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FINANCIAL SUPPORT 1. WHAT YOU SHOULD DO NOW 1.1. Pray 1.2. Inform your pastor and other important people; seek their blessing if possible. 1.3. Begin to tell many what you'll be doing. 1.4. Make a list of people you can ask for help. 1.5. Send out at least 100 appeal letters right away asking for help. Enclose a response slip and a return envelope. 1.6. Ask your church, Sunday school class, and Bible study group for a time to tell about what you'll be doing. 1.7. Ask to share your plans with any former churches you have been associated with. 1.8. Send an article with a picture to your local newspapers, with the mission’s name, address and website. 1.9. Send an article and picture to the alumni magazine of all your former colleges. 1.10. Keep your letters handy at all times—in a protective envelope in your purse or pocket. 1.11. During prayer times, begin asking prayer for your venture. 1.12. Send an appeal to appropriate people in your email address book. Then begin sending updates every couple weeks. 1.13. If you have a personal website, use it to inform people about your ministry and include a link to the Peru website. 2. WHO SHOULD RECEIVE YOUR APPEAL LETTER 2.1. Family 2.2. Relatives 2.3. Friends 2.4. Neighbors 2.5. People you know at church 2.6. People you know from clubs or other groups 2.7. Classmates from each school you attended 2.8. Teachers & former teachers 2.9. Anyone who seems interested when you talk about it 2.10. People you work with or used to work with 2.11. People you know from other Christian organizations 2.12. People you do volunteer work with 2.13. People in your address book 2.14. People who have asked you for help with their trips 3. WHAT YOU SHOULD SAY IN APPEAL LETTER 3.1. Below are suggestions for writing your own letter if you wish. 3.2. What you will be doing, in specific terms, and where 3.3. Why you are doing it or what circumstances led you to do it 3.4. How you feel about it 3.5. What some of your goals are for your ministry 3.6. Who you will be working with (mention the schools) 3.7. How long you will be gone, and when 3.8. How much money you need, and what it covers 3.9. Ask them to become a partner with you by praying and sending a gift. 3.10. You may leave the amount open or suggest a "share" system of maybe $20-$50 per share. 3.11. Tell them how to respond (Name & address of school on letter) 3.12. Donations are NOT tax deductible. 3.13. Checks should be made to the school's name. 3.14. Address response envelopes to the school should be enclosed, one with each letter. 3.15. The responses will be sent directly to the school. 3.16. The response envelope does not need to be stamped, although you may do so at your own expense. 3.19. The check should be made out to Toccoa Falls College, not to your name. Your name may be written below. 3.20. Enclose a sticky note or piece of paper designating your name. 3.21. All gifts will be properly credited to your account, and a receipt will be sent to the donor upon request. 3.22. You will receive a financial report including donors' names. 3.23. Thank donors in as personal a manner as feasible. 3.24. Make sure your letter mentions the Bolivia website, so that people can learn more about where you will be serving. 3.25. Ask for their prayers. 3.26. If you write to people you haven't seen in awhile, photocopy a picture of yourself along with the letter. 3.27. Include a brief personal note telling how you know them or where you met them. 3.28. It would be very nice to include a paragraph acknowledging your relationship with them. 3.29. Please send the team leader a copy of your letter for their records. This can be done by mail, by FAX, or by email. 3.30. We are including a sample letter you can modify, or you may write your own. 4. A CHECKLIST OF THINGS THAT SHOULD BE DONE IMMEDIATELY (DATE WHEN COMPLETED): __________ Pray and ask others to pray seriously for you daily. __________ Inform your church of your plans and seek their blessing. __________ Prepare your appeal letter, response device and return envelopes. __________ Send the team leader a copy for our records. __________ Send it out to at least 30 people immediately. __________ Begin preparing a list of people to get your letter. __________ Send the letter out to a total of at least 100 people. __________ Apply for a passport or make sure yours is valid through the end of January, 2011. (Some countries will not issue visas for passports having less than six months’ of time left on them.) __________ Some countries require an International Health Card; you can get one from your county health department. __________ Request any needed brochures from the team leader. 5. SAMPLE APPEAL LETTER (One page, or one page front and back) Dear _______________, God is giving me an opportunity to serve Him and I am inviting you to be a part of it. I am going to be part of a team from Toccoa Falls College. This is a Christian liberal arts college that specializes in training Christian workers for all walks of life, including the foreign mission field. We plan to travel for three weeks to South America to work (in child evangelism, youth evangelism, teaching, preaching, and performing Christian music) within 5-10 target areas around Cusco, Peru. We will live with Christian Peruvian families, integrate into the local churches of our host families, and visit nearby areas on mission excursions every weekend. Our goals are fourfold: 1) to present the Gospel in such a way that non-believing children, youth, and adults we meet have a valid opportunity to receive Christ, 2) to disciple believers by our visit and incorporate them into a local church, 3) to inspire and strengthen local churches by our participation in their outreach ministries, and 4) to learn Spanish while discovering Peruvian culture within the body of Christ. Notice two things here: 1) the trip is a mission trip that is also educational in nature and 2) the participants will be split up during the work week for better integration within their host family, a local church, and the Peruvian culture. In other words, our team will not primarily promote or strengthen our American team fellowship or the English language. I will be leaving on _____________, and returning on _____________; I need to raise $2,000.00 to cover my expenses and participation in the project. I need to have $1000.00 of the total by March 15 in order to confirm my airplane ticket. Would you become a partner with me in this mission / study abroad partnership trip? Perhaps you could help with one or more “shares” at $20.00 each. My total budget is due by May 1st. Any amount you can give will be a help and will be deeply appreciated. I will certainly be in need of your prayers for physical and spiritual strength, and for a fruitful ministry. If you’d like to learn more about the trip or the university we are going to, please visit this website: http://wizard.hprtec.org/builder/worksheet.php3?ID=41316&page=57. If you give a gift in any amount, you will also receive a receipt from Toccoa Falls College. If you include your home address or email address, you will receive a full report of the trip upon the team’s return. Thank you for taking time to read my request. May God bless you richly as you consider supporting me with prayer, letters, and / or finances. Gifts to this project are NOT tax-deductible. Please make your check out to my church or to me. If you prefer, you may send the check to Toccoa Falls College, and include a sticky note or piece of paper to designate the check to my support: “For ___________ (my name)”, and send them in the enclosed envelope. The gifts will be kept in a special account until I need the funds, and I will be informed of your gift. Thank you! Send gifts to: MY ADDRESS CHURCH ADDRESS or ATTENTION: CASHIER Toccoa Falls College P.O. 800750 Toccoa Falls, GA 30598 Tel: 706-886-7200x5240 |