There’s Still Time To Organize Your Summer Mission Trip
Whether or not to take your students on a mission trip this summer might seem like a challenging decision this time of year. You’re probably thinking, “Will I even have time to pull it off?”
If you truly desire for you and your students to serve on a mission trip together this summer but are worried that there’s no time to make it happen, let us assure you that there is. Don’t let this stop you from giving your students the opportunity to experience a life-changing mission trip.
Yes, it’s easy for us to say that but we have good reason for it. We’ve been creating mission trips since 1994 and it’s not uncommon for youth leaders to book a last minute mission trip as close as a few weeks before packing up the van and heading out. Now, we don’t suggest that you wait that long. As Summer is approaching, every day is another day gone by. The sooner you make the decision, the better.
So below are critical steps you’ll need to take to pull off a successful mission trip.
REGISTRATION
Ok, you’ve made it this far, so you want to see what it’s going to take to pull off your mission trip. The first thing you’ll need to do is register. When registering for a trip, you’ll have to decide on these three things:
- Location – There are several community types to choose from including Small Town, Small Urban, and Large Urban. We’re serving in over 30 communities this summer and have a great variety of communities to choose from. Also, check out our newest mission trip option to serve on the US/Mexico border with Border Perspective. More info on South Texas Border Trips here.
- Dates – You’ll need to choose the week that you’ll want to go on your trip. An idea might be to look for a trip in July which will buy you more time for planning your trip. Again, dates are limited but we still have options to choose from.
- Group Size – You’ll want to determine the size of the group you want to register for. Remember, it’s always best to book spaces conservatively, so that you are only putting down deposits for individuals who will be going on the trip. You can always add more people if there is space available at your site location, however reducing your number of spaces may cause you to lose out on money down the road.
Note: Locations, trip dates, and capacity is limited and spots are filling up fast. You can view our trips page here.
MISSION TRIP PLANNING
Now that you’ve registered for your trip, you might be feeling overwhelmed but that’s ok. You got this! If fact, we got this together!
Before we point you to some great resources for mission trip planning, we want to highlight that YouthWorks will come alongside and assist you with any struggles you have in planning or preparing for your mission trip. We’re here for you to help with whatever you need. You’re not in this alone!
We’ve created a couple of resources that we’d like to point you to that will make your mission trip planning a lot easier and efficient.
Mission Trip Planning Guidebook – This comprehensive guidebook walks you through the entire process of planning a mission trip. You can receive help with things like:
– Creating a trip budget
– Determining what to charge students
– Planning travel to and from your mission site
This information is crowdsourced from numerous youth workers who have been on YouthWorks trips in the past. It is their best advice on how they plan and fundraise for a mission trip. Our hope is that this guidebook is helpful for you and will free up your time so you can do what you do best, focus on leading your teenagers!
Recruiting Students Guidebook – Getting students signed up can be tricky. This guidebook is divided into three chapters: attracting students, drawing in the best adults for the job, and keeping everyone engaged in the process from beginning to end.
YouthWorks also has other tools in the toolbox that can help you get students signed up. Use LIVE CHAT or call us at 800-968-8504 to contact a Trip Consultant so they can get you options for more resources and help you brainstorm ideas.
PAYING FOR YOUR MISSION TRIP
Ok, you’ve registered for your trip and are now in the process of planning for your mission trip. Another thing to be aware of so you can budget accordingly is the payment plan. Our payment plan is broken down into a couple of payments (depending on when you registered). View our PAYMENT & PAPERWORK INFO page for the breakdown.
FUNDRAISING
Now that we went through the payment plan, you might be starting to wonder “How can I help my students fundraise for their mission trip and get our church or community to get involved and support the mission?” We’re so glad that you asked. We’ve created a brand new guidebook called 30 FUNDRAISING IDEAS.
These will work really well and be easy to pull off, especially when your time is planning time is limited.
YWx Custom Trips
Need a mission trip that’s is more customized to your vision and the needs of your group? Check out our YWx trips. These are custom year-round mission trips for all ages. There will be no other groups with you and no staff at your housing site. YouthWorks will set up all of your service for your trip and provide a designated YW representative. This gives you the flexibility to lead your own programming and evening activities throughout the trip.
We hope you can find a way to serve with your students this summer. Our community partners need volunteers and would love to have you serve alongside them to help meet the needs of the community and participate in the impact God is making.
So join us in serving on a mission trip this summer. God is up to something incredible, and we hope you and your students can be a part of it.
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