How would you feel receiving a letter like this?

[autumnpalm]

I have recently been accepted to participate in an overseas missions trip to sub- Saharan Africa in August 2011. The team will be training women widowed by AIDS in income generating activities (such as sewing, jewelry making and farming), providing home-based care to women dying from AIDS and providing meals and education for orphans in local shelters.

I will need to fundraise some financial support in order to go on the mission. As many of you know, I am a university student. I do work part-time and save as much as I can and by my estimates, I should be able to save roughly $2,000 between now and August toward the trip but will still have $2,500 left to raise. I have been brainstorming fundraising ideas including asking my church for support and hosting a coffee house night with live music.

One method that has been suggested to me repeatedly is to send out letters to family and close friends. The letters would basically let friends/family know what I was up to, talk about the ministry and what I will be doing over there, and ask for prayers for both the trip and the country. I would include a bookmark asking the individual to place it in their Bible or somewhere they would often see it to remind them to pray for the country and the women and children in it. Finally, it would close letting them know that I would appreciate any financial support they could manage, tax receipts would be provided but that there is no obligation to give- their prayers are the most important thing.

How would you feel receiving a letter like that from your neice/nephew/friend/cousin/daughter/etc? I feel a little uncomfortable sending out letters basically asking for money and I don't want to seem presumptuous. Before I write them up to send (they would be personalized), I would love some DIS opinions to get an idea of how they would be received. The last thing I would want to do would be offend or annoy anyone, or make them feel guilty for not being able to give anything.

Any and all opinions are very much appreciated! And as always, thoughts and prayers would also be incredibly appreciated!

Thank you!

 

[redlight]

I wouldn't see it as a big deal. It is for a good cause. I'd ask them contribute whatever they felt like contributing, and not to pressure them for money.

 

[Abbie]

I've received plenty of letters like this and it would not bother me in the slightest to get another one! If it's family I will always try to help out. It sounds like a great trip, one with real purpose, and I would think your family would try to help financially. Also love the idea of asking for your church's support (isn't the trip through your church?) too.

Good luck, hope you get all you need!

 

[LuLuO]

I wouldn't see it as a big deal. It is for a good cause. I'd ask them contribute whatever they felt like contributing, and not to pressure them for money.

I have friends and family who have asked me to contribute to things like Walk for MS or for some classroom fundraisers and such so this would not bother me.

 

[DisneyMissy318]

I too have received letter like this from friends and family... I wouldn't want one from a complete stranger - but for those that know you and what you do for others - I think it would be a wonderful way to share your upcoming trip and to get some of the funds you need to go.

Good luck!

 

[FlightlessDuck]

I don't think it would bother me, but I'd wonder if your home church was helping you, too.

 

[MushyMushy]

No, it wouldn't bother me at all. Have you thought about asking for donations on FB, Twitter, or MySpace?

 

[Liberty Belle]

It wouldn't bother me that you asked and it wouldn't bother me at all if I had money to give, but if my niece sent us such a letter right now, I'd tell her I'd only be able to give a very small amount since I'm not working and our budget is extremely tight. And THAT would bother me. So, I suppose indirectly it might.

 

[autumnpalm]

The trip is actually not through my home church, but through an international ministry that my home church supports. I'll be the only one from the church going.

Thank you so much for the opinions so far, they are much appreciated!

 

[JessicaR]

It would not bother me at all and I would likely contribute based on who the letter came from and what the cause was.

If you would like to send me a letter I would gladly contribute.

 

[pearlieq]

I do find them annoying, to be honest, but I guess it's no worse than asking me to buy items for a school fundraiser or to sponsor someone for a charity walk.

I think what I might find most objectionable about the letter you describe is that it's not very straightforward. I always feel a little tricked when I come to the end of a letter like that and find the request for money.

I would prefer you explain what you're doing and ask for a contribution. No dressing it up with news, long requests for prayers, and bible bookmarks with a little bit at the very end asking for money. To me that almost seems a little dishonest--just be straight about what the purpose of your letter is.

 

[disykat]

It would not bother me. However I would never send one. My kids have had the option to send them for mission trips and for drum corp. We participated in other fundraising events, but never the letter requesting money.

I have no problem with receiving the letters though and am interested in hearing about the ministry and praying for it and for those involved, especially my loved one. I usually don't send money for the indiviuals going on short term ministries though. I guess I consider the expenses of that to be belong to the person who is choosing to go because of the benefit they receive from it. I see it as different from doing a walk etc. where all the money goes straight to the charity. This money being requested is for travel expenses, etc.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Mission letters or for that matter fund raising letters in general do not bug me when they come from people I know. So long as they are okay with me NOT donating if I am unable or choose not to do so. I have supported such campaigns, so don't get me wrong. It is just that sometimes, I cannot squeak it into my budget. h

Through your church is good. I'm not positive the usual fund raising routes would work for a mission, but they might. Car washes, raffles, that kind of thing.

I have sent out such letters through Team in Training for cancer--and I hated every second of it. They promote it, so I did it--but I am just not that kind of person. When I became a mentor, I had 2 grants from local stores--and that was my fund raising money. I was very relieved to NOT have to write a letter.

 

[luvmy3]

It wouldn't bother me at all.

 

[Handbag Lady]

I do a walk once a year and I started out asking for donations very kindly. Then, people said it was much easier if I sent out an email with a link to click so that my friends didn't have to think about it or add anything to their to-do list, and find a stamp and write a check, blah blah fishcakes. I found over the years that the funnier I made the beg letter, the more I raised.

So, what started as a nice gesture asking to get me to the $50 mark has now gotten pretty funny and I now get about $900-1000. It is for a children's hospital and I have no problem begging on their behalf.

Perhaps you should poll those near and dear to you if they have a preference between email and a written letter. I PERSONALLY would like a hand-written letter, but my end results disagree with me. It is easier to donate when someone presents me with a button to click.

But, whatever the method, it isn't tacky at all. Now, if this were for your wedding...

 

[autumnpalm]

I do a walk once a year and I started out asking for donations very kindly. Then, people said it was much easier if I sent out an email with a link to click so that my friends didn't have to think about it or add anything to their to-do list, and find a stamp and write a check, blah blah fishcakes. I found over the years that the funnier I made the beg letter, the more I raised.

So, what started as a nice gesture asking to get me to the $50 mark has now gotten pretty funny and I now get about $900-1000. It is for a children's hospital and I have no problem begging on their behalf.

Perhaps you should poll those near and dear to you if they have a preference between email and a written letter. I PERSONALLY would like a hand-written letter, but my end results disagree with me. It is easier to donate when someone presents me with a button to click.

But, whatever the method, it isn't tacky at all. Now, if this were for your wedding...

Pearlieq, I can definitely see your point. To me, prayers are as appreciated as a financial contribution and I really would like the letters to be about raising awareness as well as fundraising. However, I do also want to be straightforward, honest and not make the recipients feel like they've been tricked. I will pay close attention to the wording and layout of the letters, so thank you. That is something I may not have thought about.

MushyMushy, I have not thought about Facebook, but that's a great idea. Thank you!

And thank you to everyone else for your input and suggestions. I appreciate every single one of them. Thanks for taking the time to help me out.

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

I voted No but I am assuming you will be sending to friends and family you have a relationship with and that you would not send to someone that you know would have financial difficulty making a contribution.

I could be biased though as I am like-minded with the people from whom I have received such letters.

 

[autumnpalm]

I voted No but I am assuming you will be sending to friends and family you have a relationship with and that you would not send to someone that you know would have financial difficulty making a contribution.

I could be biased though as I am like-minded with the people from whom I have received such letters.

Yes, I planning on sending letters only to relatives I see often and close friends. To those who I know are not in a financial position to give, I plan on sending an edited letter with the financial request portion edited out.

And as the ministry is run by a religious organization, I also plan on sending only to friends and family members who share similar beliefs.

 

[Magic Mom]

I don't mind those types of letters, but I prefer that they don't hint around. That kind of irritates me. Just come out and ask.

 

[powellrj]

I have to say they do irrate me. We get them and it really ticks me off. We have been told to send them out before for different things my kids have been in and different trips they want to take and my feeling is if you can't afford it don't go. There have been mission trips my kids have missed out on because we couldn't afford them and there was no way I was going to ask other people to fund their trips. Our church takes a couple a year and my kids only go on the ones we can afford. Sorry if I was blunt, but it seems we get more and more of this type of things and it just really annoys me.