If you had $500 dollars, what could you and a group of people do to increase awareness and raise funds to help vicitims and those at high risk of Human Trafficking? We are sure you could come up with many creative and effective ideas. 

Here are some ideas and tips you can discuss with your group.  You may not use any of these, but I hope it will help you to start the creative process with your Small Group.

Some ideas… 

• Dessert/Vision Night – This is probably one of the more simple ideas. Each Small Group member hosts a dessert night for family, friends, co-workers, etc. At this dessert, make a presentation (we will provide you with support material on the needs in a packet you will receive at the Retreat) about the projects we are supporting. The seed money can be used as matching funds. If your Small Group was given $500 you can tell potential donors that each dollar they give will be matched up to the $500 effectively doubling their gift. You can also just ask for donations.
• World Dinner – This will take a little more work, but can be a lot of fun. The idea here is to have meals from several places around the world.  The two most important countries are Canada and Africa.  There should be a few more places picked to add some variety, but they should follow this theme.  The Canadian meal will have several courses and be WAY too much food for those at this table to actually eat.  The African meal will have only once course…rice (and not much!). The other tables will be somewhere in between. The idea is that everyone should know the ‘country’ they are eating at up front. It will soon become obvious that one group will not be getting much food.  Hopefully, those who have will share with those who don’t…but you never know!  After the meal, a presentation on our CIA project will be given along with a request for a donation to help those with little or nothing to help themselves.
• Corporate Donations - This involves approaching large companies either for group appeals or for a straight donation to a cause. Many publicly traded corporations have a person or department responsible for community giving and philanthropic efforts. Find out who that person is and be prepared to tell them why your cause is worth their time and money. Make sure you offer to include their company name in any advertising or public acknowledgement.
• Coffee shop or Restaurant appeal – This is very similar to a corporate donation, but you ask the restaurant to give all proceeds from an evening or hour of business toward the CIA project. In return, you will advertise for the restaurant and bring others in for the event.
• Online Auction – This will require finding items for action and placing them on E-bay (or similar) to auction them off for this project. It should be advertised well that all proceeds are for the CIA project with a link back to our website. This will require some publicity information that we are currently developing.
• Community Cleanup - A community cleanup, also known as a trash bag fundraiser, performs a valuable community service while also providing a significant revenue opportunity. Here, your Small Group's participants solicit pledges from the usual suspects - family, friends, and neighbors. Have local businesses donate trash bags and recruit parents and relatives with trucks to haul what you collect. Pledges are tied to a specific attainment goal such as the number of pounds of trash collected or the number of road miles cleaned of debris. You'll need to create a one-page overview of your cleanup program and a pledge signup sheet.   It works best if your overview specifies a suggested range for donations, say anywhere from a penny to a dime a pound for a large project. An amazing amount of garbage can be collected from a local stream or illegal dumping area, so it's not a bad idea to also put a maximum limit on a pledge amount of $20. Do the math and you'll be surprised at how much money you can generate. Assuming 50 participants, each of whom has five pledges of a penny a pound, if you collect a ton of garbage; your Small Group will raise $100 per participant or $5,000. You’d be surprised at how easy it is to collect a ton of garbage.

These are just a few ideas and you are not limited to them in any way…be creative and have fun!

Some words of advice…

• Don’t be afraid to ask people for their help. For a salesperson, the worst that can happen is hearing “no.” We are not sales people, so for us, the worst that can happen is to actually “know.” Others will learn of our desire to live out a “More Than Words” lifestyle because Christ has moved in your life. They will know that RockPointe Church is actually doing something about AIDS and extreme poverty.
• You’ll find out immediately if your potential supporter believes in you enough to support the cause. If their answer is “know”, don’t be shy about asking for referrals.
• When you directly approach a person or an organization, you’ve at least created or increased their awareness of our goals. A “no” oftentimes becomes a "yes" as God moves in their life.
• Whatever your Small Group chooses to do, make sure it is high quality.  A poor presentation can cause doubt and hesitation. Remember to honor God with your very best!

Some tips to avoid a few common mistakes…

Remember to say thank you
If people don’t feel appreciated, they are less likely to make a donation again in the future. Take time to create a personalized message conveying your appreciation. Thank your biggest in person if possible. Make sure to invite them to our celebration day on May 5 & 6!

Remember to give feedback on results and what the funds were used for
Make sure everyone knows that the goal was met, that it was exceeded, that “x” benefits resulted from “y” contributions. Don’t be afraid to provide full financial disclosure of your results.

Remember to ask – the best time is right now!
Finally, the biggest mistake that many make is not asking. If you want monetary support, be bold and seek it out. If you don’t ask at all, then you’ll never get what you want. Don’t shy away from approaching that potential major donor because everything isn’t perfect in your presentation. Just remember to do your best and honor God!