DISCLAIMER: This post is a necessary part of my journey. Fundraising is humbling in the best way possible and I feel like I need to have this information out in the open earlier rather than later. I cannot do this alone much as I may want to. I suppose this is one of many lessons that I will learn throughout this experience.
This post won’t be nearly as insightful as some of the other posts will hopefully prove to be, however, it will be highly informative regarding donations. I know this is quite detailed. Thanks in advance for your patience in reading and know that there is a little competitive plug at the end of this post to look forward to!!!!!
Let’s start with the facts. How much do I actually need to raise and when does it need to be done by?
The total amount for the trip, including insurance comes to $16,252 not including equipment. This will cover expenses while I am actually out in the field. I have several deadlines to meet:
By May 2nd: $3,500 (two weeks before training camp)
By June 20th: $7,500 (not quite two weeks before launch)
By Oct 1st: $11,000 (three months into the race)
By Jan 1st: $16,252 (fully funded roughly half-way through the race)
While these goals are set in place to help us keep pace with our fundraising, my own personal goal (and I’m sure all other racers as well) is to be fully funded prior to launch. World Race is a program within the organization known as Adventures in Missions (AIM). This is important to know as charges and checks will have AIM attached to them as opposed to the World Race. If you feel inclined to donate there are several ways this can be done:
- Send a check to AIM accompanied by a fundraising card (if you choose this option and do not have a fundraising card please contact me).
- Donate through a one time or recurring draft from your bank account. This can be set up by accessing the “Give” link on AIM’s homepage.
- Donate through a one time or recurring charge to their debit or credit card. This can be set up by accessing the “Give” link on AIM’s homepage.
- Donate through my blog page.
The last option is the simplest because you have already successfully accessed my blog. All that needs to happen now would be for you to click the “Support Me” tab and go through the steps.
***A few things to note***
Sending a check brings with it processing time meaning that a check would need to be sent in several weeks prior to a specific deadline. In the case of the May 2nd deadline, checks would need to be in the mail no later than Friday, April 18th to help me reach the goal in time. I will be periodically posting fundraising updates and deadline reminders for this reason. The following are instructions for how to mail a check:
Please mail your tax-deductible contribution to:
Adventures In Missions
P.O. Box 742570
Atlanta, GA 30374-2570
Please include my name (Casey Baxter) in the memo line of your check. The check must be made out to Adventures in Missions and not the World Race or me. The check cannot be processed unless it is made out to Adventures. Additionally, please only place one check per envelope.
Online donations are the most efficient method, however, there is a small processing fee that will be added to whatever donation you choose to give (this is explained during the process of setting up an online donation). In order for online donations to count towards a particular fundraising goal, everything would need to be in by Tuesday, April 29th to help me meet the May 2nd goal.
Your donations are tax deductible based on the policies and principles detailed at www.adventures.org/policies
*****FOR THE COMPETITIVE INDIVIDUALS OUT THERE, WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN A SQUAD WAR CHALLENGE*****
Let me give a brief explanation as to what a squad actually is. In July, there are four different routes being launched. Each route consists of roughly 50 people, otherwise known as a squad. Thus far, we have been given one Squad War challenge which was to be the squad with the highest percentage of members to post a video with face, name, age, and hometown. My squad, the F squad, came in second at 70%. Our next challenge is to have the highest percentage of squad members meet the first fundraising goal by April 19th. The vast majority of my squad have known they would be participating in the World Race for a number of months and consequently have made much greater headway with fundraising than I have. I would love to help up the percentage of my squad members that meets the fundraising goal early and would appreciate any donations that you may have to offer if you feel led. At this stage, those donations would need to be made online based on timing and to ensure that they get processed in time, would need to be done by April 15th. Phew, thanks for reading! Let me know if there are questions!
