Literature Sales
A unique and interesting way to conduct a fundraiser for Christian missions is the sale of literature. Magazines, books, and periodical subscriptions all make for good sales products for Christian fundraisers any time of the year. While some fund raising methods only work, or work best, during a specific time of the year, that is not true of literature sales. In addition, an added benefit of using literature for a Christian missions fundraiser is the opportunity it provides to share your faith with the community.
You will need to get access to a book distributor that will sell you stock for your fundraising missions project at a bulk or wholesale price. Usually this is accomplished by purchasing the books and magazines at a larger quantity. Some publishers also have programs in place to sign people up for periodical subscriptions, where a portion of the subscription gets sent back to the sales organization for the fundraiser. Check with your church’s book supplier or study guide publisher. If your church has a quarterly or monthly magazine that it produces, contact the magazine publisher to find out if such a program exists, or if they would even be willing to start one for your mission fundraising group!
There are several methods that can be used to distribute the literature that you are going to sell for your church missions fundraiser. Probably the easiest way is to include your entire congregation and other local churches in your plans. If they understand the mission that you are going to support, they are more likely to want to help. So, do a presentation on the needs of the mission, and close out with an offer for book sales, the profits to go towards the needs you just presented. Sometimes this approach can even work in a cross-denominational event, where you are pitching your ideas to a more diverse group than just your particular church. However, for this to work, your mission should be more of a humanitarian effort that can be appreciated by other groups, not just an evangelistic outreach type mission.
Another great way to distribute the books is to go out into your community on a door-to-door basis (recommended in pairs as a safety precaution). This not only gives you the opportunity to sell books for your mission trip, it also gives you the opportunity to witness to others in the community of your faith. For this type of distribution, it would be highly recommended to use soul-winning and witnessing books, as well as having some free tracts and materials to give out. While free materials do not necessarily support your fundraising plans, they are a great way to meet others and promote a great image for your church in the local community.