Blog Archives
Thoughts From The Past Thursday: Mission Trip Information Meeting Checklist
This next week is going to be a mission trip themed week. We will kick this theme of posts off with the info meeting checklist that I originally posted on January 28th, 2012.
As I prepare for our first mission trip informational meeting this weekend for our summer trip I thought I would pass on to you everything I present at this meeting. If you have done all your work up to this point you should have most of this down already, but now it is going public, so gather it all together and make it as clear as possible. When you do your initial meeting make sure you include these things in your presentation:
1. When and Where
This is number one because it is the first question everyone has. Make it big and bold and right at the top of your handout.
2. Price
This is number two because, well, it is the second question everyone has. Make sure you include everything in this price; on the ground cost, transportation (include hotel stays if need be), food, activities, project money, team shirt, and some misc. extra dollars. If in doubt about this figure round up, people react a lot better to paying less than being asked for more later. My goal is that everyone could come on the trip without a dime in their pocket and be taken care of the entire trip. I don’t include souvenirs or “blow money” in this amount.
3. Why you chose what you did
Don’t be afraid to play the emotional card or the spiritual card here. Hopefully you prayed a lot about where to go and be honest that this is what you feel God wants for your group this year.
4. Main projects
People want to know that making the sacrifices needed to go are worth it and that they will make a difference. If possible have at least a few different projects, some people are not good at physical labor so having a different option helps get people excited. If you are going with an organization you might not know your specific projects yet, so give their website for further info.
5. Trip Schedule
This is more for the parents than for the students. Parents like details, so give as many as you can and show how your time will be best spent. Everyone involved wants to know what they are committing to, and seeing that this isn’t going to just be a vacation is important for everyone to know.
6. Pre-trip schedule
This should include your non-refundable deposit to sign up, your trip payment dates, late fees, fundraisers, and pre-trip meetings. Again, the more details the better. Make your late fees are enough to motivate people to pay on time. If they pay late it creates a huge headache for you, so make them pay for your Tylenol.
7. Fundraising options
These don’t have to be set in stone, but at least have a few tentative ideas and possible dates down. If you can, try and coincide fundraisers with your payment schedule as much as possible.
8. Fun day
It is ok to be a tourist for part of the time you are gone. This obviously shouldn’t be the point or the reason someone goes, but including an amusement park or a day at the beach is a huge relationship building opportunity. Plus we serve a God that likes us to have fun, so don’t feel bad about including some fun.
9. Q and A time
If you present everything above chance are there won’t be many questions, but this is a good way for you to know if you clearly communicated everything. Don’t be afraid to answer “I am not sure, let me find out and get back to you.”
10. Pictures or Promo Video
Get some pictures if possible, or an organization promo video, or whatever you can show to get people excited. The more excited they are now the better chance they will make their payments and other requirements on time.
If you don’t have all of this information ready to present, then you aren’t ready to have your first meeting. If you don’t have it all together it is not too late…yet, but get to work soon. Have a great meeting!
Summer is here!
Summer is here, and with it comes a complete season change in my life and ministry. I see three main things summer brings into my life every year:
1. Evaluation
Late spring and summer have always been a time of evaluation. One on one meetings with all my youth staff, a youth staff retreat/evaluation meeting, and fleshing out changes that are needed are all things that happen during this season. September to Christmas is the height of our effectiveness, and summer is when we “do our homework” to prepare for it.
2. Trips
Mission trip, camps, student leader trip, family vacation, and all-church family camp all are happening this summer. I am gone more than I am home, and this has been the norm for me almost every summer. Every single one of these trips play an important role in my overall ministry and family success, important enough to dominate my life for a few months.
3. Outdoor fun
In between everything above anything left over is filled with outdoor fun. The Idaho culture is we live here to play, and outdoor recreation options abound and are close. This is my favorite thing about living in Idaho, and I embrace this gladly. Days at the lake, camping, golfing, mountains, trees, sunshine, BBQs, pools, and…. all involve both family and ministry and I love it.
In my attempt at keeping my life in the right order of priority(read more about this here), the identity of “blogger” gets pushed down the list during the summer months (as it already has). I value you and am honored that you read what my feeble mind spits out onto this site, but my posts will be inconsistent at best over the next few months. Thanks for your understanding in this, and please do check back as I will try and post as much as time and life allows.
What changes does summer bring for you and your ministry? Whatever it is, I hope you embrace it and enjoy the change!
The dreaded “selling” fundraiser
I have written before about fundraising, if you haven’t read those posts I recommend you do.
Fundraising – A Necessary Evil
I realize I have a unique view about fundraising, and because of that I say no to a lot of fundraising options. I typically say no to EVERY fundraiser that involves selling something through an outside company. There are three main reasons why:
1. Profit margin is typically too small
2. Had bad experiences dealing with outside companies
3. Everyone else, from sports teams to elementary schools, do them
This year I received an offer in the mail from a company called Save Around to sell coupon books. What caught my attention at first was the profit margin, 40% minimum, more depending on how much you sell. Next was the quality of coupons, both the deals and the businesses included. What pushed me over the top on giving in was the face there was zero upfront cost.
I just closed out our account with Save Around this morning, and we had a great experience. Their customer service was great, they went above and beyond what they promised to do, and we made a good amount of money for our trip.
I am still not a huge fan of “selling” fundraisers, but this was by far the best experience I have had doing one.
Click Here to check out their website.
Mission Trip Information Meeting Checklist
As I prepare for our first mission trip informational meeting this weekend for our summer trip I thought I would pass on to you everything I present at this meeting. If you have done all your work up to this point you should have most of this down already, but now it is going public, so gather it all together and make it as clear as possible. When you do your initial meeting make sure you include these things in your presentation:
1. When and Where
This is number one because it is the first question everyone has. Make it big and bold and right at the top of your handout.
2. Price
This is number two because, well, it is the second question everyone has. Make sure you include everything in this price; on the ground cost, transportation (include hotel stays if need be), food, activities, project money, team shirt, and some misc. extra dollars. If in doubt about this figure round up, people react a lot better to paying less than being asked for more later. My goal is that everyone could come on the trip without a dime in their pocket and be taken care of the entire trip. I don’t include souvenirs or “blow money” in this amount.
3. Why you chose what you did
Don’t be afraid to play the emotional card or the spiritual card here. Hopefully you prayed a lot about where to go and be honest that this is what you feel God wants for your group this year.
4. Main projects
People want to know that making the sacrifices needed to go are worth it and that they will make a difference. If possible have at least a few different projects, some people are not good at physical labor so having a different option helps get people excited. If you are going with an organization you might not know your specific projects yet, so give their website for further info.
5. Trip Schedule
This is more for the parents than for the students. Parents like details, so give as many as you can and show how your time will be best spent. Everyone involved wants to know what they are committing to, and seeing that this isn’t going to just be a vacation is important for everyone to know.
6. Pre-trip schedule
This should include your non-refundable deposit to sign up, your trip payment dates, late fees, fundraisers, and pre-trip meetings. Again, the more details the better. Make your late fees are enough to motivate people to pay on time. If they pay late it creates a huge headache for you, so make them pay for your Tylenol.
7. Fundraising options
These don’t have to be set in stone, but at least have a few tentative ideas and possible dates down. If you can, try and coincide fundraisers with your payment schedule as much as possible.
8. Fun day
It is ok to be a tourist for part of the time you are gone. This obviously shouldn’t be the point or the reason someone goes, but including an amusement park or a day at the beach is a huge relationship building opportunity. Plus we serve a God that likes us to have fun, so don’t feel bad about including some fun.
9. Q and A time
If you present everything above chance are there won’t be many questions, but this is a good way for you to know if you clearly communicated everything. Don’t be afraid to answer “I am not sure, let me find out and get back to you.”
10. Pictures or Promo Video
Get some pictures if possible, or an organization promo video, or whatever you can show to get people excited. The more excited they are now the better chance they will make their payments and other requirements on time.
If you don’t have all of this information ready to present, then you aren’t ready to have your first meeting. If you don’t have it all together it is not too late…yet, but get to work soon. Have a great meeting!
Re: Youth Mission Trips, Do You Know Why You’re Going?
Last week I posted twice about short term mission trips:
Summer Trip Planning…in December
Yesterday I had two conversations with other youth workers about planning their first trips. I love that more people are looking into taking mission trips with their ministries, and I am honored to be able to help these trips be as successful as possible. I ran across this post by Brian Ford this morning and felt I needed to share it with you.
Youth Mission Trips, Do You Know Why You’re Going?
In my top 10 post the first thing I say to do is know your purpose. Brian’s post speaks to the right questions to ask that will get you to the right purpose. He gives five very good answers to “why?”. I encourage you to evaluate which of these five (or a different one you come up with) are the most important to you and most needed for your group this summer. No organization will fulfill all five of these extremely well. Most will probably do one or two of them well. One of the first questions you should ask an organization you are researching is “what is your biggest strength?” or “how is the typical student most effected by your trip?”.
As he says, there are a lot of options out there, and if you haven’t answered “why” you will have no standard to narrow down the possibilities. Obviously price and dates are going to have some influence on your final decision, but they should not be the first or the only basis of your choice.
Please do NOT do a trip just because it is what everyone else is doing. Ask the right questions, pray a lot, and make an educated decision.
