We here at the national BGMC office are extremely grateful to each leader and kid who has given from the heart—so the world may know Jesus. Now 2016 had proved to be another greatest year in reaching and even surpassing our BGMC giving goals—over $7.8 million. Yet our hearts cry to do more—so the world may know. So we roll up our sleeves and pray that the Spirit of God will help us do more.
True to our current theme, “Above & Beyond,” children’s leaders across the nation are challenging their leaders and church kids to set all-time high BGMC giving goals in 2017. Way to go! But now what? What’s the next step to motivate your leaders and kids to sacrificially give with a heart of compassion to world missions—so the world may know?
First and foremost, pray to the Lord of the Harvest, that He will birth new vision in you, your leadership team, and your church kids regarding the urgency at hand. Ask Him to burden the hearts of believers for the lost souls of this world. Ask Jesus to give you and each person creative ideas as to how you and they can make an impact on the Kingdom by raising funds. Though BGMC is much more than giving, we simply cannot empower our missionaries without funds. Our offerings place tools in the hands of our missionaries—both at home and abroad—to do their jobs.
Second, ask each leader and child to seek the Lord about how they should be actively involved in giving—giving their time, talents, and offerings. This is their faith promise challenge. Once a child asks the Lord to give him or her fresh ideas, the Holy Spirit begins to work. And when a child with a heart of compassion is led by the Spirit, then sit back and be amazed as God will work in and through these little ones.
(CLICK HERE for information on “Setting a Yearly Goal for BGMC” and HERE for “What is a Faith Promise?”)
Third, look for creative ideas to share throughout the year. The ideas listed below were birthed in local churches by children’s leaders and kids alike. They represent just a few proven BGMC fundraising ideas. The titles below include hyperlinks you can click on that provide great downloads and videos. Thank you for taking on the challenge to go Above & Beyond—so the world may know Him!
BGMC Special Projects: At any given time, the national BGMC office has dozens of requests from missionaries for help in raising funds for urgent projects. We advocate that churches consider giving the majority of their BGMC offerings as undesignated, which allows BGMC to respond to urgent and critical needs. With this in mind, consider challenging your kids to take on a BGMC special project for a limited time. BGMC special projects often have written materials and videos that describe the urgent needs at hand. A BGMC special project provides the kids a visible way to see how their BGMC giving is making an impact in a specific way. Contact me to learn more about BGMC special projects.
Buddy’s Buddies: Twelve-year-old Carson Rudy in Lake Wales, Florida, has a big heart for BGMC. He has raised over $100,000 for BGMC in his lifetime—over $30,000 in 2016 alone. He had the idea of handing out Buddy Boxes to 10 of his friends and family and asked that they each fill them up. In doing so, Carson raised over $17,000 that year for BGMC! Carson’s dad, Shawn, says Carson now has 60 people participating with him as Buddy’s Buddies. (CLICK HERE for details on Buddy's Buddies.)
BGMC Home Garage/Yard Sales: Several children across the USA have successfully raised $1,000 or more each by conducting home garage/yard sales. One child went home to home (supervised, of course) in her neighborhood to request items she could place in her yard sale to help needy children around the world. She placed an ad, invited church members, friends, and relatives, and raised over $1,000 for BGMC!
Aubry’s Yard Sale Video
One girl named Aubry in the Pen-Florida District came up with the idea of doing a home garage sale. She raised over $1,300 for BGMC. Just think about the possibility of having several kids in your church doing BGMC home garage sales. (CLICK HERE for full story and HERE for info on BGMC garage sales.)
$31 in 31 Days Challenge: This concept is so simple yet has proven multiple times to generate big bucks for BGMC. Simply challenge each boy and girl—even adults in the Big Church!—to raise $31 in 31 days. Ask each kid to take on home chores, sell candy bars, ask relatives for $5 each, sell homemade baked goods, or a number of other ways. This is very doable. If you have 20 kids in your church, that adds up to $620. If you can find 10 adults to match those funds, that adds up to $6,200! (READ MORE)
BGMC Roll-a-Thon: It’s a safe, fun event that is held on the church property, at a park, or somewhere like a school track. The Roll-a-Thon differs slightly from a Bike-a-Thon in that kids can participate using any non-motorized, wheeled sporting device—such as bikes, skateboards, roller skates, roller blades. This event has even been conducted on a district-wide level by challenging churches to conduct their Roll-a-Thons on a given day of the year. (READ MORE)
Buddy’s Bakers: For eight years, Bev Robertson (current BGMC coordinator for the Oklahoma District and former children’s pastor at The Bridge Assembly in Mustang, Oklahoma) generated between $500 and $600 each month for BGMC by serving meals at church on Wednesday nights. Those attending received a free meal, and the church members made donations to BGMC. (READ MORE)
Other Great Fundraising Ideas:
