Say a prayer to the Holy Spirit--entrust yourself to his Providence!

 

Now, how can you fundraise for a pilgrimage, immersion, or mission?

 

1) Who to Ask

 

Make a spreadsheet by copying and renaming this spreadsheet. List friends, family, parishes and pastors, look up nearby Serra Clubs, Knights of Columbus councils, or any service clubs, even if they are not Catholic!

 

2) Calls

 

If you send a letter, call EVERY PERSON you send a letter to, beforehand or no more than 10 days after you send them.

 

It might be even more effective to call potential donors without sending a letter first and explain what would be in the letter to them. If possible, the best way is to schedule an appointment to meet with them face to face, especially if you do not know them very well.

 

3) Letters

 

You are welcome to attach to your personal letter our newsletter and/or fundraising letter to send and email. Remember that people are often motivated most by the service/mission aspect of the trip. Emphasize this when you talk with them or in the letter you write. They will also be touched that you want to offer time to God and open yourself to listening to Him!

 

4) Gifts

 

Giving information can be found here. Please include this link on any emails you send. For letters, you might explain a bit of what is on the webpage, in addition to giving them the link.

If they ask whether their gifts are tax-deductible, the answer is yes. In this case, it is preferable that they write checks to us rather than to the person.

• Beatitudes Missions/ 2924 W. 43rd Ave./ Denver, CO 80211.

• Venmo is easiest, if they have it.

• Paypal works, too, especially if people want to have monthly donations deducted automatically from their account. We lose 3% for every Paypal transaction, so for one-time gifts, we prefer checks.

• We will keep track of each gift. If you need to know whether we’ve received one, or if you want to check on how much we’ve received for you, just ask.

 

4) Follow-up

 

Send a thank you card to everyone who gave to you as soon as you receive their gift! Let them know that you are praying for them and ask for their prayers for your trip. Have them send you specific intentions, or even a letter you could bring to one of the holy place. You could also have a Mass celebrated during the trip for their intentions.

 

Promise to send them news and do it! We’ll have a running blog during the trip that they can tune in to with stories, photos, and youtubes.

 

It is a good idea to send out a newsletter with pictures, highlights, and details of the pilgrimage to your sponsors when you return.  You can mention that they can expect this beforehand and it will allow them to see how they participated in your pilgrimage.

 

Pray! Pray! Pray! God provides.

 

Be kind and courteous to everyone you ask for support from, and even if they say no, keep them in your prayers!

 

Have fun! People are excited you are following God’s path and by helping you go on pilgrimage, they are able to follow God’s call to pilgrimage themselves!

 

• Start with a list of names, emails and/or addresses

• Phone calls or personal letters to family/friends

• Connection to person in opening paragraph/conversation. What do you have in common with this person?  

• Update person on what you’re doing in life, formation, ministry

• Explain exactly what you need

• Include specific amounts you are looking for, e.g., 15 people who would donate $250 each.

• Specify in a letter that you will be calling them in a week to follow up

• Leave contact information

• Handwritten signature

• Handwritten P.S. to give them a personal greeting