A guide to fundraising on behalf of

God’s Big Idea

Why? Ask. Thank you!

From Junior Interim Meeting and PYM’s Director of Annual Giving, Jennie Sheeks

Step 1 – Why?

So, why are you trying to raise money? Just for fun? Or because you know the money you raise will support

something you care about?

Step 1 Practice

Try to answer the next three questions. You

can write down your answers or tell them to

a friend.

Why do I care about this?

Why do I hope people will give money

to this?

The first step to fundraising is being able to say why you care about

the group or project or issue that you are raising money for. Before

you ask anyone to give money to something, you should say why you

care about it and why you hope they will support it.

Step 2 – Ask.

No one can read your mind. If you are at Junior Interim Meeting and you want a second piece of pizza at

lunch, Ben won’t know that you want it unless you ask him for a second piece of pizza. The same is true with

Step 2 Practice

Practice asking. You can practice out loud

with a friend or you practice writing a letter

asking people to give money. Remember to

start with telling why you care, why you

hope they will give money, or what will

happen if a lot of people give money to this.

The second step to fundraising is asking people to give money. There are many

different ways to ask. You can send a letter or email, you can make an announcement

at a meeting or event, you can call people on the phone, you can make a big sign, or

you can just ask someone when you see them.

Step 3 – Thank You!

People like to feel appreciated. When you do something nice for someone, it feels good when they say thank

you.

Step 3 Practice

Think of three ways that you would like to

say thank you or include people. You can

write down your ideas or tell them to a

friend.

The third step to fundraising is saying thank you when people give. There are many

different ways to say thank you. You can send a note or an email, you can call on the

phone or say thank you when you see them, or you can make an announcement or a

sign thanking everyone who gave and letting them know how much money was raised

or what was accomplished thanks to their support.

Another great way to say thank you is by finding ways for people to be included in

your project. You can invite them to participate in something related to your project

or you can even organize a party to thank everyone who gave money. Just giving

people updates about your project can make people feel included. When people feel

History

In summer 2011, the children who were able to

attend Annual Sessions of Philadelphia Yearly

Meeting asked themselves, what is God’s Big Idea

for the children of the Yearly Meeting right now?

They broke out into small “monthly meeting”

groups, had time for worship and discernment,

and recorded their callings under the guidance of a

child clerk and secretary. Those “monthly

meetings” then formed “quarterly meetings,” and

after a quarterly meeting minute was decided, the

whole group of children, grades 1-5 met again as a

Yearly Meeting. They compared what they had

heard in their worship, and a unifying Priority

became clear.

www.pym.org/children

The 2011 Children’s Priority:

God’s big idea for us is to make the world a better place and share

our Quaker Faith by treating ALL as our brothers and sisters. We will

do this by raising money and helping those who are hungry and

homeless.

July 30th, 2011

During Junior Interim Meeting, a PYM event held concurrently with

(Adult) Interim Meeting that any K-5th grade members of Philadelphia

Yearly Meeting are invited to attend, kids work to follow up on the

Children’s Priority as a group with hands on activities, learning, worship,

journaling, field trips, and community.

The Opportunity

The Children’s Priority can be an opportunity for individual kids, families,

Monthly Meetings, or schools to focus their attention on one aspect of

God’s Big Idea. Young people may need help with details, but they have

the ideas and drive to follow the priority in the way that they feel called.

One aspect of the Priority is specifically focused on raising money for a

worthy cause. This is one thing we’ll be practicing in Junior Interim

Meeting, but it may be that there is energy to continue this work locally,

perhaps in a meeting or school. In consultation with Philadelphia Yearly

Meeting’s Director of Annual Giving, Jennie Sheeks, we offer this basics

guide as one way to think about the process of fundraising.

Benjamin Camp

Children’s Religious Life Program Coordinator

BCamp@pym.org

215-241-7228