Money
So much of this varies depending on the size of the group going out as well as the type and frequency of the projects you’ll do. However, here are some basic tips for getting started.
Begin with Existing Resources
Within your church, do you have a women’s group that knits? Children who make crafts? Men who are handy or who have trucks? If so, these existing activities could translate into scarves for the homeless, hand made cards for nursing homes, or perhaps a moving ministry or service projects for under-resourced members of your community. Look at the resources or ministries already active in your context and ask how they can be focused outward. Just two of the benefits of looking inward before going outward… getting FREE stuff and promoting wider ownership within the church by encouraging involvement at various levels!
Borrow in the Beginning
There is no need to buy all your equipment when getting started. Look at each outreach to determine what things must be purchased and what things can be borrowed. For example, when doing a drink giveaway, buy the signs at Kinko’s or spray paint something on poster board, but perhaps ask outreach participants to bring in their own coolers. Or when doing a hot coffee giveaway, consider purchasing take-home packs from Panera or another coffee shop and see how it goes in your community before investing in a beverage hot pack.
Service Projects – Invest in Basic Equipment
One-time initial investments in basic outreach kits pay off in dividends since you’re not giving away a product. Your only expenses are in replenishing supplies every 4-10 times out. Most kits can be assembled for between $15 and $30 each. Lists of basic kits available here.
Kindness Giveaways
Business blast/ person-to-person candy packet. In general, this is a baggie with an outreach card and between 3-7 pieces of candy (depending on type and size of candy). Per touch, this is very inexpensive at .07 to.15 cents.
Newspapers. This is becoming more and more expensive. At around .38 cents per paper, we do this outreach less often than we used to, but it’s very effective for a morning outreach, for example before Sunday services (who doesn’t want the Sunday comics?). Your local publisher may hook you up with a special deal, though, so start by contacting them directly rather than assuming you need to buy retail.
Water Bottles. Expect to pay around .35 – .37 cents per bottle of water when getting a custom label. Certainly you can get water at your local warehouse store and use your standard connect card with it, but we just find it to be a sleeker, more personalized touch when the bottle itself shares the message you’re wanting to send. Many times custom labels can be arranged through your local vending supply company or restaurant supplier. Promotional companies also will be able to give you quotes for custom labels or put you in touch with the person their master supplier. To order a design you have seen used by Vineyard Cincinnati, contact http://www.bluefrogpromo.com.
Miscellaneous Giveaways. Most all our other giveaways come in under .30 cents per person touched.
Mercy-Related Touches
Bread Donations. We have been successful in arranging donations of bread from various retailers, such as warehouse clubs or local bakeries. We use a volunteer team of drivers who pick up from the donation site on a particular day and time of the week. The dependability of your serving team is critical, as many vendors have been burned by volunteer-driven organizations and so sometimes find it easier to pitch their excess rather than donate it. Keep in mind that this is great quality bread – it’s not 2-3 days old. It is baked fresh the day of pick up and we will not give it away unless it can be delivered to our “customer” within a day, so timing is everything!
Bag Hunger. For the cost of the plastic bag and the list of groceries to be donated (around .27 cents), you can give away an entire bag of non-perishable groceries. Just ask the members of your church to fill the bag when they go shopping. It’s a great way to get everyone in your church involved, and you can do the outreach as frequently as you have enough donations to be given away. Periodically we may supplement the bags with corporate donations or extra supplies from the Free Store Food Bank, but that’s optional. For information on where to get the bags we use, visit American Paper and Plastic at http://www.americanpaperandplastic.com and just tell them you want the bags like Vineyard Cincinnati uses. They’re used to these phone calls, so don’t be shy!
Good Sam Run (Feeding the Homeless). For the last several years we have been a consistent presence in the lives of Cincinnati’s most needy residents. For between $70 and $85 per week, we feed anywhere between 150 and 200 people in Washington Park, a gathering place for those living on the streets or in shelters. We use a portion of our donated bread and then buy bologna, cheese and mustard to make basic sandwiches. We also make punch and offer donated baked goods, and sometimes potato chips or some other “goodie” item. We put it all in a plastic grocery-style bag (purchased from Sams Club) so that items can be saved for later if needed.
Ministries who do this less frequently sometimes have church members bring a pot-luck variety of dishes, but because of the consistency with which we do this outreach for the purpose of building on-going relationships, we’ve put a system in place to ensure we offer a dependable meal each week.
Other Mercy Touches. To nursing homes we’ll typically take donated magazines like Reminisce and Readers Digest and handmade cards, both of which are free. Other popular items are single carnations, helium balloons, quality hand lotion or tissues. All items usually come in at or below .35 cents. Most grocers will also have flowers that can be donated at the end of the week, and those are always a popular hit.
Other popular mercy-related items are cleaning products like individual boxes of laundry detergent (get them from suppliers to laundromats for around .29 cents each), bags of rice, flour, beans, sugar, or bleach. All of these household items can be donated from the people in your church, or purchased inexpensively at dollar stores or discount groceries.
