COMMENTS ON YAs IN FUNDRAISING   Maria #245       DO 2962  6/94
By Maria

         1. I think that some of our YAs could be some of the best fundraisers of all. They have the enthusiasm, the freshness, the life, the performance capabilities, the innocence, and the youth that will appeal to people who want to make their money count.
         2. Older people are very reluctant to disappoint young people who ask them for help. They know that society has failed with most of its young people, because if they aren't in trouble--on drugs, into crime, vandalism, gangs, etc.--they're usually living for themselves, very selfish, shallow and foolish lives. Therefore, people are quite pleasantly surprised to see young people who are helping others and trying to change the world for the better. They may not so much like the idea of their being missionaries, but the fact that they are trying to do something worthwhile is very heartwarming. And I think if people would see that our YAs are not only trying to raise funds for themselves and their own missionary work, but also for the entire Family, their younger brothers and sisters and their moms and dads and their whole mission field, they would find this quite amazing.
         3. After all, our YAs have a right to raise funds for the Family if that is the ministry they've chosen. They are adults, and they can be engaged in any job they wish. By the age of 18 you're supposed to have made up your mind what you want to do with your life; and if this is the ministry they've chosen, not only to be missionaries but to do missionary fundraising, this should touch some folks quite deeply.
         4. All our folks worldwide should be trying to get letters from their friends which would be good references for our YAs. In other words, they should have professionals and academics write letters of recommendation: "To whom it may concern: We recommend the young people of The Family to you. These are some of the finest teens we have ever met. They are dedicating their lives to helping others. The Family is engaged in missionary work worldwide, working to try to help others both physically and spiritually; and they are worth helping financially, so that they can continue their work," etc.
         5. You YAs could make appointments with the wealthy, and two or three of you could go to visit these people, armed with a PR brochure, a guitar, photos, referrals or reference letters, stats on the terrible state of teens at large nowadays, etc. You could practice in advance some songs that would appeal to the person you are going to see, according to his particular interests. You could offer to pray for him and whatever his problems happen to be. You could go in actually wanting to witness and to minister--not only asking for help, but asking what you can do to help the person you're witnessing to.
         6. Another very powerful presentation would be for individual YAs and teens to give your own appeal for support. You could prepare individual appeal letters with your picture and an explanation of what you do and how the person you're witnessing to could be of help. Or you could do the same on video, by having little video spots where some of the YAs and teens in your Home or area explain their work and request help.
         7. A sample explanation and appeal could be something like the following: "My name is So-and-so. I'm working in Thailand with a team of other young people. We are making regular trips to see the Karen tribes, who have been displaced from Burma and who are now located on the Thai border. These people are extremely needy and in a desperate situation. We gathered supplies and distributed them among these people. We drove 12 hours to reach them and gave classes to the young people and children who were so hungry for our help and fellowship that they begged us with tears in their eyes not to leave. These people desperately need our help, but in order to visit them more frequently, we need two vans and camping equipment. We also need two electric guitars with sound equipment to be able to sing to the hundreds of folks who gather when we are there. We also need finances to help cover our personal expenses."
         8. Here's another example of what somebody else could say: "I live in Recife, Brazil, with other missionary co-workers. We are ministering to the dear Brazilian people who are very eager for and in need of God's peace and love. There is a terrible problem here in Recife, in fact, in all of Brazil, with thousands of street children roaming the streets. They have no homes, nowhere to go. Here, we are finding that these kids can be given the opportunity to have secure and productive lives through coming to know God and His love. We need financial help to be able to continue to try to help these lost kids. Our missionaries do not receive a salary, so they depend on donations from people like you to cover their personal living expenses so they can devote their time to helping others."
         9. You young people could write or talk about your ministry, whatever it is, and what you are doing to help change the world. You could tell some of the testimonies of the people you have helped and what those folks have said to you. It would be quite powerful.
         10. Even you YAs who work right in the Homes as a kitchen overseer or in charge of a childcare group could have some tremendous testimonies. You could say something like: "At our missionary base I am in charge of caring for the 4- and 5-year-olds. I have learned that it takes great dedication, but I have found that putting my heart into molding little lives and giving them a good foundation for the future is worth it. My missionary co-workers and I are helping to make the world a better place by putting everything we can into our little ones, to train them for the future when they can be a help to others and be role models for the world." You could bring out some of the contrasts of children in the world, so many of whom are left in dubious daycare most of their young years, or abandoned, etc., and how they grow up to be a detriment to society.
         11. Another teen or YA could give a testimony about being a kitchen overseer in a missionary base of 35 people, and some of the difficulties and also funny things that happen. You could explain how this training is invaluable in our ministries of disaster relief and organization of refugees, because "with the training I've had I can be ready to assist as a humanitarian aid worker at any time. I also feel very challenged as I know I am helping to make it possible for my missionary co-workers to operate efficiently and effectively. As the old saying goes, 'An army runs on its stomach!'" etc.
         12. If you wanted to, you could even include little personal stats or information about yourself, such as how many countries you've lived in, how many languages you speak, how many brothers and sisters you have, what kind of jobs and skills you have, what musical instruments you play, if you sing and perform, what special project(s) you're interested in, what your specific goals are, etc.


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