Top 10 Mission Trip Fundraising Ideas
Updated: November 2026
D.J. Morgan
Creative & Marketing Director, Experience Mission
D.J. Morgan serves as Experience Mission's Creative & Marketing Director, helping connect volunteers to opportunities to serve and grow together on mission trips.
How do you fundraise for a mission trip?
Fundraising starts with knowing exactly how much you or your group need to raise. Then, combine the fundraising ideas that fit you or your team best, including personal letters and texts, earning money yourself, fundraising events, and selling goods. Most mission trip volunteers mix several approaches, and groups often share events while each member writes letters and sends messages to their own personal network of supporters. The following 10 ideas come from the Experience Mission (EM) Mission Trip Fundraising Guide, which also includes an example support letter.
What should you do before you start fundraising?
A few decisions up front keep fundraising simple and honest for everyone who gives:
- Calculate the per-person total - Add up the trip cost, additional travel, and extras, using EM's mission trip cost guide
- Subtract what is already covered - Include personal savings, church contributions, and scholarships
- Decide who raises what - If you're a group, decide which efforts the whole team shares and which each person handles alone
- Confirm how gifts are received - Ask your church or EM staff how donations are handled before you share a giving link
- Build a calendar - Work backward from EM's registration and payment policy so funds arrive before each deadline
Once you know your number and your timeline, choose the ideas below that fit your people and your community.
Should a group or an individual do the fundraising?
Both, and the strongest plans combine the two. Individuals handle personal asks such as letters, texts, and odd jobs, while a church or youth group can run events or sales that spread the work across the team. Each idea below notes who it suits best.
Top 10 Mission Trip Fundraising Ideas
These ten ideas work for teams of any size. Start with the first three, which cost nothing, then add one or two events or sales.
1. Send personal support letters
Best for: Individuals, including every member of a group
A support letter works like a life update. Share your story, why you are going to serve, and where you are heading, then invite friends and family to pray for you, give financially, and support you by listening when you return. Keep it to one page, add a photo or map, and write naturally, like a letter to a friend.
Include online and mail-in giving options, plus a stamped, pre-addressed envelope for check donations. EM's guide to a mission trip support letter walks through the writing step by step.
2. Send personal texts
Best for: Individuals
EM's fundraising guide calls personal texts one of the most effective fundraising tools. Start by listing the people you would like to invite, then write to each one by name with a short note about your trip and a link to give. A personal message tells someone you value their part, not only their gift. It also invites a conversation about your trip and how they could be involved further.
3. Share about your trip on social media
Best for: Individuals/churches (with a social media following)
Post in your usual style, but focus on your trip, your hopes, and your excitement. Video is the most engaging format, so share trip updates and fundraising events often. You can also go live during a yard sale or cook-off so people who cannot attend can still connect to the event and give online.
4. Work for it: odd jobs and a savings plan
Best for: Individuals
Earning part of the cost yourself builds a sense of ownership in the trip. Mow lawns, rake leaves, shovel snow, babysit, wash cars, offer housekeeping, or do small repairs such as bike tune-ups. You can also set aside a percentage of each paycheck (such as 5%) from your normal job, if you already have one.
With odd jobs, consider working for "donations only." This gives you a chance to explain your trip and often encourages generosity in how much you are paid for your work.
5. Host a movie night
Best for: Groups
Show a classic or a film related to your trip on a lawn, in a living room, or in a garage. Charge a small entry fee and sell some popcorn or other snacks. Choose an all-ages film so families can come, and use the evening to explain where your team is going and why.
6. Hold a yard sale
Best for: Groups and Individuals
Take a few weeks to collect donated items in good condition from friends and church members, then pick an open Saturday to hold your sale. Keep prices low or accept donations only. A yard sale also gives your team a natural moment to talk about the trip with friends and neighbors who stop by.
7. Run a cook-off, BBQ, or pasta feed
Best for: Groups
Get the community involved! For a cook-off, friends compete with their best dishes, and both cooks and tasters pay an entry fee as part of the fundraiser. For a BBQ or pasta feed, charge for entry and set up a QR code for extra donations. Pairing the meal with a holiday can bring a bigger crowd, and a small prize keeps a cook-off fun.
8. Host a mini tournament or karaoke night
Best for: Groups
For people in your community who like to do something! Choose basketball, flag football, ping-pong, or video games, charge an entry fee to join, provide snacks, and award a trophy. For a karaoke night, attendees pay to watch performers (or pay to avoid singing!) Either event lets your team host something fun without needing a big budget.
9. Sell goods your team makes or customizes
Best for: Groups and Individuals
Sell homemade items such as paintings, greeting cards, crocheted items, aprons, or photography prints. EM also partners with Fund the Nations so teams can create custom T-shirts, totes, stickers, bracelets, sunglasses, patches, or hats to sell. Selling something tangible gives supporters a daily reminder to pray or gives people who don't know you well a way to support you by getting something they want.
10. Set up a bake sale, popsicle stand, or lemonade stand
Best for: Groups and Individuals
Set up on your street, in the church foyer, or in a park, and display a QR code or link where people can donate to your trip in exchange for a delicious treat. Plan around the season! Lemonade or popsicles for Spring, cider or hot chocolate in the Fall/Winter, and baked goods taste good all year round.
What is EM's approach to fundraising for a mission trip?
Fundraising is a great opportunity to involve people who want to love and serve others around the world but can't go on a mission trip. EM invites team members to treat supporters as partners who join the trip through prayer, giving, and listening, rather than as funders of a one-way effort. When describing the trip and community you will join, highlight its strengths as well as its needs, and point out that your team will serve alongside a local church or ministry already doing important work year-round. A share of each trip cost supports the churches and ministries that host teams. We believe our posture and approach to mission trips matter, even in the early stage of fundraising for the trip. Read EM's 7 Healthy Service Principles for the full picture.
We also encourage volunteers to keep supporters involved after they give. Send a thank-you note, share a photo update when you return, and tell them what you learned.
What fundraising help does EM offer?
Group leaders and team members can download the Mission Trip Fundraising Guide for an example support letter, odd-job ideas, event ideas, and social media tips. EM's how to plan a mission trip guide covers the wider planning timeline.
Individuals ages 18 to 30 joining an IMMERSION program receive an IMMERSION Fundraising Coach and a personal fundraising page, plus a separate IMMERSION fundraising guide for ideas specifically suited to fundraising a larger amount on your own.
Mission Trip Fundraising FAQs
When should we start fundraising for a mission trip?
Start as soon as you know your per-person cost (and have the team put together if you're a group). Starting early lets you spread several small efforts over many weeks and months instead of relying on one big push, and it helps you meet each payment deadline. Check EM's registration and payment policy for the payment schedule for all group mission trips.
Do I have to raise the whole cost myself?
Not necessarily. Many people combine personal savings, church support, and gifts from supporters. Ask your group leader how your team splits the total, and decide together before anyone starts asking for money.
Are mission trip donations tax-deductible?
It depends on who receives the gift and how your church or group handles trip funds. Confirm the process with your church treasurer or a tax professional before you promise supporters a receipt. Donations given directly to your church or to EM are often tax-deductible, depending on how the funds are designated.
How does fundraising work for IMMERSION?
IMMERSION participants work with an IMMERSION Fundraising Coach and use a personal fundraising page to plan and share their goal. EM's IMMERSION fundraising guide adds more ideas to jumpstart the process and make the whole process easier.
Plan your team's mission trip with EM!
Explore group mission trips to compare communities, open weeks, and per-person costs. Once you register, utilize EM's Mission Trip Fundraising Guide to plan and execute the best fundraising ideas for your group.
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