fundraising...

[Bioture]

What is the best way to fundraise to get some money? I'm considering going overseas with my fellowship to spread the gospel... we're going to somewhere in "East Asia" and need to raise money for the entire 6-week trip.

It isn't going to be cheap, but I was wondering what would be the best way of going about this (that doesn't involve selling candy) and where would I go for resources? I need to raise *gulp* $3000. Since we're to encouraged to fundraise this amount and not simply pay for it, this will be the biggest stretch of faith for me yet.

edit: Thanks for the help

[Saturn V]

Once when I was trying to get money for a laptop, I created a donation page that included an FAQ and Paypal links. The only advertising I did for it was in my Slashdot signature, but for it to be seen I had to post a lot of +5,Insightful,Interesting,Funny comments. I got a ton of hits each day but only managed to raise about $200.

But people are suckers for religion so you could probably get a lot. And I should have lied saying I was doing it for Jesus. I probably would've gotten my money real quick.

[iLDuce]

Or you could do magic tricks for cash, like multiply fish and walk on water

[Ephemeral]

get a job?

[Darius Winds]

This is a lucrative business
http://www.escortcommunity.com/

[Superted]

Someone in my church breathes fire, I've been thinking of asking him to teach me.

Fundraising ideas, hmm....

Bingo? A fair? Carwash? Tombola? A lottery?
Or you could get sponsored for something?

[T3l Ca7]

... mmm ... well ... if you don't mind fat, i mean HUGE ladies with hairy legs and bad breath, being a man hoe is always the fastest way to gather money.

Did I mention you have to fulfil their most pervert fantasies? Don't ask me, I can't even start to imagine what those could be.

-Tel-

[Bioture]

get a job?

Thats not fundraising... I can pay the 3000 but that would kind've nullify the whole point of "stretching your faith." not to mention be unfair to some of the other people trying to go who are trying to fundraise as well.

[Edify]

for the 3 mission trips i've gone on (within the states), we've always sent out support letters to our family, followed by selling foods after church hours as a snack. i don't know if u go to church or have a big youth group or whatver though.

[Ephemeral]

Thats not fundraising... I can pay the 3000 but that would kind've nullify the whole point of "stretching your faith." not to mention be unfair to some of the other people trying to go who are trying to fundraise as well.

In my opinion, it is more noble to put extra effort into overtime or a second short-time job than to guilt/beg $$ from other people.

[K2Grey]

I agree with Ephemeral. I see nothing wrong with spending your own money in order to spread the faith. Either way you are spending money, is it not more noble to have it come out of your pocket than that of random other people. So long as your job is legit and doesn't involve selling drugs or other Cig Smoke like behavior this is entirely appropriate.

If other people complain that you can pay the money out of your own pocket and they can't, tell them that the important thing is spreading the faith, not competing to see who can fundraise the most, and complaining in this manner indicates their priorities are incorrect.

[Bioture]

I don't see it in terms of competition, rather in a sense of fairness. The fundraising experience should also stretch your faith as well - something you won't be able to do if you just simply pay for it. There are others who are also trying to fundraise the 3000, and a majority of the fundraising will be done as a group, and the trip overseas will happen with the same group, so really theres teambuilding, socializing, and etc going on. So it's not the "wrongness" of spending your own money, but rather the experience of trying to raise the money. In asking for money, you are involving others in what you're trying to do - something you won't accomplish if you simply work as a cashier for a semester to make the money.

Keep in mind that the people who are trying to go are mostly poor college students, and would rather use this money to pay off debts/loans if it were truly a out-of-pocket experience.

[404 Not Found]

Put it on a credit card, then go for a fixed interest loan to pay it off. Do you have any equity in your name?

[K2Grey]

I was under the impression that the point was to spread the gospel, not to socialize.

[Bioture]

you're going to spend 6 weeks with a group of people you had better learn to get along with them. Also, you had better know what to say and do when you get there.