It happens often with mission teams where participants have to raise financial support. There is at least one person who struggles to get in all of their funds. They sincerely want to go. You want them to go, but now it’s time to buy their airfare and they don’t have enough money to cover it. What do you do? Or they covered their airfare but it’s two weeks out from the trip and they are still short, then what? As a trip organizer, here are some tips that can help you deal with these difficult situations.
Be proactive. Do everything you can up front to help your participants raise the needed funds. This includes providing sample support letters, fund raising ideas, social media tools, and other resources. Don’t assume that they know how to raise money.
Have clear deadlines with a cushion. Make sure participants know when each portion of their funds is due. Build some time into this. If you know you need half of the money on a certain date to buy the airline tickets, then set a deadline at least five days before that. Some people wait until the last minute to do everything. Don’t let their procrastination make it difficult for you. Make sure your deadlines are clear and that they have a cushion built in.
Monitor the financial status of your participants. Don’t wait until it is time to buy airfare to realize that he or she doesn’t have the money. Regularly check to see how their support raising is going. Offer advice and encouragement to those who seem to be struggling. If you have someone who has organized a group of people to go with you, enlist his or her help to monitor their team members.
Establish a policy on “fronting” money. As a general rule, it is not advisable for your church or organization to put up money for participants on the hopes that they will raise it. Far too often it is the organization that gets stuck holding the bag. It is best to always keep the responsibility on the individual to find a way to come up with the funds. If it is time to incur an expense for the person, like buying airfare, don’t do it unless the money is there. Whatever policy you do establish on this, make sure that it is clear to everyone involved.
Finances can be one of those sticky issues when it comes to mission trips. You can, however, avoid many potential problems by being proactive, establishing clear policies and deadlines, and by keeping a close eye on the financial progress of your participants.