Ideas for Finding Teachers & Raising Funds for Your Program

The best place to find teachers and volunteers for your Release Time program is among those you know personally. But, if your circle of acquaintances are already over booked so to speak, then here are a few suggestions for finding help…

Finding Help! . . .

  1. Christian Education professionals at local area churches.

  2. Bible Colleges in your area.

  3. Bible classes conducted during the day.

  4. Moms In Touch programs.

  5. Parents who are home schooling their children.

  6. The Child Evangelism Fellowship ministry in your area. This ministry also provides training for Christian teachers. Contact them at. . . 1-800-300-4033 P.O. Box 348, Warrenton, Mo. 63383-0348

Fund Raising Ideas . . .

  1. Jog – Athon / Have people in your area sponsor children for a Jog-Athon. You can hold this event at a local church. Simply have children jog laps around the church, and the sponsor will donate $____ per lap!
  2. Start a "Sponsor – A – Student" program / Allow individuals to donate a certain amount of money per student they wish to sponsor. For example – figure out what it costs to take one student through the program for one school year, or one semester (how ever long your program runs). The donors can donate that amount multiplied by how many students they wish to sponsor. Keep records and send out updates to sponsors.
  3. Hold a Dinner Banquet / You can get food donated from various businesses, or check for a "Bread of Life" ministry in your area. This type of ministry not only provides food for the needy, but also provides food (anything from meat and bread to drinks and candy) for any church or ministry with a tax-exempt number to use for their events and fundraisers! It’s worth checking out!
  4. Ice Cream Social / Same as concept #3.
  5. Newspaper drive / Aluminum can drive / Collect these items from your neighbors and take them to a recycling center. You can send out flyers ahead of time and tell people to set these items outside on a certain day for you to pick up. They need not even be home!
  6. Community Car Wash / Find a business that will allow you to use their water supply. Most fast food restaurants will do this because it increases their business. Make up poster board signs that say "Car Wash" and the cars will roll in!
  7. Yard Sales or Rummage Sales / Churches do these all the time and they work out well for them. Choose a visible place and advertise in the local news paper and community news portion of the local television news broadcasts. Let it be clear that this is for a fundraiser and name the organization it will benefit.

 

Doing fundraisers like these will not only raise money for your program, but will also create awareness about your program in the community. Consider having your local news paper or television news program come out and do a story on it.

You can also usually advertise your events free of charge in the community section of your newspaper, and on the community calendar of your local television and radio stations.

If you are looking for different and unique ways to raise funds for your program, look around you to other ministries in the area and even your public schools. Observe what different ideas they have come up with and try those.

Other Great Helpful Ideas. . .

There are several more great helpful ideas to promote your program. Listed below are just a few ideas you can put to use. . .

 

  1. Make up flyers / Flyers are a good way of letting people know about your ministry and also about your needs and progress. Flyers can be passed out at community functions such as County Fairs. Some things you may want to include in your flyer are as follows. . .

  1. Name and function of your ministry as well as where it is held and who it benefits.

  2. List what is taught and why.

  3. Make a list of what your needs are. For example, list the costs involved, the supplies you use and so on. Also make note of where and how donations can be made.

  4. Make sure to include contact information. Your name and phone, address and email.

  

2) Send out Thank-You’s / Keep records of who donates what to your program complete with names, phone numbers and addresses. Follow up with a proper thank you note or letter. You may also include the progress the program is making and add any praise reports. Never forget to send a thank you! The point of doing this is not only to thank those who contributed, but to also keep your program in the forefronts of their minds for future donations. Thanking them publicly in the community news section of the local paper is a good way to do that as well. Be careful though, not to forget anyone when putting his or her names or organizations in the paper! If you have trouble remembering who donated, just put a generic thank you in the paper to "ALL SUPPORTERS" and "ALL WHO DONATED".