GlobalFingerprints Advocate Guide

Simple Ways You Can Raise Up New Sponsors

You’ve experienced the joy of helping a vulnerable child escape the trap of poverty and find new life in Jesus Christ. Now, you can multiply your impact by sharing that joy with others.

It’s easier than you might think. This post will give you practical ways to communicate the ministry of GlobalFingerprints with others.

(And if you would like to be an official member of our GlobalFingerprints Advocate Team, see the end of this article for more details.)

Get the Word Out on Social Media

Okay, here’s a pretty simple one for you who are savvy with social media. Take a minute and “like” the GlobalFingerprints Facebook page.

Then when you are moved by a story on our Facebook page, don’t simply “like” the story, “share it” with others. As you know, that sends the story rippling throughout the cyber world and informs many more people about GlobalFingerprints.

It will be even more effective if you personally endorse GlobalFingerprints and encourage others to make a difference by sponsoring a child.

Share GlobalFingerprints with Your Small Group, Sunday School Class or Other Christian Network

Don’t underestimate the power of your story. Ask your small group leader or Sunday School teacher if you can take a few minutes to share your experience with GlobalFingerprints.

• Ask the leadership of your church for approval to make a presentation to a group in your church about sponsoring GlobalFingerprints children. You may want to give them a copy of the GlobalFingerprints – Who We Are flyer for background information.
• Order a supply of child cards from our free advocate resources. Each child card lists basic information about a child waiting to be sponsored and shows a picture of the child. It also lists the child’s identification number someone will input to sponsor the child.
• Show the GlobalFingerprints video. You can play it from Vimeo or download it onto your device
• Tell the group why you decided to sponsor a child and the blessing it has been to you.
• If you have time, share the basic information in the GlobalFingerprints – Who We Are flyer with the group. Pass out copies of the flyer as well. You can download and print it under free advocate resources. Or you can order printed copies by emailing your request to globalfingerprints@efca.org.
• Encourage the group to peruse the child cards to choose a child they would like to sponsor. When they take a card, they are committing to sponsor that child and can do so through the GlobalFingerprints website.
• Explain clearly how they can sign up for sponsorship and highlight the GlobalFingerprints web address on the card.

Host a GlobalFingerprints Experience in Your Home

The GlobalFingerprints experience gives people a glimpse of the life of a vulnerable child. You can let your creativity run wild as you plan out your home event.

• First choose a country where GlobalFingerprints ministers. The natural would be the country of the child you sponsor.
• Provide a typical meal from that county. But make the portions small to reflect what your child would likely eat in one day.
• Find out some interesting facts about the country. Over dinner hold a trivia contest.
• Research some of the difficulties children in that area of the world face and help those in attendance imagine what they would be like. For example, children often carry drinking water great distances for their family. In this example, you could have people pick up a five-gallon bucket of water and imagine lugging it a few miles each day. (Perhaps even on their head!) We can put you in touch with the coordinator of your child’s site so they can provide examples of the difficulties children in their program encounter.
• Show the GlobalFingerprints video.
• Share how you decided to sponsor a child and what impact it has made on you and your family.
• Explain the basic information in the GlobalFingerprints – Who We Are flyer with the group. Pass out copies of the flyer as well.
• Spend time praying for vulnerable children in the country you have been discussing.
• End with dessert. During the dessert time have child cards available for guests to peruse.  Do not put people on the spot or make them feel pressured to sponsor a child. If they choose to sponsor a child under compulsion they likely will not continue their sponsorship long term.

Make Some Calls

Some of your friends and family may desire to impact the life of a vulnerable child. But they don’t know where to begin. You could be the one to share how they can make a difference by sponsoring a GlobalFingerprints child.

• Make a list of people you think might be interested in sponsoring a child.
• Call them to ask if they would be interested. The conversation might go something like this…

Hi Tim,

Hey, I’m calling today because Joan and I are now advocates for GlobalFingerprints. I don’t know if you are familiar with GlobalFingerprints. They are a child sponsorship organization that helps some of the most vulnerable children in the world.

Joan and I have been sponsoring a young girl with them for several years. We’re so impressed how they have helped her with school and medical bills. But more importantly how they have helped her come to know Christ.

Anyway, Joan and I made a list of people we thought might also be interested in sponsoring children. And we thought of you and Mary. I know you guys have been involved in children’s ministry for many years and have a real love for kids.

So, I’m just checking to see if you might have any interest in sponsoring a child…

• If they are interested, explain to them exactly how they can sign up for a child.

Involve Your Church

The leaders of your church may not even be aware of GlobalFingerprints. Even if they are, they likely don’t know all the ways the church can partner with GlobalFingerprints to help children in need. Make an appointment with your pastor and share these powerful ways a church can work with GlobalFingerprints.

• The church can invite someone from GlobalFingerprints to present the ministry in a worship service and challenge the congregation to sponsor children. Or perhaps church leaders can make the presentation themselves.
• The church can adopt a GlobalFingerprints site. In this scenario the church would then send a team to view the needs at the site and challenge the congregation to sponsor children in that country. This is a great way for a church get the entire congregation working together in missions.

Get Your Business Involved

You might not have realized this was even possible. But others are finding creative ways to involve their business.

• For example, one counseling center felt moved to sponsor a child for every child they have in their care.
• Another investment business has pledged to give ten percent of their commissions to the ministry of GlobalFingerprints.

Maybe God wants to use your business to help vulnerable children around the world as well.

Hold a Fundraiser for GlobalFingerprints Projects

Organize a garage sale. Make treats or crafts and sell them at local festivals. Organize a GlobalFingerprints run or pet walk. The possibilities are endless.

Donate the money you raise to one of the many GlobalFingerprints projects that help kids in need.

Whatever fundraiser you choose, use the event as a platform to tell others about GlobalFingerprints and encourage them to sponsor children.

Distribute copies of the GlobalFingerprints brochure at the event. You could even have child cards available so participants can choose a child to sponsor at the event.

 Use Orphan Sunday as a Catalyst

Christian Alliance for Orphans, or CAFO, founded and promotes Orphan Sunday the second Sunday in November. More and more churches are joining the charge and promoting ministries to children that Sunday.

Take advantage of the momentum and encourage your church to participate by promoting GlobalFingerprints. This also provides an opportunity for you to approach your small group or Sunday School leader to ask if you can make a presentation that Sunday.

Become an Official GlobalFingerprints Advocate

You don’t have to be an official GlobalFingerprints advocate to participate in any of the ways described in this guide.

But if you register as an Official GlobalFingerprints Advocate, you will be invited to every-other-month webinars with GlobalFingerprints staff (30-45 minutes long). This will give you more information about how God is at work through GlobalFingerprints. You will also receive a GlobalFingerprints Advocate newsletter on the months we don’t have a webinar with ideas to help you promote GlobalFingerprints so more children can be rescued from poverty and hear about Jesus.

To register as an official advocate contact our advocate coordinator, Greg Norwine, at greg.norwine@efca.org.