If you were to speak to Danielle Jackson, you would get to know one of the most energetic people we’ve met. We got to know her during her mission trip fundraising. In the past, Danielle was a social worker. And, as she said to us when telling her story, she’s “of people and family.” In other words, in an earlier life, Danielle used to be a social worker for about 12 years. As a result, she has a deep passion for the well-being of people, and of course, family.
Danielle is full of energy, and she’s active in her community. So, it’s not a surprise that one of her friends, who is a minister, asked her to travel to Uganda for the opening of a birthing center. Next month, Danielle travels to Uganda as a professional photographer to take photographs to help promote what’s happening in that community. However, before she had the money to go, she had to raise $3,000 for her mission trip.
Challenges for traveling to see the birthing center in Uganda
Danielle is candid when she says that in the beginning, her family did not want her to go to Uganda. Still, although her family disagreed, she said she could not let go of the idea. But, Danielle also had the additional challenge of coming up with $3,000 for the trip. So, she started trying to figure out how to make the trip happen for herself. One of the places Danielle went is on YouTube, where she learned about mission trip fundraising. It was there that she learned about how shoe drive fundraising works. Danielle loved the idea about supporting people in developing countries to help themselves out of poverty as she raised money to travel to see the birthing center.
Getting started in shoe drive fundraising on Facebook
Once Danielle got on board with a shoe drive fundraising company, she decided that a primary strategy was going to be Facebook. So, she calculated that she would need to get 100 people to give 25 pairs of gently worn, used and new shoes each to meet her goal. By communicating what she was seeking to do on Facebook, she received more than 80 comments in her initial post! In other words, there was a tremendous well of support for her mission trip fundraising to photograph the birthing center in Uganda. During this initial period, Danielle thought that whether or not she was successful, it didn’t matter. Micro-entrepreneurs in developing nations would be getting shoes for their micro-enterprises, whether or not she went to Uganda.
Mission trip fundraising brings blessings
When Danielle started her mission trip fundraising, she says she had faith. Even though she thought recruiting 100 people might be hard, she thought somehow it would come together. At the start, people gave 60 pairs of shoes. But, she says that many people thought she was crazy for raising money with a shoe drive fundraiser. (We guess that some people still don’t understand why a shoe drive fundraiser makes sense). But, she wasn’t daunted, and even the skeptics ended up contributing. And, here is the secret ingredient. The more shoes she collected, the more people got motivated, including her family. And, then more shoes came her way.
The selfie strategy for fundraising
As we mentioned at the start, Danielle is actively involved in her community. And, as a vibrant person, she loves people. That helped her with her mission trip fundraising. So, one of the ideas she had was to post selfies on Facebook. She encouraged people who dropped off shoes at her home to take selfies with her. And then she posted these selfies to get more traction. Now, Danielle couldn’t be home always. Therefore, she encouraged people who dropped off shoes when she wasn’t home to take selfies of themselves on her porch. The supporters then tagged her on social media with the selfies they took. Danielle’s idea was brilliant, and it was another secret for fundraising success so she could go to photograph the birthing center in Uganda.
Other fun ideas for mission trip fundraising
Again, Danielle is a ball of energy. And, once she got momentum for her mission trip fundraiser to go to the birthing center, she wasn’t stopping. For instance, Danielle had a shoe party to bag all of the shoes received. And, when people dropped off shoes at her porch, she took the time to hear their stories. For example, one person who dropped of shoes so Danielle could photograph the birthing center in Uganda had recently lost her brother. Another was a social worker who contributed the footwear of a veteran for Danielle’s mission trip fundraiser. He lived to the ripe age of 99, and he loved fashion and shoes.
In conclusion, there’s much more we can tell you, and we will—next time. Danielle is traveling to Uganda in July. And, we’re looking forward to seeing some of the pictures of the birthing center. We’ll share a bit more about her mission trip fundraiser and her trip to Uganda after she returns. In the meantime, if you want to read more stories, idea, and tips, take a look at our blog.
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Thank you so much for the spotlight and helping me to achieve my ultimate goal to serve as His hands and feet in showering his love over the people of Uganda during this missionary trip and beyond. I’m honored to be able to partner God’s plan and my heart with the incredible staff at Show Mercy International Uganda, who will be hosting my stay there.
The provisions that flowed after the jumpstart of the shoe drive provided a clearer vision of my calling. With all the fundraising needs met (which honestly, was my initial greatest fear to tackle) I knew I had been given all that I would need to answer His calling.
I certainly look forward to sharing with you the continued story of the work being done at Show Mercy International that’s even yet to come, that all began with a youtube search and the most incredible fundraising idea ever!
Thank you so much Danielle. We love sharing stories like yours and we’re so happy we could partner together!