The best way to communicate short-term missions in the local church combined with the ability to donate to a mission trip right from within MissionMakr … what do you think of that?
We think that’s pretty cool … a Donation Widget, and it’s right around the corner.
Communication and Donation? All in one place? Yep …
Who doesn’t want their mission dollars to go farther these days? I know I do! Here’s four practical ways you’ll save money when you sign up to use MissionMakr.com.
Let’s keep this simple …
1. Marketing or “Getting the Word Out” Costs – Once you decide you’re going to host a short term mission, the meter starts running, right? Create this, design that, print this and, oh, get ask the website guy or gal to put something up on our website. That all takes times and … money. I mean someone is getting paid by the hour to create all this stuff. But once it’s created, then comes the job of actively getting it out there for people to see, read and respond.
There’s a saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!” Well, I’m happy to report that none of the features and improvements listed below are because MissionMakr has broken. Nope. In fact, I’m encouraged to say that MissionMakr is working just as it was built to work … as a powerful tool to help communicate and create impact for short term mission trips.
Thanks to input provided by our users across the country, we’ve gone back and tweaked a few things that will make the user experience even better.
Here goes!
Approving and dropping multiple users at once.
Now, with the click of your mouse, you can approve or drop MissionMembrs (those going on your trip) and MissionSupportrs (those following your trip) with the click of a mouse.
This is a big time saver! If you have 50 people sign up to follow your trip, you can simply click on the checkmark next to each person’s name and click Save.
Viola’ … all 50 people are approved to follow your trip instantly!
What’s we’re working on: the ability to automatically approve MissionSupportrs after your trip leaves for the field. That way, people who sign up can be automatically approved to follow the trip without delay.
Fact: on average, we have 180 – 220 people following any given trip as MissionSupportrs. That’s 180-220 people that have said, “Hey, I love missions and want to know what’s happening.”
20 minutes … that’s all the time it takes to communicate everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) about your short-term trip. Every blog post from the Field News Widget, every photo album, every special story with pictures and more.
20 minutes – that’s all the time it takes when you use Tell — MissionMakr’s fourth phase designed to help you communicate and engage your church, friends, and family about your short-term trip.
Most churches don’t have a huge missions staff, and the staff folks are used to wearing lots and lots of hats. When it comes to short-term trips, people act as trip organizer, administrator, accountant, creative and logistical support, copy person, pastor, and the list goes on!
Did you know we’re more than a great communication and impact tool for short-term missions? We actually help churches communicate short-term missions … from the time a trip is planned to well after it returns — and every where in between.
From Modesto to Kisumu, Kenya — 18 young people from Shelter Cove Community Church in Modesto left June 6, 2011 for what would no doubt be the trip of a lifetime. And MissionMakr.com is there helping them tell their stories, show their video and photos and share the heart of the ministry they went to serve — Agape Children’s Ministry.
Here’s a look at their trip in real time …
Leaving for the mission field with little preparation is like showing up to a 5 year old’s birthday party with just a card. The thought was nice but don’t plan on being chosen to play Pin-The-Tail- On-The- Donkey.
For short term mission trips, GearUP (the second phase of MissionMakr) is an indispensable tool to help you prepare the heads, hands and hearts of those being sent. Come on, you’re going to have some sort of training, right? Why not take YOUR training and put it (and a bunch of other cool stuff) where the people going on the trip can get to it quickly and easily?
Hour for hour spent and dollar for dollar invested, short term mission trips have the capacity to create huge impact within the local church for the Great Commission!
Done well, short term trips become a beacon, shifting the focus and attention beyond the four walls of the local church and impacting the lives of the people in the field, those going to the field as AND the lives of those who prayed, and gave of their time, talent and resources to support the trip.
Done poorly, a short term mission trip becomes a mere blip on the map of ministry or just another “thing” in the church’s long list of activities for the year.
You know what lasting impact a short-term mission trip can have on you and your team. Wouldn’t it be great if you could invite your whole church on your next short-term trip?
Well, you can … and they can stay up-to-date with what happens every step of the way. Here’s the best part …
They don’t have to leave the comfort of their kitchen table — or wherever their computer is.
Besides being an awesome communication and impact tool for short-term missions, we’re just as awesome at helping you use our app. A few weeks ago, we told you we improved our site by adding Help & Support via TenderSupport so you could search our Knowledge Base, start a discussion or submit a ticket (if you needed a question answered).
