It's Not About the Money: In Search of Grounded Fundraising

30. Short Term Panel on all things Short Term Fundraising

• Heather Winchell and Andy Brennan • Season 3 • Episode 30

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In this episode of "It's Not About the Money," Andy welcomes special guest co-host Sarah Macy, who steps in for Heather. Together, they delve into the intricacies of short-term fundraising with guests Brynn Holtmeyer and Christine Campanella. Brynn, a junior special ed major at Concordia University, and Christine, a seasoned elementary math teacher, share their journeys in mobilizing support for their respective trips. The conversation covers the challenges and rewards of fundraising, the importance of storytelling, and the role of humility and community in the process. Whether you're a college student or a seasoned professional, this episode offers valuable insights into making fundraising a meaningful act of worship.

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>> Speaker A:

If he calls us to it, he's going to provide, right? he's going to provide in both expected and unexpected ways. And it's a lot of fun.

>> Heather:

Welcome to it's not about the money, a podcast in search of grounded fundraising. I'm Heather and together with my co host Andy, we look beyond the quick tips and formulas. Join us as we explore the nuance and complexity of ministry fundraising. If you want to thrive in partner development, not just survive it, this is the place for you.

>> Andy:

Welcome back to the show, everyone. There are strategies and behaviors foundational to support development, no matter what we're funding, where we're going, or how long we're going to be there. Things like casting vision, expressing gratitude, and communicating well, for example. But how can we contextualize these things and boil them down like we're reducing a fraction for one time short term trips? Can the church still be involved? Does social media work just as well as paper, letters or face to face meetings? Is there value in recruiting partners if you're able, theoretically, to cover the cost yourself? What's different? We're excited to unpack these topics this morning, and we've invited two guests to help us do so. And to begin, first of all, Heather wishes that she could be here, but in her absence, we're delighted to have a special guest co host, Sarah Macy.

>> Heather:

Hello.

>> Andy:

Sarah works for a global nonprofit that places workers throughout the 1040 window. She has experience fundraising herself and is currently helping to mobilize workers for short term cross cultural service. Part of that process includes coaching folks who are often first time fundraisers. Welcome, Sarah. By way of introduction, what is your favorite part of your job?

>> Heather:

Yes, thank you for the welcome. My favorite part of the job is definitely talking to so many people, different age demographics that feel called to the nations. And, yeah, whether it's a college student or a person who's retired, I love just hearing how God has called, called them to missions. has given them this very specific calling to do a short term program and just. Yeah, I love hearing their stories and just seeing how excited they are to step into this.

>> Andy:

So part of your job is to answer all their questions, but it's also to kind of interview them and see if they're a good fit.

>> Heather:

Yeah.

>> Andy:

For service.

>> Heather:

Awesome.

>> Andy:

And we're doubly grateful to Sarah today because she introduced us to the two person panel for today's episode. Sarah, would you do the honors and also touch on why you thought of these ladies?

>> Heather:

Yes. So, Brynn Holtmeyer is a junior special ed major at Concordia University in Nebraska. She served in Cambodia last summer and is heading to Mongolia for several weeks this June. She is also participating, currently in a global mobilization internship that has her casting vision for mission work within her student body. And we also have Christine Campanella. she has her masters in curriculum and instruction and is an expert in elementary math and teacher training. She served a summer in Lebanon in 2019 and is working on raising funds for her now third consecutive summer in Tunisia. She lives in Oregon and is the mother of two grown children. So Brynn and Christine have both served overseas, in missions capacities. They are in different age demographics. Like I said, Brynn is a college student. Christine is a teacher. she has grown kids. And so, yeah, thought of them both as people going into fundraising. They've done this before and they're in completely different life stages, but still feel called to this and still have been successful in fundraising and have chosen to do it multiple times.

>> Andy:

Yeah, they can bring their unique perspectives. Thanks for joining us, ladies.

>> Speaker A:

Thank you for having us.

>> Christine Campanella:

Yeah, thank you.

>> Andy:

So, to start with, this is a topic that I think we've needed to cover for a while now, and I'm not sure what percentage of north american fundraisers are focused on short term projects versus a long term call to uproot, but I think it's probably the vast majority. So, Bryn, Christine, give us a little background and tell us what motivated you to consider short term missions in the first place. In spite of this obstacle air quotes of fundraising and of needing to ask.

>> Christine Campanella:

People for money, I first was inspired to do short term trips because I knew college was an opportunity to take time and to travel and see the world and to serve on mission trips. That is unique. It's a unique time in your life to take advantage of these opportunities. And through my university, I've had connections to organizations that do provide short term opportunities. And so that really encouraged me. And to see other people have to take on the fundraising and the financial aspects of it gave me a perspective like it is possible. Like m the father is working through. He provides for them, he'll provide for me, because this is work that he is calling us to in this time of our lives.

>> Andy:

So you saw your peers doing it and thought, I can. If they can do it, I can do it.

>> Christine Campanella:

Yes. And I have had a very supportive community in my church and at home that has supported missions in the past, and so I knew that this was something that they would support me through.

>> Andy:

Nice. Yeah, that's super important. Yeah.

>> Heather:

It's a big deal.

>> Speaker A:

It is. And I would say the seed first got planted. I was on a team of nine people who went, on a stove building project in Guatemala in 2011. And that really was where I had my first encounter with short term. And I'd never really thought of short term, but I'd always wanted to do something long term. But just my life was not in a place where that was something that I could really pursue. And then I feel like the next eleven years was trying to get back to that spot where I could go again. It seemed like there was always something coming up, and that was really my first opportunity to try and do fundraising. The, challenge was it was a big team, and so we really had to expand our pools because we have a smaller fellowship that we're a part of. And so nine people from one fellowship, all going from all the same people. So that really helped push me out of my comfort zone. And I did self fund quite a bit of it.

>> Andy:

Okay.

>> Speaker A:

And a lot of that was just feeling, you know, anxious and insecure. And a lot of the things that come with the first time.

>> Andy:

Yeah.

>> Heather:

So what was your feeling as you started fully fundraising for the first time?

>> Speaker A:

So I think one of the things for me that I learned was it really is possible to gather the support, and it really was setting my pride aside in a lot of ways and putting myself out there and, be willing to ask the question. And most people, I found that when I asked, they want to help, they want to come alongside, they want to be a part of this missional work. many people aren't able to go, and so this is their way of coming alongside. And so I think that, for me, was the big piece in that first one was really just learning that I can ask, and there are a lot of people who want to help, and God provides. It's amazing.

>> Heather:

Yeah. And it can be hard to get to that point of realizing people do want to help, but you have to, like you said, actually ask people and just get past that initial uncomfortable, you know, those uncomfortable conversations and then see, oh, yeah, people do actually want to support.

>> Andy:

We m can kind of project our own anxiety and fears onto them, and we're assuming they're thinking all these things that they aren't actually thinking.

>> Speaker A:

Right.

>> Andy:

Yeah. What about you, Brynn? What was that? What was the feeling?

>> Christine Campanella:

Like I was very anxious and intimidated at first. This was my first time fundraising for something that was supporting myself. I had done high school fundraisers all the time for different organizations, but this was the first time I'm like, can I ask for your support on this trip? M and then I got to the point where I realized it's not about me. It's not about what this money is doing for me. It's what. It's hopefully what the Lord's going to work through in the end, through this trip. And I'm asking people to support that and not necessarily just me traveling to travel. Yeah, it took a lot of humility as well, setting aside pride, being willing to humble myself to ask for the support, and just be willing to have conversations in unexpected places as well. People that I didn't send letters to, that I posted on social media reached out, and I'm like, I didn't know if I could reach out to you. And so just being willing to have those unexpected conversations and being prepared for them was another abridged across.

>> Andy:

So I sense a theme, even just between the two of you. 100% of you said pride was part of it. Yeah, that's significant. Right. And it doesn't matter, you know, if you're 80 or 18.

>> Heather:

I think.

>> Andy:

I think that's a reality. Right. Yeah. So, follow up question. Now that you've done it a little bit more, how have your feelings changed towards fundraising?

>> Speaker A:

Well, I can say that now. I actually look forward to asking. It's not that. It's not that I love doing this, but I do look forward to asking, because people's excitement to come alongside and join with me in the work, it's. And as Brynn said, it's not about me, it's not about us. It's about how we are honoring God and how we are spreading the message and spreading the hope.

>> Heather:

Right.

>> Speaker A:

and people want to be involved in that, and they are excited by it. So with every person I'm asking, I'm inviting them into that journey with me. And, having those people come apart, it's building this collective team that I know is got my back. They're praying, they're advocating, they're doing all those things stateside while I'm overseas and really just providing that encouragement, that team, I just can't. I can't speak enough to how important it is to knowing that you have this collective effort. It's not just me.

>> Heather:

Yeah.

>> Christine Campanella:

My feelings have changed. I feel more equipped. I've done it before, and so I'm not going into this trying to figure it out on my own. I have resources, and I trust that last year, I didn't trust my resources quite as much as I should have. And also, I love having those conversations now. I love being able to talk to people about what I did last summer and what I am doing this next summer, and being able to just have a conversation about the great commission and God's work and that. Really exciting. I've been able to connect with people just on a mutual love for that and doing God's work. And so that has really helped ease the anxiety of it all.

>> Heather:

Great for both of you. What were your life circumstances while you were fundraising, and how did you fold it into your everyday life?

>> Andy:

I think because a lot of us, a lot of times we hear people say, I just don't have time for that.

>> Heather:

Right. I'm too busy.

>> Christine Campanella:

I started fundraising last year in end of February, beginning of March, I think was when I applied. So I had a few months to fundraise, and so I sent out a single group of letters I presented at my church. And, when I was home, I was in the middle of the semester at college, so trying to balance homework and the end of my competitive speech and debate season, and so I really had to navigate what weekends I would prioritize my letters, and I just made it every weekend that I was able to go home. So, like Easter, I really tried to connect with people over a holiday, and I was home for spring break, so I was able to do m some preparation then as well. And then this year, I was ahead of the game, applied in the fall semester, and so I was able to send out my first letters, right as, ah, school was starting, I think, and so I was able to initially send that, connect with my church, to present and to connect with people at church. And then when my speech season picked up, I was able to prioritize that, but also still having the conversations when opportunities presented themselves and was just on the lookout for those opportunities, have those conversations, and then I get to go home again and reconnect with members when I visit home for Easter and for a couple other weekends at the end of this semester. And so just navigating like there is opportunities, I know with college, it's hectic, and not everyone has the chance to go home, but just making, like, weekends where, like, you might call home, make an attempt to call other people that you might want to connect with while support racing. And so just re gating, that would be something that I would recommend.

>> Heather:

Yeah. Sounds like you budgeted your time, the limited time that you had still. Yeah, budgeted that, scheduled it out so that, you made that a priority still, even with, everything else that you're doing with school and speech and debate and.

>> Andy:

Yeah. Sounded like you really were intentional, taking advantage of any kind of gap in your schedule. And that as you did it more, you were kind of okay, now we know what to look out for.

>> Heather:

Yeah.

>> Andy:

Yeah. What about you, Christine?

>> Speaker A:

Well, I just, I agree with all of those things. I think it is having it in mind and making yourself willing, giving it up to God for those opportunities. most of mine comes through word of mouth, through conversation. And so I'm just always looking for those opportunities to have a conversation so presented to my church, but also then made myself available for small group to meet with small groups, especially the ladies groups, and then coffee hours and, and work, you know, those little side conversations here and there, just wherever I can. Of course, then there's family get togethers and things like that. So just making it part of my mindset. and not like it's a burden, but just looking for opportunities, much as I am with thinking about those conversations, to spread hope. Right. It's a similar idea for me that all of this is connected and I'm just looking for opportunities to have those conversations.

>> Heather:

Yeah.

>> Andy:

Yeah. I'm curious to know, like, what was the, what's the general vibe when you reach out to people initially? So are they like, oh, this person is bothering me, or this is a little bit awkward, it's tense, or are they really kind of interested and curious and want to know more?

>> Speaker A:

I think for me, most people, they do want to know more. I think there is kind of, especially if it's a newer relationship or a new opportunity where they haven't heard about it before, there's a little bit, they're a little more tentative. so it's engaging with stories and sharing my excitement. and often they come into it and not everybody commits right away. you know, there are follow up conversations that we have, but I'm always like, hey, take this, pray about it, put it on your fridge, and when you see my name, say a prayer and just ask how God would like you to come alongside and partner with me.

>> Heather:

Yeah.

>> Andy:

I think that the sharing of the stories. That's pretty critical. I think that kind of a lot of barriers or maybe hesitancy that people have, like, everybody loves a story.

>> Heather:

Yeah.

>> Andy:

What about you, Bryn? With your, like, peers?

>> Christine Campanella:

Yeah, with peers. They love hearing the stories. I agree that stories are essential and asking people to support and just spreading the word of, like, what the Lord is doing. And my peers have been supportive in just prayerfully considering praying for me and possibilities of financially supporting. it's difficult in college to. There is a little hesitancy there with peers because they're paying for their education and everything else but my community and with them, the stories are super helpful. And now that I have my own experience, firsthand experiences, that has really helped this year. But even last year, there was this curiosity because it was something different than what past people had done on mission trips. And so. And it was someone within our congregation for the first time in quite a few years. And so people were excited about that. To support someone from our church and from our community. I was able to connect with teachers from my high school as well. And they were super curious to see what God had done for me, like, through my first year and to see me branch out in the way I had. And so there is that curiosity in their relationships and their perspectives of me, but then also with what the work that's being done is.

>> Heather:

Yeah. I think for both of you, having the opportunity to return, whether it's the same country or a different country, but doing the same or, similar thing speaks a lot to people as you're fundraising. You know, I did this, and now God has called me back to do it again. And I have my own stories, my own experiences that I can share with you. And like you both said, the stories just help the connection. It makes it feel more real to them because they haven't experienced it. Right. But they get to kind of live through you in a way of hearing your stories and feel called into supporting you and supporting the mission through hearing about what your time was like, which is really sweet.

>> Andy:

Would you say it gets easier the more you do it because you're kind of building that track record?

>> Speaker A:

I think so. Definitely. I think it gets easier. And then I think also not just easier for me to ask, but also that people are looking for that next opportunity.

>> Andy:

Yeah.

>> Speaker A:

and I get a lot of, are you going back? Are you going to take place?

>> Andy:

Yes.

>> Speaker A:

What are you going to do this year? So it really is building this collective team that really is vested. I might be the one going, but we're all in it.

>> Heather:

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

>> Christine Campanella:

I would agree that it really does get easier. And you have that team built, around you then, and just their support, their constant support and constant questions that lovingly, like asking if you're going again and stuff, and they're excited.

>> Andy:

Yeah. Like anything, the first time is always the hardest, right? Yeah. Bryn, I'm curious, follow up question. would you say that most of your donors ended up being like more your parents age or your peers your age.

>> Christine Campanella:

I have had primarily support from my parents age with a wide range. I've had young families support me, which has been incredible, very young families, and then also the elders in my community. So like a wide range, but not necessarily college age. Maybe a couple people just out of college that feel slightly more established. But yes, primarily my, yeah.

>> Andy:

So if you're a listener and you're, you're in brin's demographic, maybe just consider that, like, it's wonderful to have your fellow students praying for you and, you know, encouraged by your, your model, I think. But maybe don't put all your eggs in that basket.

>> Heather:

Right. And even like Christine said, you know, when you're having that conversation, here's my newsletter. Put it on the fridge. Pray for me. When you see it, ask that God will speak to you on how you can support me. And, you know, that could be for them, that could be financial or it could be prayerful, but giving them the option of, you know, give this to God and see what he does maybe feels more manageable for college students that are like, there's no way I can't get gas right now, you know. but just kind of gives, that gives them a little room in that.

>> Speaker A:

Yeah, I think if I can add on to that, I think the other piece is not limiting what can be given.

>> Heather:

Exactly.

>> Speaker A:

Right. So wherever you are, whatever you're called to give, then that's awesome. Thank you. You know, $10 or whether it's a $1,000. Fabulous. Thank you. Yeah. Just a fun little thing for me. And thinking about demographic is, yes, most of the people are kind of probably in that well established, you know, in their careers, age, forties and up. But also I do have some younger ones and in fact, my son is one of my supporters. So that's a fun kind of turnaround.

>> Andy:

So yeah, that's very cool.

>> Heather:

Something that we share in our fundraising training too is like what you were saying, christine. We don't want to limit somebody to what God could do in them. So ask your college friends, ask your parents friends, ask the people that you're like, I don't know if they're going to give, but I don't know if anyone's going to give. I have to give that all to God. And doing your part and asking is the biggest thing. And yeah, leaving the rest to God is valuable.

>> Andy:

You have to cast the net widely.

>> Speaker A:

Right.

>> Heather:

So maybe a college student that is really wanting to give, but if we self select them out and think, oh, there's no way that they could financially give, I know that money is tight, then we're self selecting that person out from supporting in the trip.

>> Andy:

Yeah, you could be pleasantly surprised.

>> Heather:

Yeah. What was your primary way of breaking the ice of getting the news out? Newsletters. Social media conversations.

>> Christine Campanella:

Yeah, newsletters were my initial breaking the ice connection with people. And then word of mouth updates and conversations to dive further in were primarily what I did. I did post on social media later as I was getting closer, so that way I could reach a few more people that I didn't have their addresses or another way to contact them.

>> Speaker A:

And for me, I did a small presentation, at my church. Then after that, then I sent out newsletters and then a lot of word of mouth and as I said, like smaller kind of presentations, now meeting with small groups and things.

>> Andy:

Okay, nice. So how did you make the quote unquote ask? You kind of answered this, but like, what percentage of them were like in person conversations and then how much did you feel like you had to rely or did you want to rely on kind of broader group methods?

>> Speaker A:

My experience has been that having a smaller conversations, one on one, or small group type has been much more fruitful than the broad net. I feel like I cast the net wide and then bring them in.

>> Andy:

Yeah. one by one.

>> Speaker A:

Yeah, one by one, three at a time, whatever it is. But I think that I've done a lot of volunteer recruitment and this is similar to that for me. And that a lot of people initially, they want to, but it falls off the radar. They forget, circumstances change, things m like that. So I do have kind of regular follow ups. Just checking in, giving you an update where I am, see if you're still interested.

>> Andy:

Yeah.

>> Heather:

And with follow ups too. Did most people give financially with minimal follow ups, or did you find yourself needing to circle back with folks with gentle reminders?

>> Christine Campanella:

I had very minimal follow ups with the majority of people. They usually responded pretty fast to my initial sent out. And then when I gave them an update, whether it be the halfway point or slightly, a little bit before, they were super responsive again. And oftentimes they would reach out with questions of like, how are you doing financially? Is there a way I can be supporting you another way? And, a lot of times there were people that were wanting to make that connection and stay connected themselves without me having to make the first reach out all the time.

>> Andy:

Oh, that's nice.

>> Speaker A:

Yeah, and I would agree for me as well. I think I haven't had to do quite as many follow ups, and my follow ups usually are just with the ones who initially said that, yes, I'd love to participate, and then they just haven't. And I just, you know, life is busy and things happen. my son calls me, like, that little red dot on the, like, on a, electronics. It's like, it's not loud and. But it's always there.

>> Heather:

It's always there.

>> Andy:

Yeah. That's good to keep in mind, because I think most people, they aren't forgetting on purpose. They're not like, indirectly trying to tell you in a roundabout way that they don't want to support you. They just have a lot of stuff going on in their lives. Right? Okay, so let's get a little more philosophical here. Why do you think it's important to gather supporters rather than pay for it yourself?

>> Speaker A:

I think for me, because I could pay for it myself. I'm blessed in my circumstance, and could, but as we talked in the beginning, it is about setting aside my pride. It is about entering into an act of worship that this is not about me. This is about what God has called me to. This is about the people he's trying to reach and to spread that love and joy and light, that we have. And so it really would be selfish of me to fund myself and not to invite others. And then again, it is a short term, but the places we're going require that we have a solid team praying for us. They're helping to lift us up and the circumstances that are trying to block. Right. The work that we're doing. And so for me, those are the big reasons.

>> Andy:

So it's also like you're mobilizing the local church. Too. If they didn't, if they weren't a part of it, then they wouldn't be invested in it. They wouldn't be interested probably as much. They wouldn't be reading the updates or like, clamoring to get your attention after you come home and ask you about it. Like, that doesn't happen as much if you're not invested.

>> Speaker A:

Right. And would I be as effective a witness where I am without that support?

>> Andy:

right.

>> Christine Campanella:

Yeah, I agree that it's an act of worship, and it's about setting aside your pride. It can easily be if I'm self supporting myself. This is now my work. I think that, can come into play as well with the selfishness, but also it then becomes a barrier for many people that if I can't support myself, then I not met to do this. And so seeking out that support because the church is called to support these trips in the great commission, in whichever way, financially, prayerfully or actively going, this is uniting all of those vocations within the great commission together. And it's God doing the work through all three or all parts of it.

>> Andy:

Yeah, that's great.

>> Heather:

How have you seen God provide in unexpected ways through fundraising?

>> Christine Campanella:

One specific person that God has provided from that I did not expect was a young teacher that I had in high school that he saw my post on social media and he reached out and was like, can I support you? And that was a really incredible conversation that we were able to have of what I did this past summer, what I'm doing this summer, and just the opportunities that God has provided and what exactly the 1040 window is and just conversations about that. And that's been really cool to see.

>> Heather:

Awesome.

>> Speaker A:

M. Yeah, I agree. I mean, I think the unexpected anonymous donor that shows up and it's like, whoa, where did that come from? the last minute dollars that roll in the donation of flight miles, there's, it's just really, it's really amazing to see how God provides, you know? and I think with each trip, it just continues to be solidified. Right. If he calls us to it, he's going to provide, right? Yeah, he's going to provide in both expected and unexpected ways. And it's a lot of fun.

>> Andy:

And those are things that you would have given up if you had chosen to self fund. Or not gone to begin with. Yeah.

>> Speaker A:

Right.

>> Andy:

Okay. You guys mentioned this a little bit already, but I wonder if you can give a little more insight into how you were possibly able to include your churches in your trips and if they were interested in helping or if it took a lot of effort or what.

>> Speaker A:

That looked like, I think for me, absolutely. That is, that is my family.

>> Andy:

Yeah.

>> Speaker A:

so absolutely. I was able to reach out to them. we have a very emotionally minded fellowship. and so I think, people are always looking for opportunities. And, Bryn had mentioned earlier, you know, the excitement of having someone from your own fellowship go.

>> Heather:

Yeah.

>> Speaker A:

And definitely there is that excitement and also the excitement of somebody, you know, we're, we do fund a lot, like with our youth groups and things like that. But to have somebody older who's doing it, you know, I think that that's a different excitement that people can see themselves in that in that journey.

>> Christine Campanella:

Yeah. My church has probably, as a whole, has been the most supportive group that I've had with my, along with my family. They have truly been so gracious to me. And it comes from that excitement, understanding the call to support missions. And even when I'm not present, they still continue to find ways to support me through Sunday school offering and Lenten, meal donations coming to me. And that has truly been great. I've been able to. I did a big church presentation and then I also did Sunday school presentations. And so that just getting to connect with the kids, even from my church, and see them wanting to support something, love, that has been incredible.

>> Andy:

That's awesome. Yeah. So, I mean, there are parts of fundraising that are hard, that are stressful, that are anxiety producing. But, you know, if you're listening to this right now, maybe the Lord is calling you to do this and to be, you know, the hands and feet of your local congregation. He hasn't called everybody to do that. But if you're at a stage of life where you're thinking about it and you're like, I'm, like 60% there, well, it can really be a blessing to everybody around you as well.

>> Heather:

Right. That opens up opportunities or even just the thought of other congregation members. Like Christine, you were saying? Oh, yeah, I can do that. Like, I'm not just a. I'm not a youth group student that's going on a trip. I'm an adult that has this different kind of opportunity. And seeing someone in your church stand up and say, this is what God has called me to. This is what I'm doing this summer or this fall, whenever, whatever time it might be, you know, being that example of, I. Oh, I can do that, too. Like, I see Christine doing that. I see Bryn doing that. I can. I can go on a summer trip.

>> Andy:

Yeah. So, guys, as we wrap up, let's give some parting thoughts to our listeners. What are some helpful skills to hone, and what broad advice would you give to someone thinking about tackling a short term trip?

>> Speaker A:

Well, definitely the art of the story is important. And a lot of times that first trip, we don't yet have our own story. So I think really finding out about the place that you're serving, about the people in that place, and using that as your story, why is the need for you to go there? Why are you being called to go there and use that as your story? And then in subsequent trips, it's, you have stories. Have a photo if you can. people's faces are really important and being able to attach an image to your story makes, a great impact. And then don't stop asking. Keep asking.

>> Heather:

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

>> Christine Campanella:

I would say storytelling, just perfecting your communication skills. I am still growing in those and I do competitive speech presentations all the time. So just being committed to improving them and knowing that the conversations that the Lord is working through them, no matter how nervous you are. And then some broad advice would just be to come at it through a perspective of humility. We talked about setting aside pride throughout this podcast, and that truly helps break down so many walls of fear and hesitancy for you. And it just helps the plant preparing for the trip. Really give it to the Lord.

>> Andy:

Yeah.

>> Heather:

How has serving overseas influenced both of you?

>> Christine Campanella:

Serving overseas has opened my worldview. It's given me a whole new perspective on what it means to love your neighbor because of the hospitality in the country that I served. It's also taught me a lot about being vulnerable and humility. Those are common themes throughout the entire trip. And just being taught me an openness in serving the Lord and serving those around you, I have made connections that I never expected to make while serving overseas, and that has truly been incredible.

>> Speaker A:

M yeah, I agree. I think, that expanded worldview, it's really important and I think also inspired a greater passion for mission, for global mission. And it's brought me a perspective of impact wherever I am. So in serving overseas and learning how to navigate cross culturally, I've also learned how to navigate even better cross culturally right here where I live. greater willingness to have conversations, and be more open and vulnerable. as Bryn said, it's huge. It's huge being with everyone wherever I am, it is.

>> Andy:

And we focused on serving overseas. But obviously the Lord can teach you a lot serving domestically as well, and many of the same things. Yeah. M can, you think of any resources as we wrap up here that could be helpful to our listeners?

>> Christine Campanella:

I would say canva. Canva is a great resource in making presentations or newsletters. It has a lot of free options and you can upload your own pictures. So that's my free advertisement for canva.

>> Heather:

Canva is great.

>> Andy:

Yeah. So many of us. Can you just imagine? All of us, poor fundraisers who had to try to do this BC before canva.

>> Heather:

What a world that must have been.

>> Speaker A:

Oh, man. Yeah. And I would say also, Joshua project has a lot of information on all the various countries and I think really versing ourselves in, the country we're serving. and the needs that are there, I think is really valuable and a big part of our story when we're fundraising.

>> Andy:

Nice. And I just stumbled upon a new website. I don't remember the exact URL, so we'll have to link it in the show notes, but it's connected to Joshua project indirectly. And that they getting all their data from that. But it's called stratus.

>> Speaker A:

It's fantastic.

>> Andy:

Yeah, it just takes all that data and makes it look beautiful. And you've got like infographics and everything else.

>> Heather:

Man, I'll have to check that out.

>> Andy:

Yeah, it's fantastic.

>> Christine Campanella:

Yeah.

>> Speaker A:

Visually, it's really powerful.

>> Andy:

Well, thanks, guys. Okay, so we have kind, of a custom here. We'd like to ask this question at the very end. so to put you on the spot here, hypothetical scenario. Suddenly you have $10,000 and you got to give it away today, who or what do you give it to?

>> Speaker A:

Easy. I have two friends I've met in short term, who are both going long term in two different places, and they each get 5000.

>> Andy:

Nice. Even split.

>> Speaker A:

Yep.

>> Christine Campanella:

I was thinking along the same lines. I have a couple friends that are going long term, so I'd probably split it between them and then maybe save a little bit to support some other missions connected a little more closely to my church than, some other outreaches in the 1040 window.

>> Andy:

Awesome. Well, thanks, guys. This has been great. I know this will be helpful, to people who are listening that are kind of maybe, dragging their feet. They have cold feet.

>> Heather:

Yeah. Like we talked about, stories are helpful for missions. Stories are also helpful when people are feeling stuck in fundraising. Your story of it was hard at first. Sometimes it's still hard, but I've gotten to a place where I feel more comfortable that's going to encourage people. So thank you for sharing your story and your experiences in fundraising. Yeah.

>> Andy:

Ah, it was so helpful to hear you both reflect that it's not really about the money.

>> Heather:

What a coincidence.

>> Speaker A:

well, thank you so much. This has been fun.

>> Christine Campanella:

Thank you, guys.

>> Andy:

See you guys.

>> Heather:

Thanks. Bye.

>> Andy:

It's not about the money is presented by provisio fundraising solutions, provisio equips, support based workers with flexible training, practical resources, and one on one coaching. Find out more@provisiofundraising.com.