KING’S DOMAIN SUMMER PROJECT 2012

Raising support

KINGDOM FOCUSED. BIBICALLY INFORMED. SPIRIT EMPOWERED. CHRIST CENTERED.

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INTRODUCTION

You are embarking on an incredible adventure! You have accepted the challenge of helping reach the world for Christ by deciding to join other students at King’s Domain Summer Project. This could very well be one of the most exciting summers of your life! One of your responsibilities in accepting this challenge is to represent Christ’s cause — your summer mission project — to others.

As Christ’s ambassador (2 Corinthians 5:20), you are in a unique position to invite others to invest financially in His cause. As you offer individuals a chance to underwrite your summer project expenses, you will be giving them an unparalleled opportunity of investing in eternity (Matthew 6:19–21). King David gave Israel such an opportunity when he challenged people to underwrite the cost of building a temple for the Lord.

9Then the people rejoiced because they had given willingly, for with a whole heart they had offered freely to the Lord. David the king also rejoiced greatly. 10Therefore David blessed the Lord in the presence of all the assembly. And David said: “Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever. 11Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. 12Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. 13And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name. 14“But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you. (1 Chronicles 29:9–14, ESV)

Because David knew that all of God’s wealth ultimately belonged to God, he boldly challenged others to channel their resources toward building a physical testimony to the Lord — a temple. As you raise funds for your summer project, you will be allowing God to channel the resources of His people toward building a human testimony — a witness for Christ.

This document is intended to provide pointers as you begin raising support. Though the process might sound simple when broken down into individual steps (which will overlap), each will require boldness and complete trust in the Lord. You should be able to notice a pattern.

1. Pray and name-storm.2. Pray and write.3. Pray and call.4. Pray and connect.5. Pray and thank.6. Pray.

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KDSP 2012 Learning

But wait.

How much do you actually know about King’s Domain as a ministry? When someone asks you about this camp at which you’re investing weeks of your summer, what will you say?

Before you begin the support-raising process, you should have an understanding of the purpose of King’s Domain and how its staff team hopes to advance the kingdom of God.

Mission

Reclaiming the culture for the Kingdom of God.

Vision

Our vision is to see men and women of all ages, from all walks of life, 365 days a year, walking intimately WITH GOD, clarifying their calling FROM GOD, and strategically planning their work FOR GOD.

Values

• Pursuing spiritual maturity• Discovering God’s mysteries• Living for eternity• Leaving a legacy

Ministry

King’s Domain is leading a reformation of life stewardship in light of eternity.

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STEP ONE: PRAY AND NAME-STORM.

Start by developing an initial list of potential ministry partners. As with brainstorming, in name storming there is only one cardinal rule — anything goes. No name is unqualified. Don’t decide for an individual whether or not he/she is interested. If you limit yourself to those you feel can or will give, you may prematurely disqualify those whom God wants to become ministry partners. Later, you will need to prioritize whom to contact first, but don’t immediately disqualify anyone.

You may be thinking you could never generate more than a handful of names, but research has shown that the average individual has a personal network of 400 friends and acquaintances. No excuses! You should be able to easily develop a list of at least 50 potential ministry partners.

For instance, you’ve probably had dozens of teachers. At your church, you probably know Sunday School teachers, elders, deacons, and other friends. If you’ve ever had a toothache or a cavity, you know a dentist. If you’ve ever been sick, you’ve probably been to a doctor. As you think about your hometown’s business district, no doubt the cleaners, the bakery, the hardware store, and numerous other sources of contacts come to mind.

As you name-storm, associate various professions, businesses, and places with any friends and acquaintances they bring to mind. Check out the list below for ideas. Take plenty of time — an hour or more — to mull over these categories. Push yourself to come up with at least 200 names.

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1. Accountants2. Advertising agencies3. Architects4. Attorneys5. Bankers6. Barbers7. Beauticians8. Bible studies9. Campus Crusade staff10. Christian businesses11. Church friends12. Church missions team13. Civic clubs14. Co-workers15. Coaches16. College professors17. Community leaders

18. Customers19. Dentists20. Doctors21. Employers22. Engineers23. Farmers24. Florists25. Former neighbors26. Foundations27. Friends28. High school teachers29. Insurance salespeople30. Media outlets31. Missionary societies32. Neighbors33. Optometrists34. Parents

35. Parents’ co-workers36. Parents’ employers37. Parents’ friends38. Pastors39. Plumbers40. Policemen41. Postal workers42. Prayer groups43. Realtors44. Relatives45. Retired people46. Servicemen47. Siblings48. Spiritual influences49. Sunday school classes50. Teammates51. Veterinarians

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KDSP 2012 Writing

STEP TWO: PRAY AND WRITE.

A support letter should contain personal elements tailored to each person you are writing and a “generic” section which can be used for everybody. You can easily use the sample letter on the next page to get a sense for what should be included in the generic section of all your letters. You will simply need to adjust the paragraphs to fit King’s Domain and your background. Also, try to keep your letter to one page in hopes of not overwhelming anyone.

1. Give your letter a specific date.2. Your greeting should be personalized. If you’re using a printed letter, write the name by

hand or, if you’re using Microsoft Word, check out the Mail Merge function.3. Acknowledge your relationship with the reader. What can you say that will help the person

identify you? Refer to your last visit or letter, business concerns, sports interests, known struggles, hobbies, etc., to help them say, “I know who you are.”

4. Bring your reader up to date on what you’re doing.5. Educate your reader. Share how you became involved in Campus Crusade for Christ and

how the Lord has given you a desire to reach people for Christ. Explain how you hope the Lord will use you in future ministry.

6. Explain your need. The purpose of your letter is to give your reader an opportunity to help. Make sure you explain exactly what you need.

7. Involve your reader by asking for specific action based on the needs you have shared. State the deadline by which you need the money.

8. Acknowledge your relationship again with an emphasis on appreciation, partnership, and gratitude, commitment. This ties your opening acknowledgement with your request.

9. Conclude the letter and sign it.10. Enclose a self-addressed return envelope.

And now a couple of things to avoid when writing a support letter.

1. Never apologize for writing or calling a person whom you wish to involve in helping you meet a need. You are providing people with an opportunity to be involved in a spiritual ministry through their resources. As Paul wrote to the Philippians, “Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit.” (Philippians 4:17, ESV)

2. Never ask for a general amount or without a time frame in which to take action. You should challenge people to give a specific gift, or at least give them a specific range. The specific challenge of $100, $200, or $300, or more has been included in this material. Never ask for less than this challenge. If people want to support you but cannot give $100, they will let you know and will not be offended by your request.

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King’s Domain is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, so donations are tax-deductible. Make sure to tell your potential supporters! All checks should be made out to King’s Domain. Cash works, too, and donating online is probably the easiest for everyone. More on online donations later!

The entirety of your financial support needs to be in before project starts. Different projects have different costs, but each student may raise a salary of up to $1,000 above the following costs:

Project 1 or 2: $2,750 Full-summer option: $3,500

For example, if you’re coming as a counselor for project 1, you need to raise $2,750, but if you raise $3,750, you keep $1,000 as a salary. If you raise $3,200, you keep $450.

All support should be clearly marked with your name and sent to King’s Domain as it comes in for the sake of cashing checks and mailing receipts promptly. If you send cash, you must include the donor’s name, address, and gift amount so they will receive a receipt. Here’s the address:

King’s Domain, Inc. 5778 State Route 350 Oregonia, OH 45054

In addition to your letter and self-addressed return envelope, you may want to include a pledge card in your mailing. This will allow potential supporters who do not have the ability to write a check at the time they receive your letter to let you know that they will support you financially at a later time. The sample below is basic, and you can tailor yours to match your personality.

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If you cannot support me at this time but would like to do so in the near future, please return this pledge card to me and send financial support by May 30. Thank you!

Name: Phone: Address:

Gift amount (please circle): $100 $200 $300 Other:

Please make check payable to “King’s Domain” for a tax-deductible donation. For online donations, please visit my personal support page (http://www.ministrysync.com/event/website/?m=######).

Mail pledge card and/or check to: Jacob Thomas 414 Vine Street West Lafayette, IN 47906

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February 21, 2012

Jacob Thomas 414 Vine Street West Lafayette, IN 47906

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Jones,

I hope you and your family are doing well! I want to bring you up to date on what is happening in my life as a sophomore at Purdue University. Besides the pressure here to make good grades, there is also the challenge of deciding among all of the activites to be involved in on campus. After getting involved in Cru (formerly Campus Crusade for Christ), I have a great chance to impact youth this summer.

This summer, I have an unbelievable opportunity to take part in a summer missions project sponsored by Cru. I will be spending seven weeks at King’s Domain, a summer camp about 20 miles north of Cincinnati. A summer spent on a project like this can be invaluable. Few other environments can top this in developing spiritual leadership and evangelism skills to equip me for campus outreach and a lifetime of ministry.

Evangelistic opportunities will be prevalent as campers, as well as middle school and high school students from local youth groups, arrive at King’s Domain each week. Throughout the summer, I will be equipped to share my faith, and I will receive hours of training as I am developed both personally and spiritually.

Each week, I will both participate in a small group Bible study with my peers and lead discussion groups for my campers. Likewise, as I have the chance to mentor and pour into the lives of teenage junior counselors, I will meet with a discipler weekly who will build into me and hold me accountable. I know I will grow immensely as I take this step of faith outside of my comfort zone.

For this to actually happen, I must develop a team of ministry partners — a group of people like you who would come behind me with prayer and financial support. I truly believe prayer is powerful, and I would love for you to go to the Lord on my behalf. Also, I need to raise $2,750 in the next three months to cover room, board, and other expenses. Because the urban youth are given full scholarships, counselors must raise support. Would you prayerfully consider joining my team by giving a gift of $100, $200, $300, or more? In order to know how close I am to reaching my goal, I will call you next week to see what you have decided and to answer any questions you might have.

Thank you for considering joining my team to help reach people for Christ at King’s Domain this summer!

Sincerely,

Jacob Thomas

KDSP 2012 Writing

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STEP THREE: PRAY AND CALL.

The follow-up phone call is critical for three reasons:

1. Most people suffer from information overload, so mail is easy to ignore or forget.2. Your time frame. You need to raise a lot of money in a short period of time. A follow-up

phone call will get you decisions as soon as possible. The best suggestion is to call one week after you’ve dropped your letter in the mail.

3. Courtesy to your ministry partners. Many people will want to help you but won’t unless you call to answer any questions and to get their decision. Your phone call takes the burden of response off them and puts it on you.

Be sure to establish a specific time in the letter to get their decision. When you ask for a response, do so directly. Then remain quiet until the person responds, even though this may feels uncomfortable. Talking more at this point will distract the person from making the decision. If your potential ministry partner has not made a decision by the time you call, set another time to call within a day or two.

1. Introduce yourself. “Hello, Mr./Mrs. . This is calling. How are you?” Let him/her respond. Take a few minutes to establish rapport, but be brief.

2. Refer to your letter and explain your summer plans. “As I mentioned in my letter, I am planning to go on a summer missions project sponsored by Campus Crusade for Christ.”

3. Share what you hope to see God do as a result of your time this summer.4. Be very specific to ask for a definite response. “In my letter, I asked if you would be in a

position to support me financially for the summer project. Have you had a chance to think about that?”

When an individual decides to support you, if at all possible, arrange a time to stop by and pick up a check. If the person lives out of town, ask to have the check mailed in the self-addressed, stamped envelope you enclosed with the letter. Your ministry partner’s check must be made payable to “King’s Domain.” And as always, online donations make everything easier.

After getting a person’s decision, always ask him or her to refer you to other people who might like to invest in your ministry. If you arrange for them to send you a check and it doesn’t come, you will need to follow up with a phone call to see if it was lost in the mail.

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KDSP 2012 CallingYou can continue to add names to your list of potential ministry partners. Ask everyone you contact to give you names and telephone numbers of people he/she knows who have a concern for reaching people for Christ.

Whom should you ask for additional contacts? Everyone you contacted. Both those who join your support team and those who will be unable to join your support team will want to help you complete your team.

When should you ask for additional contacts? Don’t ask anyone for contacts until he/she has first made a decision about supporting you. If you don’t wait, your request for referrals will be a distraction. Ask everyone at the time he/she give you a decision, whether the decision is yes or no. If you get a decision over the phone, ask for contacts right then. If you get a decision at an appointment, ask for contacts right then.

How should you get additional contacts?

1. Have your pen out and ready to write.2. Say, “Mr./Mrs. , what are the names of your friends who have a heart for reaching

people for Christ?3. Assure the individual that his/her friends may not be able to help financially but may

know others, and they will hopefully be encouraged to hear about your mission project. This gives the individual more freedom to refer you to others.

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STEP FOUR: PRAY AND CONNECT.

Simply put, social media is powerful and can be utilized to connect with those in your online networks as you raise support. Invite your friends and family to walk through the process with you.

Disclaimer: This is not a science.

Once accepted to KDSP, you will be asked to create a FundEasy profile to allow your supporters to donate online — quick and easy for both them and you! Plus, you’ll use the page to track your support total as donations are recorded. Your FundEasy profile can be shared via Facebook and Twitter (and just about any other social media outlet), which makes connecting with potential supporters incredibly simple. Hopefully while avoiding being obnoxious, you can use social media to consistently remind people of the opportunity to become one of your ministry partners.

Facebook can be used to pass along information about King’s Domain. For example, you can invite friends to “like” King’s Domain (www.facebook.com/kingsdomain) or share the link to KD’s website (www.kingsdomain.org). By doing so, they will get a glimpse of the type of ministry you’ll be doing this summer. Use visuals as often as possible and create attention-grabbing taglines.

In addition, Facebook and Twitter are perfect for sharing prayer requests and praises with friends and family. Sure, this can seem cheesy, but it’s another chance for people to join you in this process.

• “Still need 20 more people to give $25. #praywithme”• “Just hit 40% of my summer project support goal! #provision”• “Got three checks in the mail today! So grateful for the Lord’s faithfulness. #steadfast”

And consider blogging! Don’t commit to it unless you’re willing to post consistently. Tumblr, WordPress, and Blogger are great options, and each allows you to share posts automatically via Facebook. For this communication style, aim for more general topics, e.g. “how I found out about KDSP,” “how God has provided,” or “how I’m feeling about going on project.” You can continue posting on your blog throughout the summer to keep supporters updated. They’ll love it.

Time to repeat the disclaimer. This is not a science. But start brainstorming creative ways to utilize social media in order to connect with important people in your life.

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STEP FIVE: PRAY AND THANK.

Send a thank you note the same day the ministry partner gives you his decision. Be sure to keep record of this so you don’t send two to the same person. The thank you letter is an important part of developing a relationship with your ministry partner. This should be an individualized, handwritten note or letter. Do not print or copy a standardized letter or send an email. Always include something personal in your note about how you and Christ’s cause have been benefited by their generosity.

March 9, 2012

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Jones,

Thank you so much for your gift of $100 to support my ministry this summer. Your prayers and financial support are greatly appreciated. I trust your investment will have far-reaching results as I help reach people for Christ!

I leave for King’s Domain in a little over two months, and I seriously can’t wait! To be honest, I don’t really know what to expect, so I’m relying on the Lord to keep my heart calm as I prepare for this summer.

Please join me in praying that God will continually deepen my commitment to the mission of advancing His kingdom. Your prayers are extremely important, and I’m more aware than ever of my need for the support of my brothers and sisters in Christ.

Thanks again for everything!

In Christ,Jacob Thomas

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STEP SIX: PRAY.

The final step is the most important, yet probably the most overlooked. Leave the results to God. Yes, this is easier said than done, but please know that you are not alone in this process!

One last tip. Consider using a spreadsheet to keep track of names, addresses, phone numbers, letters sent, responses, donations, and thank you notes sent. Organization makes everything easier.

If you have any questions, concerns, doubts, prayer requests, or encouraging stories, share them! Although you haven’t met the whole King’s Domain family yet, it’s just that — a family. Everyone is in this together. And don’t forget that the Spirit intercedes on your behalf, even when you don’t know what you need (Romans 8:26–27).

Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.(Psalm 37:4–5, ESV)

The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit.Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps. (Proverbs 16:1-3,9, ESV)

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.(1 Corinthians 15:58, ESV)

And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. (Hebrews 11:6, ESV)

Hopefully you’re not too overwhelmed by all of this information! If you have questions, check out http://www.kingsdomain.org/summer-project or e-mail kingsdomainsp@gmail.com. Please know that you are deeply loved and being prayed for by many!