sending
Conference Scholarship
Letter Writing Party

Preparing for the Time
You, the key leader, need to select the students who are willing to participate in raising funds for the Christmas Conference., These students need to prepare before you gather. First, help them think of 5-10 people that have a heart for lost students. They should bring this list of people with their addresses and phone numbers. In addition, they'll need paper, stamps and two envelopes for each name on their list.

Writing the Letters
You'll need to generate some creative options that motivate students. Make this a fun event. Choose an evening when most students can meet. Bring desserts or pizza, play some music, pray together for the ministry and write the letters collectively. Bring copies of the sample letter to help. Hand-write one letter to each potential donor and include with the letter an extra envelope with your return address.

Making the Phone Calls
Making follow-up phone calls can be intimidating for students who are new to raising funds, especially if they are alone. One week after the letters have reached the potential donors, call the group of students back together (be sure this is a time when the majority of the donors are home). Pray together for the ministry and each students time on the phone that evening. Next, pair up and go to an apartment or dorm where students make their calls. While one is making phone calls, the other can pray or cheer on the caller. If students need to make long distance calls, consider offering your personal phone and reimburse yourself after funds come in. After students have had time to make their calls gather together to share what happened. Pray again leaving the results to God.

The Absolute Essentials
These are a few ideas to make raising funds more effective while drawing students in to the ministry at your campus. At least three things are crucial to fund raising and ministry in general: Prayer, Creativity and Appreciation.

Prayer is the first step for ministry. Here are a few simple facts: God created and owns everything on this Earth, He's not poor, He wants college students to know Him, He will provide the resources to carry out His plan. Know that He's there as you work to carry out His plan on your campus.

Creativity adds spice to most ministry situations. Make fund raising an exciting time for your students. Brainstorming gets students involved and involvement builds commitment.

Appreciation lets those who help you get to the Christmas conference, know that they're important and valuable. Remember your donors, church, students, volunteers or any person who helps you. It doesn't take much time or money. A small token of gratitude goes a long way. After the conference is over give postcards to each student who attended so they can write a four to five sentence thank you note (see example below). This is an effective way to bless those who made this event possible.