Fundraising Ideas

Ideas for your church fundraisers from other churches in the Pacific Northwest.

Lynden UMC reports: “Each year our women hold a potato feed after church. All proceeds are used toward our sponsorship.”

Sue Ostrom from Moscow UMC reports: “We celebrate Africa Day once a year. A marimba band plays for all the hymns, we use African prayers, the choir sings African songs, and we share about both Jamaa Letu and Africa University. The altar is covered with African fabrics and whatever other African items we have available. The  mission committee hosts coffee hour and sells treats.  We usually raise enough to pay for our support of our child at Jamma Letu and our Africa University apportionment. It is a high energy, festive day that people look forward to.”

Susan Tollefson, Lay Leader from Brownsville UMC, shares: “We use second mile giving by putting out an African basket on Communion Sundays, the first Sunday of each month, for our church family to place an additional offering for Hope for the Children of Africa and another local charity.  Over the year it adds up!

We invited Barbara Dadd Shaffer, HFCA Co-Chair, to attend our Annual Bazaar this past November where she talked to us about Jamaa Letu I and II. Barbara also gave the worship message on Sunday. Our bazaar had a mission emphasis. We sold fair trade coffee and chocolate, and Barbara brought clothing and crafts from the Women’s Economic Development Center in South Congo for sale with all UMW proceeds going to missions!”

What are the possibilities?

  1. Have your church do a special offering.
  2. Enlist the help of your Youth Group for a car-wash, bake sale, or other fundraiser.
  3. Ask your families to empty their coins into a large jar every Sunday.
  4. Invite a speaker from the HFCA Task Force for a Mission Minute, as a dinner speaker or for your UMW/UMM group.
  5. Sponsor a pancake breakfast with a free will offering for the Orphanage.
  6. Donate in the name of your loved one.  Download and print the Christmas Gift Card or Generic Gift Card and give it to loved ones for Christmas. Go to Seasonal Giving for full details.

Hope for the Children of Africa Task Force and Ministry of the Pacific NW Conference of the United Methodist Church