As a cold front seems to have hit most of the East Coast my fb news feed is all talk of weather. Pictures of weather forecasts, thermometers, and memes about being cold. Talk of weather forecasters and how well they do their jobs. Will there be snow? How much? When?
Yes, it is freezing in a lot of the country. There are also a lot of people that do not have shelter, warm clothes or warm food for their bellies. Let’s keep our eyes open for those we can help as we go through our day. Those we can buy a jacket or hat and gloves for. Maybe get some blankets and leave them with a homeless shelter. Talk to your family about what random acts of kindness you can be a part of . Yes, it’s nice to buy the guy behind us a coffee at Dunkin’s it can make someone’s day, but they are in a car, getting ready to buy a coffee they can afford. Today let’s clean out our closets, grab some our extra socks, blankets, jackets and get to work.
If you want to do even more -start a campaign on GiveSendGo and raise money for your local shelters or to go and buy supplies to hand out. Make it a family, work or neighborhood project. Together we can make a difference. Together we can share hope.
Pray for your Mission: Ask others to as well. God planted a seed in you to see a change take place. Ask Him to bless it. Money is no issue for God. Don’t make your campaign simply about how much money you can raise. Use your campaign to deepen your trust in God’s provision and to invite others into the life-changing work He’s doing!
Share a Story, Not a Campaign: The more people connect to your story, the more likely they’ll give. Don’t just give the who, what and where. Make sure you invite people into the WHY. What difference can they make if they donate to your campaign? People are looking for a way to change the world. Invite them to be a part of something big. Write your story to engage those who don’t already know you. Use pictures and details that will compel others to want to be a part of your mission.
Who is Your Crowd? Most of your crowd will be family and friends, co-workers, etc. Before you even launch your campaign, make a list of potential Givers. Include their email, Facebook, Twitter, phone numbers and any other contact points. Then when you go live, use this list often to share what’s happening with your campaign. Use all different forms of contact and reach out to people individually. Personally Invite 10-20 First-Day Givers. Crowds are more likely to follow what they see other people doing. If they see that you have early, excited Givers, they will be more likely to give to you too.
Keep Your Target Goal Attainable: Yes, it’s easy to set a high goal. In reality, your Givers will be less likely to donate to a mission that is not likely to hit your goal. Here's the reality: On average, only 10-30% of your crowd will actually contribute to your project. They’ll give an average of $50. And you will need to contact them directly multiple times just to see that 10-30%. If you send out ONLY Facebook blasts, that number shrinks to between 1-5%. So, set your funding target based on how much you can realistically raise rather than simply choosing the amount you desire.
Share, Share, Share! Believe it or not, most people aren’t refusing to give because they don’t believe in you. Many people procrastinate. That's why we encourage you to share seven or more "asks". People want to help but they just need to be reminded.
It’s important to promote your project as soon as it’s enabled. Then keep it up. Send encouraging messages to your crowd every few days and you will see results. Use email and direct Facebook messages to ask for donations. Use the Update tab to inform your followers on where you’re at and what’s happening with your mission. Ask them to continue spreading the word.
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This morning, Tuesday January 2nd, 2018, a six alarm fire tore through an apartment building in the Bronx, killing 12 people and displacing many more. The news articles say that it was a little child that accidentally started the fire. Of course the comments go from heartfelt condolences to people needing to make sure everyone knows that child should have been watched better.
My heart hurts for those who lost someone in this fire. If you read the news articles about this fire, you will hear of heroes, a soldier, and people that stepped up and put themselves in harms way to try to help during this devastating situation.
I think of the families of the ones that lost their lives. One minute celebrating the New Year and all the exciting things planned, a clean slate, a fresh start. The next minute plunged into grief and indescribable agony as their world has been torn apart.
At GiveSendGo we see first hand how stories like these are happening all around the world, tragic, sad, unbelievable. We see campaigns started for people that have been dealt a horrible hand during this season of their lives. We often cry and pray over the campaigns that come in, as we hear of children passing away too soon and medical bills needing to be covered. We share campaign stories of deadly and horrific accidents that have taken place where donating to financial needs is the only thing that might bring a little hope to the situation.
We remind people that despite all the bad news, that there is hope, and that hope is Jesus. He doesn't step in and take all the heartache and tragedy away. We don't always understand why and often won't ever know the answer to the "why?" questions we find ourselves asking. We just know that Jesus does offer Hope. Hope for tomorrow. Hope that we will make it through this life -not unscathed but loved. Hope that we can have a relationship with God. Hope that we will one day see Him face to face.
Today let us change our New Year's Resolution list. Move losing weight, and finding a new job down a notch on our list. Let's add "Share the hope of Jesus" to our #1 spot. Let's not wait until tragedy strikes. Let's be introducing people to Jesus EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.
