Camp Daniel Fundraising Resources

Whether you are a Summer Intern, Counselor-in-Training (CIT), or a group leader who will be bringing volunteers to camp, we want to provide you with the resources that help you raise money for your short-term mission trip to Camp Daniel.

All the staff members at Camp Daniel are missionaries to people with disabilities and raise their own financial support. Our mission is to minister to the people who live in the disability culture. This mission is fulfilled by all positions at camp, thus your time at Camp Daniel is a short-term mission trip. The process of fundraising is a fundamental part of being a missionary and your experience at Camp Daniel. With that said, we encourage you to embrace the fundraising process.

If you need any help with fundraising for your trip to Camp Daniel, contact Evan Hartwig at evan@campdaniel.org. He will help you get connected with the resources to assist you.

Three Step Process

Here is an easy three-step process that past participants have followed during their time at Camp Daniel.

Support Letter

To begin raising support, you will need to write and send out a Support Letter. This is a one-page letter that engages your potential supporters on a personal level. It is very important to make the personal connection and one of the best ways to do this is to engage the readers in a story. Topics you should talk about in your letter are: who you are; how God is working in your life; the impact Camp Daniel and/or the disability community has had on your life (if this is not your first time at camp); your journey to making your decision to participate in the program; and to make a direct ask for financial, emotional, and spiritual support. Before you send out your letter, you need to have it proof read, edited, and if you are an intern, it needs to be approved by the Financial Manager.

* More information is provided about this step further down the page in the Support Letter Process.*

Social Media Campaign/Blog

To help continue telling your story and engaging your supporters, it is also a good idea to stay connected with supports throughout your time at camp. A few ways to do this is to start a blog or have them connect with you on social media. This will allow your potential supporters to follow you and keep updated on how you are doing. From a financial standpoint, this will also show your supporters that their money is going to a good cause and will increase your chances that they will support you in future missions.

* More information is provided about this step further down the page in the Social Media Fundraising.*

Thank You Letters

Arguably, the most important step is to send out thank you letters or find another way to say thank you for the financial, emotional, and spiritual support that your supporters have given. Saying thank you will always go a long way with those who have supported you. If you do not say thank you, the testimony you claim to have will have little to no effect on those that supported you.

Support Letter Process

To begin raising support, you will need to write and send out a Support Letter. This is a one-page letter that engages your potential supporters on a personal level. It is very important to make the personal connection and one of the best ways to do this is to engage the readers in a story. Topics you should talk about in your letter are: who you are; how God is working in your life; the impact Camp Daniel and/or the disability community has had on your life; your journey to making your decision to participate in your program (Summer Internship, CIT, etc.); and to make a direct ask for financial, emotional, and spiritual support. Before you send out your letter, you need to have it proof read, edited, and approved by Evan Hartwig.

Once you are approved, you will be able to send out your support letter. Along with your letter, you need to include the Donation Slip (found further down the page). It provides information to potential donors about how they can support you. Camp Daniel is a non-profit 501(c)-3 organization, which means that all donations are tax deductible. When a donor wants to support you, they will be able to use it as a tax write-off and pay less in taxes because they gave you money. For them to receive this credit, they need to send the money to Camp Daniel in your name or make an online donation through your Personal Fundraising Page. This means that when writing checks, they make the checks payable to “Camp Daniel” and then write your name in the memo line. A receipt will be mailed to the donor for each donation. This process is also explained on the slip itself.

It is also recommended to include a pre-stamped envelope with camp’s address on it. The purpose behind including this with the Donation Slip and your Support Letter is to make it simple for your potential donor to send financial support. This will increase the possibility that they will support you.

If you would like more information on how the giving process works, contact the Evan Hartwig at evan@campdaniel.org.

Letter Requirements:

Letters should be 1-2 pages (Quality over Quantity)
Engage the readers in a story
Include 2-3 meaningful pictures that are relevant to your writing

Include with Letter:

Donation Slip (edit the highlighted areas on the slip before printing)
Pre-stamped and addressed return envelope (optional)

Personal Fundraising Page

New this year, we have the ability to create Personal Fundraising Pages on your behalf to help with the fundraising process. Often times individuals who have fundraised for their trip to Camp Daniel, they would create a GoFundMe page. The problem we have with using GoFundMe is that they take a percentage of the money you raise and the individuals who donate to who don’t get a receipt from Camp Daniel for their donation. To solve this problem, we will create a Personal Fundraising Page for you that will work similarly to GoFundMe! For an example, take a look at 2018 Summer Intern Maddie Kocian’s page www.campdaniel.org/maddie-kocian!

All Personal Fundraising Pages are created by Evan Hartwig, our lead web developer. He will use your support letter and pictures provided by you to create your page. For more information about how the Personal Fundraising Page work, contact Evan at evan@campdaniel.org

So Don't Use GoFundMe

Downloads & Links

Donation Slip

Support Letter Examples

Social Media Fundraising

For Camp Daniel Programs

Fundraising is challenging, but that’s a good thing – you’ll grow through it, and you’ll know God more as you see Him provide. Don’t limit God or your fundraising methods! Here are some social media guidelines and tips to consider while working through your fundraising process.

Advantages

Broader Audience

An excellent advantage to raising money through social media is the way it can broaden the number of people who are informed about why you are raising funds. Many people whom you might not keep in touch with on a regular basis may still have a desire to be involved with you on this journey.

Fast & Ongoing Communication

Promoting your trip through social media is a quick way to spread the word that people can be involved. Social media is also a great way to keep people posted as you go.

Disadvantages

Less Personal

A key element to raising support for you mission trip is relationship. Fundraising is about so much more than promoting a cause or reaching a goal: it’s about people coming together to serve God.

Tips Tips Tips!

Share Your Story

Building and sharing the story of what you are doing and why you are doing it is the most important factor in a successful fundraising campaign. Let people in on why you're doing this program, why you need their support and what you'll do with it. Be transparent with your supporters about what your goal for the trip is and how their donation will help you accomplish it.

Add Photos

We all know that a picture is worth a thousand words, so use them to help tell your story. Include pictures of yourself, where you're going and what you'll be doing in your social media posts

Get People to Share

We all have an inner circle of people who love and support us – they'll be the foundation of your fundraising efforts. Get them excited about sharing your mission story on their social media.

A Lazy Solution

It won’t be enough to just promote your mission trip through social media platforms. Social media is the easiest way to get the word out to lots of people at once, but easy doesn’t always mean effective. Don’t shy away from the hard work of communicating with individuals, and writing your support letter.

One-on-One Meetings

Set up meetings one-on-one with people to share what God has called you to do and invite them to partner with you. People who have relationship with you will want to be a part of what you are doing.

Follow Up

It’s not uncommon when asking someone to support your mission trip to get a response along these lines: “Oh, yes! We want to give – let me talk to my husband about the amount, and I’ll get back to you.” It’s so great to have people eager to give, but it’s very important that you follow up with them. People are busy and can easily forget.