CoLaborers International https://colaborersinternational.com

SOCIAL JUSTICE ART SHOW | Perfect for a group (10 +).
Each do a piece (specifically for this or as requirement for your classes) that represents CoLaborers International, the need in the world, Jesus, the overseas projects we assist, what we’re all about… It can be any style, any medium. Plan & reserve up a space at your university for the show. Advertise. Under each piece, have a placard explaining it, who did it, and with info about CoLaborers International. Your art may inspire more students to get involved and do something. Download resources from resource page – such as pamphlets, posters and photos. For specialized resources, contact us.

ART PRINT CONTEST | Perfect for Individual, or as an extension of Social Justice Art Show (above).
Do a piece (specifically for this or as requirement for your classes) that represents CoLaborers International, the need in the world, Jesus, the overseas projects we assist, what we’re all about… It can be any style, any medium. Share it with us in an email. If your piece is picked, we’ll make prints of it to sell as a fundraiser for the project your piece represents. On the back, we’ll also feature your artist bio and a photo of you. So, it helps get your name out there as an artist!

GRAPHIC DESIGN | Perfect for Individuals or Groups of 2-3.
We can always use help developing publication materials, pamphlets, posters, and web materials that are visually engaging. Let’s face it, if our materials don’t grab attention, they won’t get attention. Help us reach out more by contributing your talent! Contact us!

ILLUSTRATORS | Perfect for Individuals.
We’d like to have hand-illustrated tracts that are NOT corny and would be appealing for people to pick up and read. We can provide the tract message, if you can provide the artwork. May be shared in different languages. Share the Gospel & get your name out there as an artist. Contact us!

ARTS & CRAFTS | Perfect for Individuals & Groups
Whether it’s making jewelry, making candles and soaps, key chains or sock toys, knitting mittens – you can use your gifts to help somebody. See if there are any relevant clubs on campus that can participate. Talk to friends and see if there’s enough interest to put on a small craft fair. You may also consider dovetailing the event with an art show (see above), so artists can sell their wares.
Put up posters calling for crafters to help and inviting people to come.  They can donate all or a percentage of their sales to help meet the needs of children overseas through their crafts. Have them email you by a certain date to let you know what they would sell and to give you notice how many crafters you will have. Maybe consider getting vendors (Avon, Mary Kay, etc..) to come too.  Hold it in an area with a lot of foot traffic, and make sure to get the word out ahead of time – so you can get more people to come and get more crafters to sell.
Let people know at the sale itself that it is your crafty way of helping meet needs of children overseas. Have photos and resources from the resources page available.

PROMO PIECES (short) | Perfect for Individuals or Groups
Promotional videos give a voice to the voiceless and catches on like wildfire. Promotional videos can be about CoLaborers International, the overseas projects we assist, can tell the stories of students that have gotten involved, feature clips from student events, etc… We encourage you to be as creative as possible, using any variety of styles and mediums to get the message across – animation, stop animation, mini-documentary, interviews, music videos, interpretative videos, etc… If you’re interested in doing a promotional piece, please contact us! Bonus – it also gets your name out there an aspiring filmmaker.

DOCUMENTARY (long) | Perfect for Groups
Give a window into the lives of people being reached by projects we assist. Tell their stories, share their hopes, their fears, their dreams, their loves. Motivate people to action. Change things. If you’re interested in working with a team, traveling and making a time commitment to something that matters – this is for you. A perfect project to help those who need it most, and it also gets your name out there an aspiring filmmaker. Can be done as an internship, volunteer or volunteer staff position. Contact us if interested.

EVENT CAPTURING (short) | Perfect for Individuals or Groups
Give a student event twice the impact! Capture it on video to inspire others and to share with overseas projects so they can SEE how students are pulling and praying for them! Must already have video equipment.Contact us if interested.

BENEFIT | Perfect for Teams and Rec. Teams
Why not take what you’re already doing and use it to help? Make that big game of the year, the one everyone comes out to against your rivals, and make it a benefit game. You can do this multiple ways. Donate ticket sales, have boosters run a silent auction on the side lines, take a love offering during the break. Download resources from resource page – such as pamphlets, posters and photos. For specialized resources, contact us.

MARATHON | Perfect for Individual and Groups
Get 3 people and plan a marathon to raise money for a specific need overseas. Invite your school’s track team to participate, as well as other runners in the community or at your college. Allow them to register as individuals or groups – such as a life group, hall group, school club or special interest group. Encourage groups to wear their club t-shirts to get the word out about their clubs, or some identifying colors or gear. It gets people more in the spirit, gives school clubs incentive to participate to help the cause… and makes it fun!
Have individual runners and group runners make a goal of how much money they will raise for the cause. Advertise the event 2-3 months in advance to give them time to fund-raise for their goal. They may be able to get sponsors per mile they run or even corporate sponsors.
Things to consider:
– When would be a good time for that (take into consideration other coinciding events, schedules, holidays and the general weather)?
– Is there an outdoor track or trail that could be reserved?
– Are there any special groups that would help sponsor it?
Download resources from resource page. For special resources, contact us. Take photos & videos of your event for us to share and inspire others!

SPORTS CAMPS | Perfect for Teams and Rec. Teams
Maybe you’ve already done a benefit game and you want to do more. Would your team be interested in serving overseas as a team to run a sports camp for the children being helped by overseas projects we assist? If so, contact us.

HIKE-A-THON | Perfect for Groups & Individuals
A hike-a-thon is a great way to help as part of a spiritual retreat or on it’s own.  You could organize it with a nature club and some spiritual life groups on campus or other people you know at that like being outdoors.  Find a place to hike and pick a date when the weather would most likely be nice and work with the school calendar, as well as a rain date. Advertise it in advance and talk to different clubs to see if they would want to come as a team-building experience for their group.
If done as a spiritual retreat – have no specific goal of miles to be hiked. Pick someone to lead a short devotional before the trip. Contact us for prayer requests you can pray over as you walk. Print out photos and info from the resources page to have available. Pray for God to open your eyes to how He can use you to help this world.   Have a suggested donation of $5 or so that people attending the event make towards the overseas project it will be assisting.
If done solely as a hike-a-thon – have hikers make a goal of how many miles they will hike together and obtain a few sponsors/donors for each mile they hike to help orphans overseas. Send information to hikers that sign up about the project so they can share knowledgeably with people that they ask to support them. Invite school clubs to form teams to participate and get the word out about their clubs at the same time. They can wear their colors, etc.. Set a goal for how much you want to raise and communicate with us so we can let you know exactly what that amount would do.

HUMAN VIDEO | Perfect for Individuals or Groups
Pick a song with a powerful message or that tells a story relevant to CoLaborers International or the projects we assist overseas. Choreograph it to dance and move silently along to it, taking on the message of the song. Can be done in front of live audience as part of a student benefit, during an offertory at church or in a community center.  Tell about the project the song represents and the orphans, widows and people being helped by the project. After the song, take a love offering to go toward that project. If at all possible, video it. Download resources from resource page – such as pamphlets, posters and photos. For specialized resources, contact us.

SKITS | Perfect for Individuals or Groups
We’d like to have a skit written about the work being done in our locations globally that can be shared in churches and schools to get the word out.  Maybe 15 minutes long or so.  Would you like to help write it?

Maybe have it tell a story characteristic of many of the people helped through the workers. One idea is to have it share a child’s story -what circumstances they came from, what helps they received, how their life is now, what their future may be.

Who will help write this? Contact us if you are interested. We want to make the skit script downloadable from the website. You will, of course, get credit for writing it and we can even do a story on your involvement if you like.

BENEFIT |  Perfect for Group & Individual Performances
Get together with your dance team and reach out to other dance teams around to put together a dance benefit.
– Who will participate?
– Who can help plan? At least 2 people.
– Where will it be held? Is it easy for students to get to?
– Advertise via posters, videos and social networks in advance.
– Download resources from resource page. For specialized resources, contact us.
Can also be done in conjunction with a music benefit very effectively. Ticket sales & donations go to the cause to help the overseas projects CoLaborers International assists.   Contact us if you want a speaker for your event. Video your event and send it to us so we can share what you’ve done on youtube to inspire more people and show overseas project leaders how you are pulling and praying for them!

DANCE OFF |  Perfect for Group & Individual Performances
Especially good for break dance teams and hip hop teams.
– Advertise at least a few months in advance in the area to give other groups notice to practice.
– Try to get at least 3 teams to participate – as individuals from the team or as a whole.
– Set guidelines for how long each routine should be.Or whether it will just be jumping in freestyle
– Have a grand prize for the winner.. This can be donated by a local business, or by your school club.
– Share about the overseas project the event is supporting that night. Share about the orphans and widows the event will help.
– Download resources from the resource page – such as pamphlets, posters, and photos. For specialized resources, contact us.

INTERPRETIVE | Perfect for Individuals or Groups
Pick a song with a powerful message or that tells a story relevant to CoLaborers International or the projects we assist overseas. Choreograph it to dance and move silently along to it, taking on the message of the song. Can be done in front of a live audience as part of a student benefit, during an offertory at church, or in a community center.  Tell about the project the song represents and the orphans, widows, and people being helped by the project. After the song, take a love offering to go toward that project. If at all possible, video it. Download resources from the resource page – such as pamphlets, posters, and photos. For specialized resources, contact us.

FLASH MOB |  Perfect for Group Performances
We couldn’t say it any better – http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Start-A-Flash-Mob/?ALLSTEPS

VIDEO SCORES | Perfect for Individuals and Groups
The right sound track makes the message hit home more powerfully – whether it’s background or theme music for documentaries or promo videos, we are always needing musicians to help. Are you interested? Please contact us!

BENEFITS | Perfect for Individuals and Groups
Do a benefit concert with together with other bands and performance groups to raise money for a specific need, while rocking out and having a good time! This increases your audience and your impact in the world.
Record a video and send it to us to share with the overseas project leaders so they can see WHO is pulling and praying for them. Have ticket sales go to help, and donate some merch too!
Or, if your band isn’t able to coordinate with other bands in the area, you can make your next show a benefit by talking about the project in between songs and donating your portion of ticket sales to the cause and take a love offering.
Download resources from resource page – such as pamphlets, posters and photos. For specialized resources, contact us.

SONGWRITING | Perfect for Individuals and Groups
Write a song about one of the projects CoLaborers International assists, sharing the situation and the need, the joys and the sorrows. Record your song and share it with us. We can use it as a resource for dance and drama groups that get involved to dance out and interpret. It also will be helpful for background music for our videos and to share the situation there.

MUSIC VIDEOS | Perfect for Individuals and Groups
Write/ perform a song that represents CoLaborers International and the people being helped. Share it with us and we may either: 1) Make a music video for you using footage and photos from the project it represents OR  2) We can send you photos and video clips to make it into a video yourself. Or you can always choose to 3) Make your own representative video using other means and put a link to CoLaborersInternational.com at the end. Do what you love and use it to help people!

HIKE-A-THON | Perfect for Groups & Individuals
A hike-a-thon is a great way to help as part of a spiritual retreat or on its own.  You could organize it with a nature club and some spiritual life groups on campus or other people you know that like being outdoors.  Find a place to hike and pick a date when the weather would most likely be nice and work with the school calendar, as well as a rain date. Advertise it in advance and talk to different clubs to see if they would want to come as a team-building experience for their group.
If done as a spiritual retreat – have no specific goal of miles to be hiked. Pick someone to lead a short devotional before the trip. Contact us for prayer requests you can pray over as you walk. Print out photos and info from the resources page to have available. Pray for God to open your eyes to how He can use you to help this world.   Have a suggested donation of $5 or so that people attending the event make towards the overseas project it will be supporting.
If done solely as a hike-a-thon – have hikers make a goal of how many miles they will hike together and obtain a few sponsors/donors for each mile they hike to help orphans overseas. Send information to hikers that sign up about the project so they can share knowledgeably with people that they ask to support them. Invite school clubs to form teams to participate and get the word out about their clubs at the same time. They can wear their colors, etc.. Set a goal for how much you want to raise and communicate with us so we can let you know exactly what that amount would do.

EDITING | Perfect for Individuals
We are always working on promotional materials and could use someone with a keen eye for editing. Is that you? Contact us!

JOURNALISM | Perfect for Individuals or Groups
We’re looking for good writers to share the capture the stories of students that have gotten involved with CoLaborers International and the overseas projects we assist and how it’s effected their lives. We also are in need of journalists that can write articles about missions, living your faith now, student volunteering, etc… that will function as promotional articles. Contact us.

CREATIVE WRITING (Skit) | Perfect for Individuals or Groups
We’d like to have a skit written about our work in global locations that can be shared in churches and schools to get the word out.  Maybe 15 minutes long or so.  We want to make the skit script downloadable from the website. You will, of course, get credit for writing it and we can even do a story on your involvement if you like.

Maybe have it tell a story characteristic of many of the people helped through the workers. One idea is to have it share a child’s story – what circumstances they came from, how they found help through our organization, what their life is like now, what their future may be…Who will help write this? Contact us if you are interested.

POETRY | Perfect for Individuals
Sometimes you just need a poet to say it! Can you write a poem about the life circumstances faced by the people helped by the overseas projects we assist? We could use this in promotion of the projects (videos, pamphlets, etc…) and also we are thinking of doing a book of collected works of poetry by students about the projects. Contact us if you are interested.

POETRY NITE | Perfect for Individuals & Groups
Plan a poetry nite to be held at your student union or coffee shop. Make posters in advance to solicit poets to submit their work.

Give the guideline that all poems submitted must be relevant to missions, social justice, human need, Jesus or our specific service locations and submitted ahead of time for review (to weed out poems that are not a fit and to get an idea of when to place whom thematically).

Make a booklet with all the poems that will be read that night in it, a bio and picture of all of the poets, and information on CoLaborers International. You can sell these for $1 or so to raise funds. Keep it cheap.

Set out a donation jar (as always) and a table with information on one of our global projects.

Nothing goes better with poetry than coffee, hot tea, and goodies. Be sure to arrange to have coffee, tea and baked goods sold throughout the evening. You can arrange for this with your student union, cafeteria, school, local coffee shop or just bake the items yourself or try and get donations from a local bakery. Profit from this can be given to our global projects. Make sure to advertise what the money is being raised for as well. People will be even more willing to buy coffee and cookies if they can justify it as being for a good cause.

Be sure to advertise for this event within your English Department and Poetry Clubs as well as on campus and in chapels about a month in advance to give people time to prepare. If you snap some pictures of the event, get some quotes or even video clips, we’d like to share your story to fire up more people to use their poetry for God.

 

From organizing newsletter updates to grant writing, there are lots of ways you can help in this department! The needs are ever-growing and using your talents to meet these needs will help us to continue reaching out as an organization. If you’re interested, please contact us!

We’d love it if you would share about CoLaborers International on our behalf. Would you be willing to share at your church or with any groups that you’re involved in? Let us know and we could send you some materials. Also, be sure to check out our downloadable resources. Contact us!

TEESHIRT CROWDS | Perfect for Individuals & Groups
Pick a bright color for your group to all wear on a particular day. Make signs everyone can hang around their necks or affix to their shirts  that say “More than a statistic.” Then add info about population we help (for instance refugees, children, women). Then write “I represent one of them. Donate a dollar to help.” Share about the global project you are working to help in your meeting before the event. Download resources from the resources page to share so people will be more informed. Try and get as many people as possible to participate in the event, while keeping it hush-hush so it still has maximum impact.
Meet for prayer that morning together and then wear the shirts in all your classes and events all day. Collect donations for the cause. After we receive them, we will follow up with you so you can share the results of the event with your school newspaper – so everyone will know how much they helped.

PAPER CHAIN CHILDREN | Perfect for Groups
Get together all your friends, family, members of your group, and just about anyone you can grab and have a paper doll chain party. Get as much paper as you can get your hands on – raid recycle bins, collect newspapers, use old term papers and have people bring whatever paper they can to donate to the effort. The more dolls, the more impact.
Get permission from your school /community to hang the paper doll chains up in a well-trafficked building or area. You’ll want to hang up as much as possible. If you want attention and you want to be effective, you’ll need to visually assault your audience. Two chains won’t do, think more like two hundred.
Hang up the paper doll chains all at once the night before for full impact the next morning. Set up posters, pamphlets and backboard with information on CoLaborers International and the project you are helping. Share where the money will be going and what it will help accomplish.
Specify that each paper doll represents a child being helped by the overseas project. Invite people to get involved by donating. Sell the paper dolls off the chain for a donation of $1 each or so and give the doll to the sponsor to take with them or write their name on one of the dolls on the chain.

FLASH MOB |  Perfect for Group Performances
We couldn’t say it any better – http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Start-A-Flash-Mob/?ALLSTEPS

Food is the best supplement to any cause or message. Even Jesus used food!

SPAGHETTI LUNCHEON OR DINNER | Perfect for Groups
Pick a date. Pick a location. Think about where will you have an easy audience?  Organize volunteers – who will cook noodles, who will shop, who will clean tables, who will great people and take their money, etc… After church service as a luncheon is an easy way to have an instant audience. Consider having “to-go” boxes available for people to get if they are in a hurry and can’t stay for the meal.
Advertise in advance and sell tickets in advance for meals and at the door. Explain that the money raised will go to help people helped by our programs who don’t have food. Have pictures of the children and some info on a table at the event.  Have a speaker from your group share about the project and explain why they wanted to do this to help. Take pictures and videos of the whole process and we will use them on the website to inspire more people! You can make a difference, even with a little spaghetti.
Some Tips: Decorate with red, white and green table cloths or checked cloths.  Try and get donations from grocers if possible. If not, buy bulk and then calculate how much you will have to charge per meal to pay yourself back for expenses and have a profit to give to the project. Have a “tip” jar at the event for extra donations.

COOK OFF! | Perfect for Groups
Get a few people to help you plan. Find a large public space, like a gym for the event to be held. Advertise in advance. Free entry for competitors (they are, after all spending money and time on providing the food) and $2 for everyone else. Pick what kind of food it will be – chili, pies, spaghetti, guacamole ….Specify to competitors how much they will need to make (2 pies, 1 crockpot of chili, etc..).
Have mini cups at each cook/ competitor’s stand for people to sample. Have a ballot box and pens and paper slips for people to vote for their favorite cook. Have a prize for the cook off winner – try and get the bookstore to donate a prize or use club money to buy a cook off trophy. Everyone loves trophies – http://www.issaquahtrophy.com/chili-cook-off-bbq
http://www.trophydepot.com/Cooking-Trophies-and-Awards/C510_1/ – as low as $3!
Alternatively, you may decide to do a People’s Choice AND a Judges Pick to have two winners. Remind everyone that proceeds will go to feed hungry children overseas. Have resources, photos and info about the project available – as well as a sign up sheet. Take a video or pictures and we will feature your story on the website. For specialized resources, contact us.

COMPETITIVE EATING CONTEST | Perfect for Groups
An ironic approach to ending hunger overseas. Try and have a the cafeteria or a restaurant sponsor the event. Tell them that you are doing it to raise money to help feed children being reached by our programs. Sponsors for your contest will get a spot on the website, as well as free advertising for their company at the event itself. Plus, they get a chance to do some good.
Reach out to clubs, sports teams, frats and sororities to participate. Each participant pays a $5 entry fee which goes to the project directly.  Have a prize for the winner – here’s an idea: http://www.displayfakefoods.com/store/pc/FOOD-TROPHIES-c110.htm
Have a school nurse, nursing prof, etc… there just in case someone starts choking. It’s important. Do not have the event without someone there that is trained in the Heimlich maneuver.

BAKE SALE | Perfect for Groups
A tried and true stand-alone and also a good add-on to an event. Have members of your group or club bake sweets to sell to raise money for a specific need being met by overseas projects. Download pictures and resources to have available at the sale and to inform your volunteers. Plan the sale to be in a public space that is busy, such as an academic hall. You can package them to have a holiday theme (Vday, St.Patty’s Day, Christmas, etc..) or do them as “survival kits” for mid terms or finals.

ETHNIC FOOD NIGHT | Perfect for Groups
Have a potluck for your group, where everyone brings a dish from a different culture or specific to a country where we are assisting.  Advertise it in advance and take donations at the door (suggested $5).  During the meal, play music from the country you are raising funds for and share about CoLaborers’ work there. You download resources to help you from the Resources page. Have a sign up sheet where people can sign up to use their talents to get involved – let them know that the night does not end here! As a supplement, you may also want to do a movie showing of some films from that country.

YARD SALE / RUMMAGE SALE | Perfect for Groups
When you’re just one person trying to make an impact on the lives of a lot of other people, you’ve got to work with what you’ve got.  What’s one thing we all have? Junk. Sell that tacky sweater grandma gave you three Christmases ago that’s only function is to occupy the back of your bottom dresser drawer, that teddy bear that you’ve kept around longer than you kept the boyfriend that gave it to you and those shoes that were definitely cuter in the store than they ever were with anything you own!
Get some people to help you organize. Advertise a couple months in advance, before fall break so people can bring extra rummage from home as well. Let people know that the proceeds go to help orphans overseas.
Set donation boxes in key locations on campus- the more locations, the better. Be sure to get permission first and to label the boxes.  Go around and check them regularly so as not to have stuff piling up (you can usually snag some decent size cardboard boxes to use for donation boxes from Walmart, the grocery store and other local stores at the end of the day).
Scope out a location for your rummage sale  that has a lot of foot traffic. Have it set up there during the busiest hours of the day. The actual rummage sale should last for a few days so word can get out. Recruit volunteers ahead of time to sit at the table for the 3 days of the actual sale in shifts between classes. Keep the prices real cheap, around $1 – $2, to keep things moving. The last day of the sale, sell it by the bag for $2 a bag just to get rid of stuff. Leftovers to the thrift store. At the table, have signs with photos of the children being helped and info about how it will be used. Have a donation jar available as well.

HAIR SALON | Perfect for Businesses
Here’s a fun way a salon business can get involved! (This can also be modified for college students that run “mini-salons” out of their dorms). You can advertise for your business and help needy orphans overseas at the same time.
Find a well trafficked open area and have an open air hair cutting event. Set up folding chairs outside, have your stylists wear their aprons and salon shirts and give out free hair cuts to  people who pass by. No dyes, no perms, nothing tricky, just what you can do with scissors and a brush. Play peppy music to create a happy, carefree outdoor atmosphere.
Have your receptionist come with a notebook to write down all the new clients that will want to make future appointments with you. Have fliers to give out about your salon and a donation bucket for happy customers to donate. Let them know you’re “cutting for a cause” and that all donations will go to help orphans overseas.  It’s a great way to boost your business and your team morale!

AUCTION | Perfect for Churches & Large Groups
– Advertise that you will be collecting nice items for a charity auction for at least a month before your donation deadline.
– Pick a date and a location with ample seating and a stage area.
– Have a secure collection site for item collection and set times for collection (maybe a campus club office).
– Give yourself at least 2 weeks to categorize items donated. Number each item with a sticker and make a list for the auctioneer with item number, description and item value.
– Have lists displayed in prominent areas in the room of items for bid and item numbers (without item value listed).
– If at all possible, recruit a real auctioneer for your event.
– Have a clerk to record who had winning bid for each item during the event.
– Have a collector booth with a moneybox to receive money for auction items.
– Give each person a paper sign on a stick with a bidder number when they come in (large enough to be read by auctioneer).
– Advertise the event in advance and let people know that all the proceeds will go to help needy people overseas being helped by projects assisted by CoLaborers International. Download resources from the resource page and contact us for specialized resources.
Tip – consider dovetailing this event with a bake sale!

COMEDY NITE | Perfect for Groups
Advertise for contestants and to let audience participate. Have 3 rounds over a 3 week period. You need to have at least 15 contestants to start. Have them perform a 2 minute sketch each at first event. Judges narrow that down to the best 10 (or half of however many you have). At the end of the night.  In the next round, have those 10 give another short sketch, slightly longer than first (consider how much time you have to fill). Judges narrow that down to best 5 (or half of however many you have). The last night, have the last 5 five contestants give a longer sketch and the judges pick the winner. Have a trophy to give to the winner and a gift. You may also consider having a 4th night and having a professional, clean comedian come in for that event with the winning contestant as the opening act – Either by dovetailing this with an already existing school-hosted event or by bringing them in yourselves. Ticket prices would be higher for that night to pay for the comedian. Any overage could also go to CoLaborers International to help orphans.
Logistics
– Advertise 2 months in advance at least
– Pick a place with ample seating and a stage or prominent area for contestants.
– Have a deadline of when you have to hear from contestants by. Obviously, if you have much less than 15, it will be a no go.
– Charge $10 to compete for each contestant. This $$ can go to help orphans being reached by projects we assist. Also, paying an entrance fee shows that they are a serious candidate, which you need to know.
– Charge $2 a ticket for people to come to the comedy shows to hear the comedic stylings of their classmates.

TALENT SHOW | Perfect for Groups
You will need a team of at least 2 people to plan. Pick a date where you could have maximum attendance and that doesn’t conflict with any major events. Advertise for people to sign up to contribute their talents to the show by a certain date, so you can advertise who will be there or make programs. You may want to reach out to clubs to get volunteers to perform – dance clubs, theatre clubs, music clubs, etc…
Pick a venue that has provided searing and a stage or prominent area for people to share their talents. Charge $2 or $3 for people attending. Let everyone know it is for charity, who it is helping and what it is doing.

MIMING | Perfect for Groups
Miming. Yes, miming can be used by God in powerful ways. People can get so bored with being lectured and preached at that they tune it out as noise.
But for them to have to watch and figure out the message, to have to pay attention and read fine messages of emotion displayed on people’s faces – that pulls people in. Silence becomes loud and the message irresistible. They must know.
And then… you’ve got them. They hear you, without words.
Miming is a great way to get involved with CoLaborers International. Are you in a miming troupe on your campus, ministry in your church or in the community? Meet with your group and share about CoLaborers International and the projects overseas that we assist. Discuss ways to share the situation faced by needy people overseas through the medium of miming. You may check out the “Human Video” idea in the “Drama” section above to get some idea fodder.

CLOWNING | Perfect for Groups
Clowns are all about kids. Why not about kids overseas too? Wear one of our colorful CoLaborers International shirts as part of your clown costume next time your troop goes out. Talk to the sponsors of the children event you go to and ask for a donation for our global programs to help feed, clothe, care for and educate children. Encourage the children at some point in your sketch that they each have a gift inside of them that they can use to help change the world for the better. If appropriate, you may also share that part of your clowning ministry is to care for them and also for kids overseas.

HIKE-A-THON | Perfect for Groups & Individuals
A hike-a-thon is a great way to help as part of a spiritual retreat or on it’s own.  You could organize it with a nature club and some spiritual life groups on campus or other people you know at that like being outdoors.  Find a place to hike and pick a date when the weather would most likely be nice and work with the school calendar, as well as a rain date. Advertise it in advance and talk to different clubs to see if they would want to come as a team building experience for their group.
If done as a spiritual retreat – have no specific goal of miles to be hiked. Pick someone to lead a short devotional before the trip. Contact us for prayer requests you can pray over as you walk. Print out photos and info from the resources page to have available. Pray for God to open your eyes to how He can use you to help this world.   Have a suggested donation of $5 or so that people attending the event make towards the overseas project it will be assisting.
If done solely as a hike-a-thon – have hikers make a goal of how many miles they will hike together and obtain a few sponsors/donors for each mile they hike to help orphans overseas. Send information to hikers that sign up about the project so they can share knowledgeably with people that they ask to support them. Invite school clubs to form teams to participate and get the word out about their clubs at the same time. They can wear their colors, etc.. Set a goal for how much you want to raise and communicate with us so we can let you know exactly what that amount would do.

ARTS & CRAFTS | Perfect for Individuals & Groups
Whether it’s making jewelry, making candles and soaps, key chains or sock toys, knitting mittens – you can use your gifts to help somebody. See if there are any relevant clubs on campus that can participate. Talk to friends and see if there’s enough interest to put on a small craft fair. You may also consider dovetailing the event with an art show (see above in “arts” section), so artists can sell their wares.
Put up posters calling for crafters to help and inviting people to come.  They can donate all or a percentage of their sales to help meet needs of children overseas through their crafts. Have them email you by a certain date to let you know what they would sell and to give you notice how many crafters you will have. Maybe consider getting vendors (Avon, Mary Kay, etc..) to come too.  Hold it in an area with a lot of foot traffic, and make sure to get the word out ahead of time – so you can get more people to come and get more crafters to sell.
Let people know at the sale itself that it is your crafty way of helping meet needs of children overseas. Have photos and resources from the resources page available.