Fundraising Request

Fundraising activities serve at least three important purposes.  First, they highlight the specific mission, importance, and needs of your ministry for which funds are being raised.  Second, they help to build community within the church and enthusiasm for your ministry.  Third, they provide the necessary funds you need to succeed in your ministry!

Before conducting a fundraiser, you need to know that your normal, ongoing ministry programs are intended to be financially supported through the General Budget, such as facilities, services and supplies. We don’t want you to spend your precious time, energy and resources raising funds on top of providing your normal, ongoing ministry programs and events.  Meet with your supervisor to go over your ministry objectives and financial needs so they can be included in the General Budget.  Since we have 6-month budgets, these meetings should take in June and November.

We also know that at times additional funding may be appropriate for specific projects, trips, or ministries, which are not covered by the General Budget:

• Event registration costs
• Community poverty relief (food baskets, gifts, special needs in community)
• Hardship relief (special needs within the church)
• Event cost reduction
• Scholarships
• Special ministry supplies or equipment
• Outside causes (Christian organizations, missionaries, etc.)
• Building funds

Fundraising options available to you include, but aren’t limited to, the following:

• Banquets/meals –  luncheons, dinners or special banquets in which a fee is charged. These can take place after church on a Sunday or at another time and location.
• Donation Boards/Displays – items or names can be posted to a board or a display in which people pick what and to whom they would like to donate.
• Services rendered – babysitting, running errands or household chores can be offered for a fee.
• Selling Products – items can be sold or raffled inside or outside the church.
• Special church-wide offerings  – offerings can be promoted as a verbal on Sunday mornings.  (Generally, this will be limited to poverty/hardship relief causes, community outreach efforts, building projects and others as deemed appropriate by LVCC.)

Policy:

The following policy has been adopted to better coordinate your fundraiser with other fundraisers, and to preserve the vision of our Sunday morning services.

1. All fundraisers must be in accordance with this policy and receive prior approval.
2. All fundraisers must be consistent with the beliefs, values and purposes of LVCC.
3. In order to preserve the vision of Sunday morning worship and outreach, no selling of products or solicitation of donations may take place during Sunday mornings.  (Generally, this will be limited to poverty/hardship relief causes, community outreach efforts, building projects and others as deemed appropriate by LVCC.)
4. No one may utilize LVCC environments, programs, events or mailing lists for the purpose of soliciting business or making a profit unless contracted as a vendor by LVCC, even if any percentage of the profits are designated for LVCC.
5. All fundraisers must have a specific goal and a limited time interval.
6. Upon completion of fundraiser you must provide a report to your supervisor detailing the following information:
   1. Total items sold and/or money collected
   2. Total expenses, if any, for the fundraiser
   3. A specific listing of how much and where the proceeds were used
7. The handling of monetary funds will be as follows:
   1. All checks collected must be written to LVCC or the appropriate organization. (No checks may be written to individuals.)
   2. All money (cash and checks) collected must be given to the Business Administrator for deposit into the appropriate bank account immediately following the fundraiser.  No funds are to be held privately for more than 24 hours.

    

Process:

To get started with your fundraiser, please follow these steps:

1. Check with your supervisor to discuss your needs and ideas for fundraising.
2. Fill out Fundraising Request Form on our website to get approval.

That’s it!  Your supervisor will get back to you within 7 days of receiving the form!

Ideas to help you succeed:

• Plan backwards – While planning, work backwards to make sure you are thinking through all of the steps you’ll need for a successful event.
• Soliciting donations – It’s amazing how much can be donated if you know the right people, if you are creative in your solicitations, and if you are thorough and persistent in your search for donations.
• Buy a box of thank-you notes – Always remember to thank everyone who helped you make the fundraiser a success. You might thank the individuals publicly at the event, include their names in a “special thanks” section on the event program, and/or send personal notes after the event.
• Have fun! – You will expend a fair amount of time and energy to make this event a success. Be sure to enjoy the event when it all comes  together after several months of planning.