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A Fundraising Catalyst

As we have worked with many organizations and churches to talk through various challenges (and remember, we are passionate about partnering with you to tackle these challenges).  One of these challenges that comes up often is helping trip participants raise funds and know about the tools they have available for raising funds.  The team at ServiceReef has created a tool to help you... or to help your participants now.  Trip participants will receive an email helping guide them to their fundraising tools, primarily the use of their personal fundraising page.  

Have a Plan

You always have to start with a plan.  Benjamin Franklin once said, “failure to plan is planning to fail”.  Your plan should include dates, team leaders, expectations, preparation, resources, travel logistics, legal resources, fundraising tools, communication plans, and more.  

Work the Plan

It might sound simple, but once you have the plan, work it!  Review the plan at least weekly with the lead team for each event and make sure you're keeping your deadlines.  

Have a Team

Working with a team makes all the difference.  Most of us aren’t wired to do everything… we aren’t great at leadership, finances, administration, communication, follow up, and all the other aspects.  Create a team that compliments all the needs of an effective team. 

Utilize Tools

Tools should work for you, not the other way around.  Consider a tool like ServiceReef.  Most organizations will spend over 150 hours managing a single short term trip. ServiceReef enables organizations to manage trips in less than 40 hours.  Spend the time where it counts and not in the administrative weeds.  You have a task to equip people for missional engagement, keep focused on the main goal!  

Doubling your impact but reducing your stress may seem simpler than it sounds. I get it. This is an epic challenge when it comes to short-term and long-term missions goals.

The key is finding a technology that works best for your organization. It’s important you find a technology partner who can help you scale your growth and relieve the stresses of administration on your staff.

Here are a few things to consider when deciding on a software to help your organization reach its missions goals:

#1 Does it manage online fundraising?

This is a given expectation of any tool that handles short-term trip logistics but make certain to map out what exactly you want the online fundraising to look like.

• Do you want individual fundraising pages?
• Do you want weekly fundraising emails sent to trip participants?
• Do you want team fundraising updates? 

#2 Is it simple for our staff to use?

Any new technology is going take time to learn but make certain to find a system that’s both intuitive to learn and has the training resources you need to learn it well. You should feel like your software solution is part of your team and working for you. 

#3 Is it simple for our members to use?

Often, we shop for software from the perspective of the administrators but also make sure to think of the end user experience (your members) and if the tool has all the features and simplicity they need.

Read: the easier your technology is to use, the less stress your admins will feel because users can do it themselves! Meaning, you get your life back!

#4 Can it scale to our ultimate vision in missions engagement?

This is an important question to ask as you choose a solution. You might only host a handful of trips right now but does the solution scale to your growing needs? Also, does the solution help you not only handle short-term trips but also scale into sending long-term missionaries and helping people build their long term missional goals? This may seem way off, but it’s good stewardship to be thinking of this now. 

#5 Does it help mature your members toward greater engagement?

We have no doubt you will be asking all the right questions about the functions you need for short-term trips but we also know you have desires to see your short-term trip participants turn into so much more. Does the technology solution you choose have the ability to nurture and walk with people long after their short term trip? This is important as you want to keep the continuity of the engagement moving. 

#6 Do applicants need to fill out application data from scratch each time?

Application management is complex and it can be very frustrating for your participants. Imagine filling out a 60 question application for a trip this summer to find that you have to fill out all the same questions again to apply for next summer? That’s not good! Does your solution offer the ability to retain application field answers to make it easy for participants to serve year after year? 

#7 Does it allow granular permissions to be given to your administrators? 

There are about a thousand different combinations of how you might see trip admins assigned, but the common thread is the need and desire to assign very specific admin permissions. Does your solution provide the right granularity (choice) of permissions needed for your organization? 

#8 Do trip members have dedicated fundraising pages?

We discussed this above, but it is important to mention specifically. Does your solution offer each individual a personal fundraising page to help them fundraise, tell their stories, and build a community of support?

Personal fundraising stories should allow for someone to raise funds online but also allow them to tell their story well so that donors are engaged in understanding your vision and impact (beyond the writing of a check). 

#9 Are trip members notified of financial progress?

What automated notifications are associated with your solution? It’s important that your tool helps make your communications simpler which means it should provide robust automated notifications along with tools to easily send “as needed” communications. 

#10 Does it help you tell your organization’s missional story? 

And last, but certainly not least, you are not only stewarding short term trips, you are stewarding the vision of your organization and telling a significant story.

• Does your solution offer a way for your participants to tell their story?
• Does it engage donors in that story?
• Does it offer a team blog tool that you can embed in your website? 

These are only 10 questions you should be asking but these are important questions to help you be more strategic in your missions goals and choose software that’s going to set you up for the greatest long-term success.

Action: Brainstorm and build your own list of required and optional features that you need. Download the ServiceReef scoring sheet at Choosing a Technology. 

This is just one strategy of five (5) we have for doubling your impact. Download all five (5) strategies you can implement immediately that will double your missions impact.

This post is written by Will Rogers. Will is the Co-Founder and CEO of ServiceReef.

First, you should consider creating a weekly communication during this crisis (or whatever frequency you prefer) to stay engaged with your trip participants while we all wait to learn next steps and what’s coming.

Everyone understands the unknown of the current situation. We believe this is a great time for you to stay engaged regularly with your participants and continue to keep their hearts and minds engaged in a missional perspective of life.

NOTE: There’s no ideal time line for a resource like this... keep evaluating each week if still needed.

Here are a few suggestions for what you might include in a weekly digest:

• Prayer requests - share prayer requests from your church, organization, partners, or other things.

• Scripture verses - teach and edify your participants so they can continue to grow in their faith.

• Key updates - keep everyone updated on anything new from you or the field. People want to know!

• Stories - share stories from the partner on the field or other things you’re hearing and learning. We’re all in this together.

• One thing you could do - give suggestions for one key thing each time that they can do.

• Survey question - get to know your constituents better, send out a survey each time to learn about their missional interests, challenges, or desires.

• Note from you - make it personal and share from your heart how things are going.

• Sermon resource - share any sermons or lessons from your pastor or other churches (make sure to give credit!)

• Blog article - write or share a blog article about how others are working through this interesting time.

We hope this post encourages you to start communicating more regularly during this time. 

This is one post of many we're doing related to the current crisis. Download Cancelled: A Guide to Maintaining Missions Engagement When Your Short-Term Trip is Cancelled.

ServiceReef announces new way to level-up your short-term trip program: Missions Made Simple

We invite you to learn more about how Missions Made Simple —the digital course in missions—can help you achieve greater engagement with your program

Louisville, KY-- Mobilizing people to short and long term missions can be cumbersome and confusing. Thousands of missions programs and missions leaders across the globe need more training to equip and engage their teams for short-term and long-term missions trips. We have the tools you need to overcome these challenges and see exponential growth. 

Introducing: Missions Made Simple. Created by ServiceReef, Missions Made Simple is a digital course for missions that will help you take your program to the next level.

Missions Made Simple was created to help set you up for amazing success as a missions mobilizer, organization leader, team leader, or anyone walking down a path of greater missional engagement.

“This felt like the perfect time to release the work we've been doing for years with so many others. Digital is the quickest, most easily accessible way for you to connect yourself and your team to training that fits your missions goals.” said Micah Pritchard, Co-Founder of ServiceReef.

How can Missions Made Simple help you?

Many ways. Here are three major ways we can help you:

#1 Resources to Grow: You will find many resources to help equip you to better lead, guide, and engage those living a missional life.  Explore our courses, worksheets, videos, assessments, and other resources.

#2 Connect with Others: We believe you should never feel alone as a missions mobilizer. That's why we have created an online community of others who are equipping and mobilizing people to missional living. Join today to connect with others just like you.

#3 Confidence to Lead: Mobilizing and leading people to missional living can be intimidating while at times leaving you to wonder if you're doing it right or well. Here you can find the confidence to go further faster with these tools and the community of others who are mobilizing.

About the Missions Made Simple course

Level-Up Your Short Term Trip Program will be a game-changer for your missions program. Here you will talk through 10 strategic categories critical to your enhancing your short term trip program.

We're certain these sessions will help you and your team achieve greater engagement and program success.

Watch the introduction video to learn more about Missions Made Simple: 

Here's what you will get from this course:

• 10 critical tools to equip you for leading missions
• 10 short video-guided courses
• Facts about these 10 core functional areas
• Assessments questions to help you evaluate your current engagement
• Tips for how to improve
• One key action item for you and your team
• Downloadable worksheets with more ideas
• Discussion board to discuss more ideas with key leaders 

Sign up today... we're certain this will help you better your short-term missions program in no time!

“This course isn't just for ServiceReef members. This is for all missions leaders to watch and learn—so you're equipped with the tools you need in your missions toolkit." said Will Rogers, Co-Founder of ServiceReef.

The course aims to encourage and equip every missions leader and your team to achieve greater engagement and program success. 

ServiceReef has set up a special page for missions leaders to be encouraged and equipped with resources to help you grow, connect with others, and give you the confidence you need to lead well.

Find out more details and learn about creating a free account today right here. 

ServiceReef knows managing mission trips can be time-consuming and stressful. ServiceReef brings all the pieces of missions - participants, forms, team leaders, fundraising, donors, meetings, & more - into a single platform so you can reduce stress and focus on leading your teams. ServiceReef is everything you need for missions Learn more at https://servicereef.com/.