In our last post we touched on three big-picture things that need to be communicated when you conduct information meetings for people interested in your short term mission or humanitarian trip. Today, we focus on some practical details that you also will want to include in these recruiting meetings.

Passports. Provide information on how to obtain a passport. If there is a passport processing center near year, provide that information as well.

Itinerary. People like to have an idea what they will be doing each day. You don’t have to be too detailed, but you do need to let them know what to expect.

Payment details. Make sure it is clear how the finances for the trip are to be handled. If participants are raising funds, make sure it is clear who checks should be written to and where they should be sent.

Extra expenses. Outline what is and is not covered in the trip tuition. What out of pocket items should they be prepared to buy during the trip? Will there be an opportunity to shop for souvenirs?

Deadlines. When is the deposit due? When do all of the funds have to be in?

Applications. Make sure that you have the appropriate paperwork on hand for people to take home and fill out.

Response form. You will want a sign-up sheet, response card or something to capture the names, contact information and interest level of those who are going. If you can collect the legal names and birthdates of those interested, then in some cases your Ministry Travel agent can hold the airline space while people make their decision about going.

Clear next steps. When people leave your information meeting, they should know clearly what you expect them to do next if they want to go.

How to get more information. Ensure that everyone has the name, phone number and email for at least one person that they can contact if they have additional questions or need help getting the application completed.

One final note, be sure to communicate early in the process with your Ministry Travel agent. You should touch base with her or him after your meeting to give an update on your estimated group number and provide the names of those interested in going. Also, let your agent know if any of your potential team members will need a different flight itinerary (if they plan to stay longer or do a layover on the return), want to upgrade to business class, or have other special needs.

While your mission or humanitarian trip may be months away, you know that you have to start recruiting your team as early as possible. Usually that will involve conducting one or more information meetings for those interested in going on the trip. Regardless of where you are going, or the focus of your trip, there are three things that you want to communicate during your information meeting.

The first is vision. You must cast a compelling reason why someone should go on your trip. Just because you are excited about it doesn’t mean others will be! One of the best ways to cast vision is through stories. Share stories of the people’s lives where you will be working and why your trip is so important to them. Remember, names and pictures of faces are much more compelling than statistics. Also, share stories from people who have gone on trips with you before and how their lives were positively impacted.

Second, people need to leave your meeting saying to themselves, “I can do that!” It not only needs to be clear what they will be doing, but potential participants need an idea how they will fund the trip. They might be able to see themselves doing the work, but can’t figure out how they will ever come up with the money to go. So make sure that you touch on fundraising methods during the meeting.

Third, people should leave your information meeting feeling confident in you and your organization. They need to feel that they can trust their well-being to you. Everything that you do during the meeting either helps build confidence in you and your organization or it makes people leery of you. Did you hand out quality materials that looked good and were well written? Were you organized and well prepared for the meeting? Did you have solid answers for the questions that were posed? Did you keep the meeting on pace and exciting? Did you present a clear vision and strategy?

When we cast a clear vision, help people picture themselves on the trip, and instill confidence in people, then more people are inclined to sign-up for our outreach trips. Hit these three targets and your next information meeting will be a big success! In our next post we will examine some of the practical details of trip information meetings.

On this World AIDS Day, there is encouraging news coming from numerous places that progress is being made both to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS and to help those with the disease live longer, fuller lives.

HIV/AIDS is no longer the death sentence that it used to be, especially in impoverished places like much of Africa. Baptist Press (BP) reports that although AIDS claims 4,000 lives in sub-Saharan Africa every day, medicine and ministry are saving many more and allowing people to live lives that a few years ago weren’t possible. “We’ve seen people get up off their sick bed and walk. The greater availability of antiretroviral therapy is saving lives,” said International Mission Board Zambia missionary Troy Lewis in the BP report.

There is greater cooperation today between ministries, churches, non-governmental organizations and governments to educate, test and treat for HIV/AIDS.

Across Africa, ministries that have traditionally focused solely on evangelism and church planting are now including HIV/AIDS education as part of their outreach. e3 Partners Ministry, for example, is a church planting ministry that has broadened into HIV/AIDS education through the development and use of the Hope Cube.

The Hope Cube, similar to an evangelistic tool developed by e3 Partners called the EvangeCube, resembles a Rubik Cube and utilizes pictures to educate and present facts about HIV/AIDS. The Hope Cube simplifies training and makes it easier for more people to get educated about disease prevention and how to care for those who do contract HIV. The ministry also provides mobile HIV testing clinics as part of its short-term church planting campaigns.

In Tanzania, where misinformation about HIV/AIDS is rampant and those infected are often cut off from society, the African Inland Church is beginning to see changes both in behavior and in attitudes towards those with HIV/AIDS. Through its church-centered community development work, the denomination is breaking down barriers that once prevented HIV infected individuals from getting care. They also are teaching micro-business skills to these individuals so that they can financially support themselves.