Writing your support letter
Thank you for deciding to partner with us for our upcoming retreat! As you compose your support letter, the following information may be beneficial. We have found it is helpful to include background information about Thrive, a description of what your involvement will be at the retreat, information about where we are going, the total cost of your trip, and a few necessary details about making donations towards your trip.
Please use the following information when composing your letter, but feel free to add your own personal touch as well. There is one section entitled 'Details to Include’, which we highly recommended to be incorporated into your letter.
Thrive was founded in 1997 for the purpose of supporting and encouraging North American women who are serving cross-culturally. The need that many women ministering overseas feel for friendship, spiritual fellowship, and encouragement from those who truly understand their experiences can seem nearly impossible to meet when living in another culture. To help meet this need, Thrive developed a bi-monthly magazine that speaks to the unique challenges that global workers face, as well as a retreat ministry that provides a time of rest and refreshment for women as they serve in their particular region of the world or while they are in the States on furlough or home assignment.
Once the women arrive at the retreat location, they are welcomed into a time of refreshment where they can relax in their hotel rooms, fellowship with other women, worship in English, receive excellent teaching from the Word, and be treated to a variety of self-care options including time with prayer partners and professional counselors to meet individually with women throughout the retreat. In order to effectively meet the needs of women who attend, Thrive takes along a team of volunteers who are willing to become servants to these women and minister to their emotional, spiritual, and physical needs.
You will want to include the retreat location and dates in your letter.
The total amount needed to fund your involvement with this retreat will be approximately $1,500–$5,000 depending on the retreat location. This amount covers travel (international retreats only), hotel room costs, all meals from your arrival to your departure, and all conference expenses.
One of the most valuable components to our retreats is the prayer that many friends and supporters offer during this time. We suggest that you ask your supporters to partner with you in prayer as you prepare for and travel to the retreat. For each retreat we engage in 30 Days of Prayer, a time to pray for the details of the retreat, each individual attendee, and the countries in which they serve. The prayer guide is posted daily, 30 days prior to the retreat on our website and Facebook. You and your supporters can subscribe to 30 Days of Prayer on our website to receive this by email.
The following information must be included in your letter:
Checks should be made payable to Thrive:
P.O. Box 151297, Lakewood, CO, 80215-9297
A response card for supporters to return to our office. (We have provided you with a response card to include with your letter. This card will allow your supporters to mark their intention to support financially, through prayer, and sign up for the 30 Days of Prayer. This slip will notify Thrive that a donation has been made in your name. For charitable donation reasons, please be sure supporters do not include your name anywhere on the check.
Please direct your supporters to your personal Donately direct fundraising campaign page once you have your fundraising page set up. They may also call the office to use a credit card by phone if they’d prefer.
If you are doing a postal mailing be sure to include a return envelopes addressed to Thrive with your last name written in the lower left hand corner of the envelope.
This clause must be included somewhere in the letter: All gifts will be receipted and are tax deductible. All donations must be received by 60 days before the retreat date, so that we can make the final hotel payment one month prior to departure of the volunteer team. Any donations received beyond your need will be applied toward other Thrive retreat expenses.
Please also include something like the following in your letter: I encourage you to visit the Thrive website, subscribe to their communications to receive occasional ministry updates (including retreat information), and learn more about the ministry here.
Please use the following information when composing your letter, but feel free to add your own personal touch as well. There is one section entitled 'Details to Include’, which we highly recommended to be incorporated into your letter.
About Thrive
Thrive was founded in 1997 for the purpose of supporting and encouraging North American women who are serving cross-culturally. The need that many women ministering overseas feel for friendship, spiritual fellowship, and encouragement from those who truly understand their experiences can seem nearly impossible to meet when living in another culture. To help meet this need, Thrive developed a bi-monthly magazine that speaks to the unique challenges that global workers face, as well as a retreat ministry that provides a time of rest and refreshment for women as they serve in their particular region of the world or while they are in the States on furlough or home assignment.
Once the women arrive at the retreat location, they are welcomed into a time of refreshment where they can relax in their hotel rooms, fellowship with other women, worship in English, receive excellent teaching from the Word, and be treated to a variety of self-care options including time with prayer partners and professional counselors to meet individually with women throughout the retreat. In order to effectively meet the needs of women who attend, Thrive takes along a team of volunteers who are willing to become servants to these women and minister to their emotional, spiritual, and physical needs.
Retreat Information
You will want to include the retreat location and dates in your letter.
Trip Costs
The total amount needed to fund your involvement with this retreat will be approximately $1,500–$5,000 depending on the retreat location. This amount covers travel (international retreats only), hotel room costs, all meals from your arrival to your departure, and all conference expenses.
Prayer
One of the most valuable components to our retreats is the prayer that many friends and supporters offer during this time. We suggest that you ask your supporters to partner with you in prayer as you prepare for and travel to the retreat. For each retreat we engage in 30 Days of Prayer, a time to pray for the details of the retreat, each individual attendee, and the countries in which they serve. The prayer guide is posted daily, 30 days prior to the retreat on our website and Facebook. You and your supporters can subscribe to 30 Days of Prayer on our website to receive this by email.
Details to Include
The following information must be included in your letter:
Donations made by check
Checks should be made payable to Thrive:
P.O. Box 151297, Lakewood, CO, 80215-9297
A response card for supporters to return to our office. (We have provided you with a response card to include with your letter. This card will allow your supporters to mark their intention to support financially, through prayer, and sign up for the 30 Days of Prayer. This slip will notify Thrive that a donation has been made in your name. For charitable donation reasons, please be sure supporters do not include your name anywhere on the check.
Donations made by credit card
Please direct your supporters to your personal Donately direct fundraising campaign page once you have your fundraising page set up. They may also call the office to use a credit card by phone if they’d prefer.
Details to include on your volunteer support letter
If you are doing a postal mailing be sure to include a return envelopes addressed to Thrive with your last name written in the lower left hand corner of the envelope.
This clause must be included somewhere in the letter: All gifts will be receipted and are tax deductible. All donations must be received by 60 days before the retreat date, so that we can make the final hotel payment one month prior to departure of the volunteer team. Any donations received beyond your need will be applied toward other Thrive retreat expenses.
Please also include something like the following in your letter: I encourage you to visit the Thrive website, subscribe to their communications to receive occasional ministry updates (including retreat information), and learn more about the ministry here.
Updated on: 12/10/2020
Thank you!