Today you are going to hear from Alexandra Squyres. Before she first did the World Race in July 2010, she worked with another support-based missions organization in the US. She then returned to the field as a Squad Leader for the World Race for another 5 months. When asked about her best fundraiser ever, she said, "I've never done a fundraiser." She shares why below.

Garage Sale

Car Wash

Threads of Hope

Support Dinners

Selling your Art Work

Selling a Kidney (Illegal, who knew?)

All great ideas BUT I didn’t use any of them.

I worked Stateside with another Christian missions organization before I participated in the World Race in July of 2010. I learned the best way to raise money is to initiate face-to-face contact and to ask people directly to prayerfully consider supporting my work.

In the last three years I have raised over $80,000 toward missions efforts to which the Lord has called me.

This technique works!

Here’s the break down:

I got a list of 200 people.  These people ranged from my sister and uncle, to my dentist and my 8th grade history teacher.

I wrote two different letters to send to different people.

The first letter was to TELL the more distant people of my life what I was doing and how much I needed to raise. – These are typically the people that will write you a one-time check.

The second letter was an ASK letter:

I sent out this letter to about 75 people. In this letter I not only informed them of what I was doing and how much I needed to raise, but I also said that I would be calling them within two weeks to fill them in a little bit more.

My life was crazy busy with calling people and meeting one-on-one with them.

I now had 75 people to call, and set up a time with them to chat about the WR and what I was going out to do.

During my visits with people I had an outline of what I wanted to share with them.

1. I told them who Adventures is.

2. I told them what the World Race is.

3. I shared my heart and vision for why I wanted to go/felt God calling me.

4. I directly and specifically asked them to prayerfully consider supporting me at $50 or $100 a month.

Was it easy?

NO

Was it uncomfortable at times?

YES

Did it work?

ABSOLUTELY!!!