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I have given to a few crowdfunding campaigns over the last few years, even way before I really knew what crowdfunding was.

    I remember the first time that I saw an acquaintance post something about raising money on Facebook.  Her car had broken down and she was in desperate need of a new one. She was asking people to donate money to her car fund. I was intrigued. I thought, I'm going to give her 20 bucks.  A couple clicks later it was done.  It was super easy and it was fun to watch her start reaching toward her goal. I had never seen anything like it. It was actually quite fun to be a part of it, even if in a small way. 
    Fast forward a year or so later and I am now seeing crowdfunding campaigns popping up everywhere, and find I'm not as likely to just donate $20 to everyone who asks.

     So I ask myself, “What about certain campaigns inspires me to give?”  
 Maybe reading about what inspired me will help you understand what will inspire yourgivers and I would love to hear your comments on who you have given to and  what drew you in to their campaigns. 
 
I gave because  

• I was intrigued and I had a little extra money that month. That simple, that's what inspired me the first time. It was fun to be a part of something that I had never seen before. Now, that won't happen as much any longer because crowdfunding is becoming much more commonplace in today society.

 

•  Another reason I have found myself giving is it is because it is family or close friends. When family is trying to raise money, of course I can donate $20 $50 $100+ depending on the time of my paycheck and the need.  

 

•  I gave because I felt appreciated.   Once I gave to somebody, and I know this is not necessarily the best reason,  but I gave because I knew it would make a difference in her daughter’s life and I knew she publicly thanked people who gave.  Her thanks always felt so sincere. So I didn't necessarily give just  to get the thanks but when she did say  thank you, It made me  feel like I  made a HUGE difference, because of how grateful she sounded.  Everyone wants to feel like they made a difference. 

 

•  Then there were times that I gave because the difference I knew my money would make in a specific way. I wasn’t just giving so someone else could be a missionary while I stayed home  or so someone else could be supported. I gave because of the specific way my money was going to change a life.  Example:  I saw a campaign about orphan kids in Haiti that wanted to take a once in a lifetime trip to their capital. It would cost $40 a child.  Knowing my money would make a difference in such a specific way made me want to give.  

 
So to sum it all up. Why will people give you your campaign?
 
THEY WILL GIVE BECAUSE   
         They see your posts, you have asked them and they think ‘What a neat idea’.  So share your posts to people that might not always hear from you. Not just your regular supporters. Ask others to share as well.  Reach far and wide. Grab people’s attention.
 
THEY WILL GIVE BECAUSE
           They know you personally. Share your campaign with your friends and family.  Before you even launch let the ones closest to you know what you are doing and the heart behind it. Invite them to be a part of your adventure. Ask them to give and share on your launch day to help build momentum.
 
THEY WILL GIVE BECAUSE
         You thank them!! As money starts coming in it can get easy to just lump all the givers together and just assume they know you appreciate them. On GiveSendGo.com a thank you note gets sent to each of your givers and you can customize it for each campaign. But I still would make a big deal of it on your social media platforms (unless they wish to remain anonymous)
 
THEY WILL GIVE BECAUSE
           They feel like they will make a difference. People want to know that  what you are accomplishing isn’t about you buying flights, or growing a business, or even raising money for a charity/ it’s about people. About changing the world. Everyone wants to make a difference. Invite them , inspire them, Ignite a passion!
 
And last but not least, we  are  all called  to GIVE.  Give to be obedient. Give to bless others, Give to be more like Jesus. 
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When it comes to Christian crowdfunding, some wonder about this one. These days, we could send supplies, money, and Bibles and save resources by not having people travel. We could just skype, send videos and email to express our Christian love to brothers and sisters and the rest of the world. Certainly, there are times that it may be necessary not to send someone. But there are a number of benefits to going on mission trips and helping to send others.
Whether you're considering traveling overseas or you're thinking about helping to fund a trip for someone, here are a few thoughts.

Nothing Like the Human Touch
Sure, short-term missions can be expensive when it comes to travel costs. No one can deny that.
But one fact cannot be overlooked. There is power in Christians traveling from the far reaches of the world to encourage others. To offer hope during a natural disaster, war, hunger, health crisis and spiritual starvation. When someone in better circumstances reaches out to help the hurting and struggling, they demonstrate the very heart of Jesus.
He didn't stand aloof from the physically and spiritually needy. Instead, he reached into the dirtiest and most hopeless lives bringing incredible hope to humanity  With all the available technology and resources, there will never be something more touching than the impact God's children can personally have on others. (Except the actual touch of God himself).  Often, God uses his children made in his image to be his touch. To display his power and be his hands and feet of comfort to the world.
Give Send Go is honored to facilitate Christian crowdfunding to be the hands and feet of God. We know that knowledge of the gospel is only the first step. Action is a necessity. But it's not something we have to do as much as something we get to do!  God, in his mercy and kindness, invites us into something more than salvation. He calls us to bring light to a dark world.

Going Changes You
If you travel on a short-term mission trip, you’ll likely come back a changed person. This is overused but no less true. Most in the church have heard a group give a presentation of their mission trip upon returning home.  Something you'll typically hear at least once is that those who went expected to impact others. But what overshadowed that expectation was how those going were changed for the better through the experience.  Maybe those "going" saw a level of poverty they never experienced before and had to come to grips with what was really important in life.  More earth-shaking than that may have been seeing Christians in poverty and distress with more joy, faith, prayer and action than they had.  All of a sudden, those traveling from "wealthy" countries were confronted with something that couldn't be ignored. True wealth is far more than monetary wealth. In fact, monetary wealth is the least of the blessings God gives.  Sure, God will use you to make a difference. But He's way too efficient to stop there. He's going to work on you, the traveler, as well!

So, are we in danger of travel for short-term mission trips becoming obsolete?
No.
The priceless interaction of Christians and world civilization will always be needed. Whether you plan to go or help send someone to go on a mission, the work you do and the giving you provide will impact God's kingdom for eternity. The expense is small in light of what God can do. It can be difficult to measure the impact that will happen. Some of it won’t be fully known until Heaven.

As you go, ask God to do exactly what he wants with your short-term mission trip. He’s even more excited about you packing your bags than you are!

 

Three Reasons to Pray

Prayer is a vital part of Christian crowdfunding. Perhaps you now have a shiny new campaign in full swing. You reached out to family, friends, co-workers and more. You also made sure to include a quality photo or video along with just the right words. Or perhaps you're about to give to a campaign or head across land and sea to advance God's kingdom.
There's one thing you may have forgotten, though. That one thing is prayer. Human nature sometimes focusses on the "tangible" at the expense of more important things. So, as you give, send and go, don't forget to pray. Here are three reasons to do just that.

Reminder of Who Ultimately Provides
We often put so much pressure on ourselves to provide that we're tempted to forget Who the real provider is.  As a giver, you may fear you won't have enough money if you give to a cause that matters to you. Prayer will help you trust in your ultimate Provider. This could safeguard you from missing an opportunity you may otherwise have passed up. If you have an active campaign, through prayer, you'll be reminded that it's up to God to accomplish your campaign results once you've done all you could reasonably do. Being reminded that God is the one who provides will take the pressure off if you decide you can't give as much as you want as well. It will also help those with a campaign to rest in the thought that God will provide what they need. If you're about to head far from home to make a difference you likely have many cares. You're doing your best not to worry about safety, your health and the desire to do all you can. Prayer about all these concerns will give you renewed confidence that God will take care of you while you take care of others.

Prayer Changes Attitudes
Prayer for crowdfunding-related causes will change your viewpoints and attitudes. Sincerely pray for a difficult co-worker--as hard as that is--and your attitude towards them will begin to shift. You'll see them as someone who’s broken like yourself. Someone with hurts and needs like yourself. Someone who desperately needs God to fill the void in their lives, that only He can satisfy, just like yourself. The same will happen when you start to pray in the scope of Christian crowdfunding. You'll find the temptation towards indifference replaced with a sincere concern to make an impact that will last. You'll find compassion for others you didn't previously have.

Because God Answers
Does God always answer prayer like we want Him to regarding Christian crowdfunding? No. You may not raise as much as you'd hoped. You may at points be unable to give even though you badly want to do so. You may become too sick to travel. But does God answer prayers? Absolutely.  There is a type of answer God gives that sometimes seems like no answer at all. These scenarios can be tough even though God is no less faithful during those times.  There are other moments you can almost see the hand of God come down and do incredible things in ways you never imagined.  God is intimately involved in both kinds of situations.  People get into the debate about whether God could be moved to do something because of prayer.  Besides the scriptural support that He can, here is an everyday example:  As a child, parent or grandparent, were you ever moved to action because someone you loved asked something of you?  There is no one with a love that comes anywhere close to your Heavenly Father.  His heart is rich, full of compassion and tender. Could a heart like that be moved?  A better question to ask is how could it not?  So, as you seek to make a difference, don't forget the most important part--Prayer.
Without that vital component, God's power will be missing. Without it, the opportunity to make an eternal difference will be lost.

When it comes to Christian crowdfunding, make a commitment to pray, keep going and to never give up. God will surely take care of the rest!