Community Engagement
Introduction
Welcome back! In this section, we will discuss how to connect the vision we worked on in the vision section to our budgets and how we invite donors into those visions. We will learn some fundraising tools as well. Let’s dive in!
Tool: Budget connected to vision
Here are some things that we need to include in our budgeting process:
Knowing Our Ministry and Our Vision
The Lord continues to provide all we need to carry on the vision he gives to each of our communities. He provides leaders, adults, and financial resources. As we continue to ask him to give us the dream he has for our places of work, we get the chance to see him provide for each of the needs. We get the opportunity to be stewards of his resources, and also we get the opportunity to invite others to be part of this God-given dream.
Knowing our Dates & Rhythms
Even though every country has a different fiscal year that is fixed by the local government, we budget based on our mission-wide budgeting year and that is October 1 to September 30 of each year.
Knowing Our Sources of Income
Our last year’s donations and current year’s donations in the U.S. – we need to be able to know and understand who our donors are and how much they give us – do they give monthly? Do they give once a year? We want to have this information available to know how much we can count on – this is our baseline for next year. It is always a good practice to have your up-to-date PPL match what you enter as donations coming in.
Our last year’s donations and current year’s donations locally – we also want to know the same information when it comes to those who give to our ministry in-country. Need to match your local PPL
What other sources of funding do we have? Do we have DGL funds, internal transfers, other contributions that we know we will be getting? Do we have funds that come in donations from expeditions, etc. Do we have any matching funds that are tied to fundraising? We want to get the fullest picture of where our revenue is coming from.
How do our camps get funded? Where do the funds come from?
Knowing Our Expenses
Salaries & Payroll - It’s important for us to know how much the total cost of our paid staff is. Also, we need to make sure we are including new hires that we are planning to have in the next fiscal year.
Our operating expenses – this is tied to the regular aspects that help us carry our mission of getting to the Next kid – knowing how to understand how we spent our funds in the previous year and how we see the growth of next year changing that. The operating budget gives us a chance to capture various categories, organizing them by each area of supervision.
- What do we need to train our leaders?
- How many clubs do we currently have and how many will we open? Do we have expenses for program?
- Are there any legal fees or contracted services that we must pay? Do we have office expenses, etc.?
- What about expenses related to the care of our donors, or trips for supervision that we need to take?
Our Camp expenses – what are the different expenses that help us take a kid to camp (transportation, program, lodging, food, etc.)
It is important to review again, and ask ourselves if we have included everything related to the ministry we will carry out next year. Are there new places to open? Is there a new country – will we start visiting a new neighborhood.
See Budget Template
Personal Reflection and Discussion
Spend some time reflecting on the vision you worked on in the Vision sections. This section will help you be better at sharing your vision with others - especially donors.
- Personal reflection: Spend some time in personal reflections in a journal on the questions below:
- “What problems are adolescents facing that Young Life meets?” – Some of these may seem obvious, but they are worth noting.
- “How does Young Life meet these needs?” – Again, these may seem to go without saying, but we should reflect on these as well.
- “Why do I do Young Life?” – This will ensure the ministry vision is woven together with your own passion, desire, and calling.
- “How would I describe the ministry in its current state” – This will ensure the ministry vision is grounded in the reality of where you are today.
- “How would I describe the ministry in its ideal future state” – This will ensure the ministry vision reflects your and God’s dream, hopes, and place.
- “What will it take to get the ministry from its current state to its future state?” – This will help to craft the ministry strategies that will help the ministry reach its ideal state.
- Discussion and Action: Draft a paragraph of your Ministry Vision inspired by your time of reflection. We hope your Ministry Vision captures your passion and direction of the ministry along with any strategic planning or Area/Regional direction you’ve been given. Share a copy of your paragraph in the discussion box below
- Action: Share your Ministry Vision with your supervisor, friends, and family who can give you feedback on whether it is clear, concise, and compelling! With the feedback you receive, continue to refine and practice your ministry vision.
- Follow Rebe’s steps to create your budget?
Outline Guide
Now that you have a clear, concise and compelling ministry vision as well as the budget, it’s time to write down an outline of what you would say to invite someone to support you financially. You can follow this as guide:
- Greetings and focus on the relationship - Show interest in the other person. Thank you for the time to talk.
- Share the need or problem - talk about the reality of adolescents in your geography, what is the need that they have? You can include some statistics that reflect that problem, for example # of kids that committed or attempted to commit suicide, # of teen moms, gang issues, loneliness, etc...
- Present the solution - Share your ministry vision. How is YL trying to solve that problem? Share the story of the transformation of a kid. Include ministry statistics and plans.
- Describe your role - Mention how you came to confirm the call to work in the ministry, why you decided to dedicate your life to it and describe the functions that your role involves.
- Invite to join your team/community of supporters - Talk about how much the plans cost and extend the invitation. Would you like to be part of our team of financial partners? With how much? How often? When will you start? Payment method. Ask for referrals.
- Invite someone that you trust to partner with you financially and ask them for feedback.
- During the next 6 months invite 30 people to become one of your ministry financial partners (this will help you “build the muscle” of engaging financial partners and add people to your team of financial partners). Build a strategy for accountability with your supervisor.
Donor Care
“When we ask people for money to strengthen or expand the work of the Kingdom, we are also inviting them into a new spiritual communion…
When fund-raising as a ministry calls people together in communion with God and with one another, it must hold out the real possibility of friendship and community. People have such a need for friendship and for community that fund-raising has to be community-building. I wonder how many churches and charitable organizations realize that community is one of the greatest gifts they have to offer. If we ask for money, it means that we offer a new fellowship, a new brother- hood, a new sisterhood, a new way of belonging. We have something to offer: friendship, prayer, peace, love, fidelity, affection, ministry with those in need, and these things are so valuable that people are willing to make their resources available to sustain them. Fund-raising must always aim to create new, lasting relationships.” Henri Nouwen, A Spirituality of Fundraising.
To build those lasting relationships with our financial partners is important to be intentional about staying in communication with them to celebrate what God is doing through our ministry, to share challenges we are facing, to thank them for their partnership, to care for them and really make them feel as the real partner they are in the mission with us.
This aspect of donor care and communication is ample, and we will give go in more detail in future conversations. For now, you can see examples of activities you can do throughout the year to be intentional about staying in a relationship with your financial partners:
Hong Kong
Columbia
Call to Action
- Take a moment right now to show gratitude to one of your current financial partners.
- Create a calendar of donor care activities that you would start putting into practice.
- Share your calendar with your supervisor.
