How to Create a Great Mission Trip Support Letter

10 WRITING TIPS
1. Keep it short. One page is plenty. Two pages should be your maximum. Quality trumps quantity. 2. Make it look good. First impressions matter. If designing documents isn’t your cup of tea, find a friend who can help. Including a picture of you or your team is an easy win. 3. Proofread it. Errers are fairly noticeabl… and often avoidable. Have someone help you by reading your letter for any errors before you hit PRINT. 4. Be interesting. Share about what you are doing, the place you are going and the people you will be with on your mission trip. Don’t drag out your mission trip support letter with tons of minute details. (YouthWorks provides a Community Info Sheet for each of our communities; you might include some of those details about the community you’re headed to in your support letter.) 5. Make it personal. People want to support you! Don’t send a generic support letter from the team when you can send a personal letter from you. While you might share some details about your team, also include what your hopes, fears and needs are. 6. Don’t forget the details. Where is the mission trip? What are the dates? What will you be doing on your mission trip? Is there a send-off service beforehand? How much money are you trying to raise? If they want to donate money, where do they send it and who are checks made out to? A great way to ask for money is to suggest a couple options for dollar amounts (e.g. “I recommend a gift of $50, $100 or $150, but of course, any amount is more than welcome.”) You should also include whether or not donations are tax deductible. Ask your church if gifts qualify. Also, many qualifying organizations recommend that checks have nothing written on the Memo line as it can jeopardize the gift’s tax deductible status. If the gift qualifies as tax deductible you might write something like this: “Gifts are tax deductible. You can make checks out to ABC Church, but please do not write anything on the Memo line as this could jeopardize your gift’s tax deductible status.” 7. Don’t just write a “fundraising letter.” Support is so much more than people’s money. At the same time, there is nothing to be ashamed about when offering people the opportunity to be generous in supporting your mission trip. If asking for money is part of the support you need, make it secondary to asking for prayer. Even if people can’t contribute financially, they can certainly still support you. 8. Ask for prayer. And be specific when you do. Give them 4 or 5 things they can pray for, for example: the community and ministries you are visiting, your team, your travels, etc. (If you wrote a team covenant, there is probably some great things to pray for in there!) 9. Be humble and respectful. Don’t make the place you’re headed seem destitute in an effort to make your mission trip sound more significant. Remember that Jesus is the hero, not your team. Use language that honors what God is already up to in the place you are headed. Use phrases like, “serve alongside,” “partner with” and “learn from.” 10. Say thank you. A great way to end your mission trip support letter is with gratefulness for the people you are asking to partner with you in this mission trip. Thank them in advance for whatever way they choose to support you.CLICK HERE for more information on serving with YouthWorks!
INSTRUCTIONS FOR SENDING YOUR MISSION TRIP SUPPORT LETTER

Wanting to know more about YouthWorks? Click here to get more information or click here to get registered for your next mission trip.
This post was adapted from content put together by Vonn Dornbush, who is the Pastor of Impact Ministries at Calvary Church in Roseville, MN and has been leading teenagers on mission trips for over 25 years.CLICK HERE for more information on serving with YouthWorks!
____________________________________________________________________________________
Sam Townsend
Sam Townsend loves wooded trails on warm summer days, full conversations over half-price apps and puns that could make a grown man groan. He is a writer, a third-generation footlong hotdog salesman and the Senior High Ministry Pastor at Calvary Church in St. Paul, Minnesota. He’s also a big fan of YouthWorks, where he contributes to theme material creation and blog production.
Top Posts
5 Reasons Every Teen Should Go On A Mission Trip
Mission Trip Fundraising Ideas
How to Create a Fundraising Letter
Summer Mission Trips
Mission trips to over 40 communities
starting at $319 per person!
Search Now
