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Fundraising for DTS

If you are planning on attending a DTS in Sendai, but you don't have the finances for it, you're in good company! People have done DTSes all over the world throughout the years not knowing how they will afford it. But God is our provider! If He is leading you to do a DTS in Japan, He is more than capable of providing all you need!

The most important thing for you to do is to pray! Before thinking about how to get your finances together, you need to know who is providing for you. In many ways, your DTS starts now!

With that said, we hope you will find the following fundraising tips useful.

Contact List​

We recommend making a list of all your friends, family, church members and contacts, and gather their emails, social network IDs, addresses, and phone numbers. Good communication is essential for fundraising, so be ready to communicate a lot in many ways!

Write Letter / Pamphlet​

First, write out your reasons why you feel God is calling you to DTS in Japan. (Being able to clearly state your reasons for wanting to come to Japan is very important in helping people want to support you in your goal.) Include your testimony of how God has spoken to you, scriptures, confirmations, etc. Include activities you will be doing, and how you personally will be serving.

Secondly, you can share about the need for Christ in Japan. (You can find some points here, or you can do your own research.)

In the letter, put the total amount you will need, including Lecture Phase fee, estimated Outreach Phase amount, and estimated airfare to and from Japan. Then make an appeal for people to help you raise these costs by donating. (You can also include a sentence about your own efforts to save money via working, fundraising, etc, but despite these efforts, you still need help.) Make sure you give specific details about how people can send you money - the address, bank details and any specific instructions. (Most people like to receive a tax deduction. Please see the following section.)

Your letter should be 1 - 2 pages maximum in length. We recommend your letter have at least one picture in it (more is better), and that you break up the text into frequent paragraphs (a huge block of words might be overwhelming for people to read on a busy day). Consider giving clear titles to sections of your letter. For example: My story: Why Japan? What’s Next? How you can help! You can go online and grab some photos of Japan that might make the letter more interesting. Send the letter to everyone you know - church, family, friends, your parents’ friends, etc. Even non-Christian friends and family who love you may wish to help.

Receiving Donations​

Make sure you set up different ways where people can easily donate to you and communicate this clearly. Here are some ideas to help you:

Church​

Many people like to receive tax benefits when donating (e.g. Gift-Aid in the UK, or a tax deduction in the US) so perhaps your church will allow you to have donations sent through them. Check into this possibility when you meet with the pastor or missions director at your church (more about that later).

Other Payment Options​

If people don’t care much about Gift-Aid or a tax deductible receipt, you can also open an account with PayPal or Wise. Or people may simply prefer to set up bank transfers! Supporters really appreciate options that are familiar and convenient! Make sure to list every way people can give to you somewhere (on a website or blog).

Regular Updates​

After you send your letter, you can also post updates on social media, write blog posts, and/or send email newsletters to keep people informed on how your support is coming in (e.g. "I only need ¥50,000 more” or, “¥70,000 has been pledged so far" etc). This will encourage people who were intending to give (but who have forgotten) that there is still a need and they could still help. Be sure to let people know that you need their prayers, too, and include any miracle stories that happen. That really encourages people that God is helping you, and that going to Japan is His idea.

Also include things that aren’t related to money, like what God is doing in your life, a verse from your quiet time that meant something, or a bit of personal news. These follow up updates can be short - a few sentences or paragraphs are fine. Thank people for their prayers and never be pushy about money. It is God that supports you.

We highly recommend you set up your own blog (e.g. Medium) or social network accounts (Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube). From there you can post pictures or videos and journal about your journey of getting to Japan, and your adventures once there.

Thankfulness and Good Manners​

If someone replies to your updates, write them back. Also, it is very important to personally thank supporters with at least a thank you message -- a video call or physical card is even better! A little appreciation goes a long way. Be sure to share personal stories and news, too, not just ministry or financial needs. As God does new things in your life, share these, because the Lord wants to use your stories to bless and encourage others.

Involving your church​

Meet with your pastor/missions board/youth pastor or whoever is most appropriate at your home church. Explain that you have a desire to train in Japan with YWAM. Ask if they have any advice regarding obtaining prayer and possible financial support from the church. Here are some things that can be done:

  • During a Sunday service, the pastor can interview you about your plans, (or they may simply share what you are doing), and ask for the congregation to pray over you or even take up an offering. This would be a good opportunity to announce a fundraiser you are planning and ask the people to support you in that. (Hopefully your church can pray over you again right before you leave for Japan, so the congregation sends you out officially with prayer.) It is really nice to involve your church so they feel part of the process – it gives them the opportunity to know what you are doing, pray for you, perhaps even support you.
  • You can do fundraising with your church's permission after a service, with a bake sale, car wash, or whatever works well in your area. Ask around or search online for fundraising ideas that may work for you. Pray for creativity! At each fundraising event, make sure you have some sort of display - some photos on a display board, a sign, or something, which captures what you’ll be doing in Japan.
  • Try a fundraising campaign where you set up a chart that measures your support progress. Let people know the amount you need to raise monthly in total (the amount agreed upon with your receiving YWAM location). Set a goal of raising 100 friends to support you at ¥1,000 per month (or similar in your local currency). Design the chart to show your progress throughout the fundraising drive (perhaps include a moveable, humourous, cut-out photo of you climbing a “fundraising mountain” which indicates your progress). Just about anybody can give ¥2,000! If you have a large community, this could be a good way to reach your goal. Be sure to let people know that larger pledges are OK, too!
  • Involve your family and friends or youth/small group in your fundraisers for extra help. If any of them can commit to helping you, utilise them for developing ideas and practical help in your fundraising events. Have a “thank you” for them before leaving for Japan by inviting them to a thank you dinner, or something similar. Vocalise your appreciation for them often (and publicly at events that they are helping you with).
  • You can ask home group or student group leaders if you can visit an upcoming group meeting, share your heart, and have them pray over you. Be honest that you need to raise funds, and ask if you can share about your needs. The leader could then ask the group to consider adopting you as their missionary for a period of time, or taking up an offering for you. Because of video calling, you can continue to share at these group meetings even after you are in Japan.
  • You can host a meeting in your home (or somewhere) where you invite people you know, show photos on a projector screen, and share about your desire to go to Japan, and why. (You can even visit our YWAM Sendai website and show our Why Japan? video to help present the need in Japan.) Plan to have someone share about your financial and other needs and ask people to pray for you, and possibly take up an offering, etc. It is sometimes a good idea to have someone else make the financial appeal because it is usually easier to boldly ask for someone else, but difficult to ask for ourselves!
  • Sometimes a church will support you directly. Each church has its own process, but you could ask the appropriate person if you could be considered for the church's support. They may ask for you to meet with them and share. It is important that you be well prepared: have information on YWAM and Japan and be ready to share what you will be doing and the costs involved, as well as your long-term vision, if it is connected to mission. Tell your testimony and what you feel God is calling you to do. You should be prepared to share for at least 10 minutes (this sort of preparation is important for the other meetings mentioned too.)
  • At any meeting or fundraising effort you do, it is important to have a notebook or clipboard sign-up sheet with which you can take down names, emails, social network IDs and addresses of people you meet. If someone stops and takes the time to ask you some questions, ask if you can add them to your newsletter list (inform your friends helping you to do the same with anyone who talks with them). Pass a clipboard around the room at meetings, etc. God will bring people across your path to support you both in prayer and finances.
  • It is also sometimes appropriate and Biblical to ask directly for support in a conversation. In the New Testament, there are many passages where Paul asks for support for missions! We recommend the following approach: If you have relationship with someone who believes in what you are doing, it is ok to simply ask, “would you pray about supporting me to train/serve in Japan?” They will most likely say they will pray about it, or they may say no. Never be pushy or manipulate in any way. If they say they can’t, then graciously say something like, “I completely understand. I felt like God is challenging me to ask different people about this, but I also know that He is the One who will provide for it, if it is really his idea.” Then you can just change the subject. If they seem open to the idea, you can share about your fundraising process, and what you still need to raise. Graciously thank them for even considering it, and say you understand completely if they decide not to give at this time. Some people may not have money to give but could give you their time in helping you with different projects or fundraisers, and in being part of your prayer support, too. Remember to never look at people as the source of your fundraising!

We can recommend a few books: Daring to Live on the Edge by Loren Cunningham (great stories and principles for walking by faith) and Friend Raising by Betty Barnett (principles and practical advice). These should be available on the Internet through YWAM Publishing, Christian Book Distributors, or maybe in local Christian bookstores.

Here are two articles that may also be helpful for you too:

A few more points​

Because it is God who is your source, do not worry or stress over your finances. God is very capable of providing for all His plans for us. He often uses these trials of faith in our lives to reveal things in our hearts - doubt and unbelief that God can provide, fear of asking for help, feeling unworthy of people’s help, or guilt about past sins... and a million other things. Spend time in the Word and listen to God when you are feeling anxious, and meditate on Scriptures that encourage your faith. Allow God access to your heart if issues come up, because this is also His desire. These issues will continually be a problem in your walk with God, so in His mercy, He lets them be exposed so that He can heal your image of Him, your image of yourself as His precious son or daughter, or deal with some other sin that will certainly hinder your pursuit of Him. Read James 1:3-4.

Don't forget to be generous as well, because God's principles of giving and receiving, and sowing and reaping are very important. You will not be earning his provision by being generous - but if you are obedient and operate by Kingdom principles, He can bless you more and more. Use a study Bible and find scriptures on how God provides, and really stand on these promises. Read 2 Corinthians 9:6-11 and Mark 10:28-30.

Don’t be passive! If God is calling you to Japan now, He will certainly pay for it! It will be a confirmation of His will when the funds begin coming in. However, He will often ask you to step out in faith before the funds come in. If we wait passively for money to be in hand before turning in our application, or before taking steps of faith toward moving to Japan, often the funds will not come in because the Lord is moved by our faith, which requires some action, too. If you believe that God is calling you to Japan, then step out in faith in the application process, and take the steps required as if the funds were definitely coming in. This puts you in an active position of faith. By applying the above principles of prayer, standing on God’s promises, asking Him for steps of faith and obedience (like giving to others, or practical fundraising efforts) and then taking those steps, we have personally seen God move sovereignly again and again to provide.