Conference Fundraising 101

CONFERENCE
FUNDRAISING 101
Hey, Student Leader!
We’re so glad to have you joining us for this
summer’s Student Leader Conference. We
truly believe that this could be the
summer that changes everything.
If you’re reading this, you’re probably
looking to learn about how to raise funds to
help with your conference fees. Fundraising
is an awesome opportunity that will give
you missionary experience, and also ensure
that nearly anyone can join Student Leader
Conference this summer.
Whether you’re intimidated or excited right
now (or maybe a little bit of both!), God is
going to use this portion of your journey for
His glory and to build a team of people
praying for your school, together.
Let’s get started!
Scan here for templates,
the online training video,
and more to help you
reach your goal!

perspective
What does Scripture say? Let’s start with a Bible study.
Read the passages and reflect on what you see. These are
just 3 of the hundreds of passages where the Bible instructs
us about money, giving, receiving, and God’s provision.
Philippians 4:10-19 says God will supply all your needs!
He already has, He always will. You can count on Him
to supply your needs for what He’s called you to.
Luke 8:1-3 mentions that many people gave to support
Jesus and the disciples out of their means! God’s
people love to give to build up the kingdom.
1 Kings 17:1-7 further tells us that God provides for
His workers, like you!

What does asking do for you and for your community?
Fundraising is all about asking people to consider doing
something to help build up the kingdom. Asking for anything
can feel intimidating, but it does so much good when we ask
with humble boldness in Christ.
Asking reminds us that everything comes from God.
You’re not looking for handouts but for ministry partners
who give to the Lord, and are sending you into this
mission field by helping you get to the conference. It
gives them an opportunity to give generously back to our
generous Lord to build up His kingdom.
Asking is an opportunity for deeper relationships
because it allows you the opportunity to share your heart
and vision with them so they are included with you.
Asking builds a team to send you for ministry and
pray for success. When you ask, you’re inviting partners
to care about your ministry on campus, to pray for you,
and to invest in your success. When they send you, they
are part of the team praying for you and covering your
ministry in prayer. It’s about much more than money.
Asking grows your faith. Every time you ask someone to
consider sending you, you’re trusting God to guide and
you’re thankful for how He leads them. However He does
it, He’ll provide for you and He’ll surprise you.
What a great opportunity you have to involve people in this
kingdom work with you…giving the gospel to your generation!
It all goes back to the truth that giving is vertical: You trust in
God, you give your partners a chance to give to the Lord,
God provides for your needs.

THE PLAN
This fundraising resource is designed to help you get started
in fundraising (even if it’s your first time!) and succeed in
raising the money you need in a way that is honoring to God’s
character and encouraging to His people. This resource will
train you to ask people to give money, and match that with
their prayers. We find that asking directly is the most
effective way to raise money, it values your time as a leader,
and it builds strong partners. You might be able to raise
money through bake sales or car washes, but that’s not what
we’re recommending here.
To raise funds for your conference fees, we’re
giving you 4 easy steps.
1. PRAY to ask God for help, provision, and
guidance
2. ASK 10+ people to send you and set up how you
want to receive donations (checks, Venmo, etc.)
3. FOLLOW UP to see what they decide
4. THANK everyone for giving and for praying
It’s that simple! Parts of it might be intimidating,
but it’s not complicated... AND we're here to
help you every step of the way!

Before we get started, here are a few FAQs about
fundraising for Student Leader Conference:
How much do I need to raise?
While everyone must pay the initial $50 deposit out of
pocket, you can raise whatever amount you would like as
long as you have your full conference fee in your account by
June 30 - through a combination of out-of-pocket payments
and fundraising. This means that aside from travel and your
deposit, you might not have to pay anything for this lifechanging
conference! Pretty sweet deal, right?
Can I fundraise for my travel expenses?
This is a great question, and the answer is absolutely, yes! If
you need help paying for your travel, we recommend asking
2-3 people to help cover your transportation cost.
When should I start fundraising?
Start fundraising right away! The summer is coming up faster
than you think, and the sooner you gather partners, the
sooner they can pray with you.
How many people should I ask?
We recommend asking 10-20 people. 20 people will almost
certainly be enough to reach your goal and will be a great
foundation of prayer partners.
When do I need to have all of the funds raised?
Half of your conference fees need to be raised by April 30,
with the full amount due on June 30.

What if I don't raise the funds in time?
You are responsible for raising the funds to cover your trip,
and you may have to pay the remaining funds out of pocket.
However, we believe that with the fundraising strategies
listed in this guide, you will successfully be able to raise
enough money to cover your expenses!
What if I raise more than my goal?
Praise God! If your partners give more than your goal,
contact us to help other students in their fundraising!

Now let’s jump into those four easy steps!
Step 1: PRAY
Sometimes it can be overwhelming when there are so many
things you want to pray for. Here's a list of things you can
pray about for your fundraising!
Thank God for the opportunity to fundraise and attend
this conference.
Thank Him for being faithful and trustworthy. Isn't it cool
that we know this to be true even before beginning?
Ask that He would be glorified through the entire
process.
Ask that He would give you favor and diligence in working
on your fundraising, and provide for all your needs.
Ask that He would lead people to give joyfully and that
they would be blessed by the opportunity to help others
hear the gospel through partnering with you.
Ask God whom you should ask to help send you, and
write their names down. These people could be family,
friends of your family, people from church, your personal
friends, and definitely your church itself!
Step 2: ASK
Your friends and family won’t know you’re going to the
conference unless you tell them, and they won’t know they
can help you get there unless you ask. Asking is as simple as
reaching out to share some information and invite them to
pray about helping. You might already do something similar
in your everyday life! This is just a little more formal - the
relationships are still the same.

We’re providing 3 ways for you to ask people:
Templates for the following and other resources are available by
clicking here or by using the QR code at the end of Step 2.
Email
The benefit of sending an email is that you can more appropriately
send a more descriptive, longer message. It also comes across as
professional and could help your audience take you more seriously.
Use the template provided on our website (sneak peak the
template on the next page!), personalize it a bit, and hit send! For
double impact, you can send them a quick text message
immediately after to let them know to check their inbox when they
are able.
Text
Text is a great way to communicate with people that you already
know personally - friends, family, etc. However, this is not the best
option for asking your church to send you, as you want to make
sure that your ask is taken as seriously as any other missionaries
asking your church for support (for more tips on asking your church,
read on!). For anyone you want to text, use the template provided
and feel free to personalize it.
Physical Letters
We’ve supplied a letter you can print off. It’s written from your
perspective, directly to a potential partner telling them all about
this conference. Again, feel free to personalize it as much as you
would like -this letter is from YOU! Print out as many copies as you
need, stick them in envelopes, and mail or hand-deliver them. This
can be a great option for your parents' friends, teachers, or anyone
else you might not have the email address for.
If you’re not sure which method is the best way to approach a
particular person in your life, maybe ask your parents, or just pick
one! However you ask, remember that God is working and He can
work through whatever channel you use.

For those you want to email, here's a template of
an email and text you can send them!
If you also have the
person’s phone number
or can DM them, send
this message to them
RIGHT AFTER sending
the email.
Don't forget to include your
name!

For those you just
want to text, here's
a template of a text
you can send them!
you can also tell your friends to
check out the conference website at
www.slc2024.org
For those you want to give a Physical Letter...
While a text or email might seem convenient, it can also be very
powerful for someone to receive a printed letter with the
information you would like to convey. Scan the link below to
access a free template letter!
Scan the QR code for access to
editable templates you can copy
and use for your fundraising
communication.

Step 3: FOLLOW UP
After you ask, some people will get back to you right away, but
others might need a reminder. Remember - people are busy. Even
your best friends and closest family members have a lot going on in
their lives. Part of asking is following up to see what they decided.
Some of your friends and family truly do want to partner and send
you, but they’ll forget to make a decision because their inbox or
mailbox is so full.
Following up is not about pressure,
it's simply about making sure each person has the chance
to decide if God is leading them to partner with you.
So how do I follow up?
One week after you make your ask, pick up the phone or send
another email/text to see if they have made a decision. Making a
phone call is the best way to go, but if you don’t have their phone
number you can always follow up by email or text, or even inperson.
Remember, when you pick up the phone to call someone, it might
feel a little nerve-wracking, but God is in this. He’s called you to
reach your school, and there’s a good chance He’s calling your
friends and family to be involved in sending you, too! So put on the
peace of Christ, take a deep breath, smile, and make that phone
call.
Here’s a sample template of what to say.
Hi {friend’s name}, how are you doing? I was calling today to follow up on
the message I sent you last week about the Conference I’m attending this
summer to be trained to share the love of Christ with my school. In that
message, I share about how I’m asking for partners to pray with me and
also to give some money to help send me to the conference. Did you get
a chance to read that?
Then see what they say!

When following up, you'll get a variety of responses. Here are
a few suggestions about how to handle each one!
"Honestly, I haven't read it yet."
No problem. You can go ahead and
share with them what it said if they
have the time. Share what the
conference is, what you hope to learn,
why you are excited, and what you
are asking them to help with.
"Yes, I'd love to support you!"
Praise the Lord! Thank them, emphasizing your gratitude for both
their prayer and financial partnership. Set up your best way to
receive gifts with one of your parents, and tell your friend again
how to give immediately after thanking them!
"No, I'm not able to support you in this way right now."
That’s ok! Let them know that you are thankful for their
consideration and that your relationship with them means a lot to
you regardless of their ability to give. You can tell them that you
are still excited you could share this opportunity with them, and
you can invite them to pray with you as you fundraise.
"I'm not sure yet..."
That's okay, let them know they can take their time. Kindly remind
them that you need to raise the full amount by June 30, but the
main thing you care about is that they follow how God leads them
in their giving. Of course, you're thankful for your friendship
however He leads!
Following up doesn't have to be a high-pressure conversation, but
taking the simple step to follow up does a whole lot to show that
you care about this relationship and this opportunity enough to talk
to them personally, regardless of the outcome.

Step 4: Thank
The last step is to say, "Thank you," to every person who helps send
you to Student Leader Conference. When you do it, you want to
thank them quickly, personally, and twice.
You want to thank people QUICKLY because you don’t want
to forget to thank them, and so they can feel your
appreciation right away!
You want to thank people PERSONALLY. Don’t just send a
mass message to everyone who gave, but thank them
individually. Ideally, this would be a handwritten
thank you card.
You want to thank people TWICE. The second time of thanking
people comes right after the conference. Share with them
what the conference was like, how God used their giving to
grow you as a disciple of Jesus, and the ways you are praying
and planning to reach unbelievers coming out of the
conference. You could even do this in the form of a creative
newsletter if you would like!
Saying thank you isn’t complicated, but make sure you do it!
And that's it! Pray, ask,
follow up, and say thank you.
It’s not complicated, but it will grow
your faith... and that’s a good thing!
We can't wait to see
God's hand of faithfulness
in your life as you depend
on Him to provide!

ASKING YOUR CHURCH
You can ask your church just like anyone else you would invite
to help send you to the conference! Whether they can give or
not, your church will be so excited to hear about how you are
stepping out in faith to share the gospel! And there’s a really good
chance your church will be excited to help send you to the
conference!
Here are a few tips:
Start right away! Many churches have a process for how they
consider what they give to. With some churches, the process
can be simple and quick, and with others, it can take much
longer. That’s why it’s very important to invite your church right
away!
Find out what your church’s process is specifically. If your
church has a missions pastor or chairman, start by talking to
them. If you don’t know who that is, ask the office
administrator who the best person would be to talk to about a
missions giving opportunity to help send you to a student
training conference this summer.
Once you know the right person to talk to, give them your
fundraising letter and ask them what the next steps are for
their consideration. Follow up on a weekly basis until you get
an answer from them.
Feel free to ask your parents, youth pastor, or youth leader for
help with talking with your church.
It might feel intimidating to ask your church for help, but
remember: they are on your side! Your church wants to see gospel
proclamation in your generation, and they will be proud of you for
stepping out in faith to be a leader in this gospel movement.

Our prayer for you and your fundraising...
Lord Jesus,
Thank you for calling these student leaders to stand for
You and walk in Your way, sharing the hope of new life
in You with their peers.
God, Our Provider, thank You for Your faithful promises
to give all that we need for all You call us to do.
Spirit of Peace and Power, thank You for going before
these student leaders in all they do and say.
We ask in faith that You provide the partners and the
funds needed for them to attend this conference,
and that You continue to sustain and encourage
these leaders in the days ahead.
Amen.
We'll see you
this summer!