|
College Campuses
Trash
Pick-up for Students near Campuses
A small group at a church, H2O, in Orlando, FL, has
been offering to take people’s trash out near the University of
Central Florida. They are a new church designed for the "next generation"
younger crowd, and were looking for ideas on how to spread God's love
and news about the church to the college kids who normally wouldn't
be open to such a thing.
So they started going to a local apartment complex about every two
or three weeks, going door-to-door asking people if they could take
their garbage out for them. The first time they got a not-so-good response,
but since then people have been recognizing them and are more and more
open, the last time they got a really awesome response. They usually
go Sunday afternoon around two so they catch everybody just waking up
from their Saturday night partying with a ton of trash and too bad of
a hangover to walk to the dumpster themselves.
Bike
Fix-up
Many students ride bicycles to class. They often need a tune-up
including tightening the brakes, aligning the gears, and greasing the
ball bearings. Setting up shop can save students money and provide an
opportunity to get to know them.
Pen
and Pencil Giveaways
A small investment. Place your church name on the pencils
and pens with phone numbers.
Post
Cards and Stamps
College students actually do write home on occasion. Provide
postcards complete with postage with a sticker that reads, "It's
good to write your mom!" Include your connection
card.
Photocopying
Purchase photocopying coupons at a reduced rate at Kinko's
or other copying place near the college campus. The price shouldn't
be more than about five cents per copy. Give these punch cards out on
campus. Place church logo and phone number on the card.
Floppy
Discs
Every student needs a 3.5" disc for schoolwork. Purchased
alone they are fairly pricey. When purchased in large quantities generic
discs can cost as little as a dime a piece. Put a sticker with your
church name, logo and phone number on the disc.
Tutoring
Upper classmen can serve younger students by helping with
course work. At the end of the session, pray for success in the coming
project or exam. When the student does well in the test, they naturally
connect that favor with God. This relationship will quickly grow into
a mentoring one that will facilitate the younger student either growing
toward or deepening their relationship with Christ.
Soft
Drinks, Gatorade and Bottled Water at Class Sign-up
Anyone who has been through a few class sign-ups in college
knows how hot, difficult and unpleasant this experience can be. You
can gain the attention of thousands of students during the first part
of the Fall semester by offering some cool relief. Set up a card table
like you did as a kid when you sold lemonade. Give out a connection
card with each student served. I recommend you have a number of
extra servers hanging around to strike up conversations with curious
students.
Dorm
Room Cleaning
Go door to door with the offer, "We would like to clean
your room for free to show you God’s love." Confine your cleaning
to what is quick and simple or you will be overwhelmed quickly. We usually
offer to clean the windows and mirrors and vacuum the floor.
Drinks
at Intramural Athletic Events
Bottled water is recommended. If you want to get fancy, offer
Gatorade.
Drinks
at Greek Events
Some are interested in being a Greek and sober — no
kidding. Provide an alternative to the alcohol that is standard issue
at these events.
Breakfast
Pop Tarts
They may not be all that healthy, but they are popular among
most students. They are good hot or cold. Students will take them to
eat later even if they've already had breakfast.
Test
Essay Booklets
Many professors require that exams be done in those little
blue books. They aren't expensive, but they are necessary. Purchase
them in large numbers at a discount. Attach a connection
card to it.
Exam
Answer Sheets
Many exams require students bring their own Scantron or "bubble
sheets". These run a dime or less per sheet and are essential at
mid-term and finals time.
Coffee
and Tea during Late-Night Study Sessions
Build a cart that can be wheeled around from dorms to libraries
to study areas. This one will have to be manned by non-students. A little
TLC goes a long way.
Pizza
on Move-In Day at the Dorms
If you want to get the attention of an entire dorm, give
away pizza. You will hardly need signs — the aroma will do all
the marketing you need. Negotiate a discount with the pizza restaurant
for large volumes, or the vendor may be willing to give you the pizza
in return for an endorsement.
Quarter
Drop
Are you one of those people who can't walk past a pay phone
without checking the coin return? For all those folks out there, here's
an outreach just for them. We place a sticker on one side of the quarter
and place these loaded quarters in coin returns of vending machines
of various sorts. This one also works by just placing the coin on the
ground or on a bench.
A note on the sticker: Make sure the sticker is larger than the quarter.
There are some folks out there who will leave the sticker on and try
to insert it into the phone or vending machine – then you'll get
a call from the repairman.
Phone
Cards for Long Distance Calls
These cards make great giveaways. Contact long distance companies
to find a good deal. Some companies offer a program that allows you
to insert a custom message which plays before people access their free
minutes.
The company we use says,"We like to provide these basically at
cost to churches. This is our way of giving back to the church."
If you are interested in finding out about this company, you can call
Michelle at (317) 776-7654 Ext. 122 or e-mail her at mbarnett@telecare.net.
They also provide long distance at low rates for Vineyard churches with
12% of the total amount going back to the church each month. She would
be glad to give you some information on that as well.
Ice
Cream Cone Coupons
Contact a local ice cream store and explain your desire to
give away thousands of ice cream coupons. You might receive a deal on
the ice cream. Attach a connection card
to the coupon, and you have a project that just about everyone on campus
will enjoy.
Care
Package
Make up care packages for an entire dorm. Include such things
as: packages of hot chocolate, microwave popcorn, cookies, mints, and
gum. Total cost around 62¢. You'll need to get permission from
the dorm. These can be distributed through student mailboxes or a box
in the lobby.
Chips
and/or Cookies
Packages of pretzels, crackers, chips, cookies... all kinds
of snacks are appreciated by students, especially around exam time.
           
|
