen in order for me to be on track for a September Launch. (This is not easy for me to do, and it seems very weird after I have expressed so much anxiety about asking for money, but I guess I can start and go from here).
3 Weeks prior to Training Camp (June 19th, 2015), I will need $3,500 in my account.
2 Weeks prior to Launch (August 21, 2015), I will need to have $10,000 in my account.
By the end of 2 Months on the Field (October 31, 2015) I will need $13,000 in my account.
By the end of 4 Months on the Field (December 31,2015) I will need the entire $16,285 in my account.
As dates become solidified, I will keep everyone updated. It would mean the world to me if you would prayerfully consider joining me on this journey to conquer my fear and be a part of the Dumbledore’s Army I will need in order to make it to each of my Fundraising Goals. It takes a Village in order to make this happen and I believe God will provide with the means necessary to make this possible. I’m sure it will come with amounts of toils, snares, bumps, cracks, and anxiety alike, but it has been placed on my heart as a goal to be fully funded before I head out on The Race.
I believe that with God’s provision and the help of every one of you, this goal can happen! Adventures in Missions recently updated their system, too, so there are no longer any fees that come with any form of donation! Giving online will be the quickest and easiest form of financial donation. You can do so by clicking the “Support Me!” button on the left hand side of my blog under the profile picture.
Keep on the lookout for small fundraisers, and do not hesitate to email me at [email protected] if you have any questions about what I’m doing on the World Race, about me, or with any prayer requests you may have so I can pray for you. If you want to keep updated about where I am financially or what is going on during this journey God has called me to, you can also subscribe to this blog by putting your email into the box below the links under my profile picture.
Anything will help, and I will be eternally grateful for whatever is given. By donating, you are helping spread God’s Kingdom in the world and furthering the spread of His light in the nations.
All my Love,
A
PS. If you’ve had questions about Where I’m Going and With Who, stay tuned! And if you have any other questions, please ask and I will answer! :]
