Six 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 while also doubling down on their fundraising efforts.
Remember to make it possible for potential 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, while these events are known as a garage or yard sale, 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:
- Placing posters around your community and posting updates on social media spotlighting your cause in ads and announcements to entice buyers and create buzz.
- At the sale, organize items into relevant categories to make browsing easier.
- Take 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 for your event. 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.
- Ask local businesses to provide sponsorship to cover the cost of printing in exchange for a mention in the book.
- Consider hosting a raffle to win the cookbook to raise extra money. If you’re feeling brave, try 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.
Raising Money Can Be Easy
On top of reaching out to organizations that donate money for mission trips, setting up a fundraising campaign 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. Most of all, have fun. You’re about to take the journey of a lifetime, and we’re here to help. If you haven’t already, launch your mission trip fundraiser.
