Danielle Jackson kept noticing shoe shops as she traveled through Uganda in 2019. After asking people at home to contribute footwear, she was now seeing small businesses selling shoes in another part of the world.
The connection meant something to her. A shoe drive fundraiser helped her raise money for the mission trip. In Uganda, she saw the kind of small business that shoe reuse can support. Those two experiences gave her a story to bring home, along with photographs and a new fundraising idea.
A personal calling and a practical funding problem
Danielle wanted to travel to Uganda with Show Mercy International. Her small church could not cover the cost of sending her. She needed to find a way to raise the money herself.
At the time, Danielle worked as a social worker and photographer. She wanted to contribute her skills and spend time with the people the ministry served. The obstacle was paying for the trip.
She organized a shoe drive fundraiser, and the response came quickly. The early support reassured her that she was moving toward something she felt called to do. She also made Hope and Joy shirts for the trip, a detail that would become especially meaningful once she reached Uganda.
For someone planning a similar trip, the first step is practical: work out the travel and program costs, then decide how fundraising can help cover them. Knowing the funding gap gives you a clear goal to explain to potential supporters.
You can also consider more than one way to raise funds. Our mission trip fundraising ideas offer other options to consider alongside your shoe collection. Choose activities that fit your time and the people you can reach.
Seeing the work in Uganda
During her 2019 trip, Danielle participated in Show Mercy’s programs serving children and older people, as well as its prison ministry. She also met a child she sponsored and visited the girl’s family. The grandmother explained that the sponsorship had helped the girl obtain a school uniform. By their third visit, the girl ran out to meet Danielle. During one visit, she fell asleep on Danielle’s lap.
As the group traveled, other participants pointed out shoe shops to Danielle. She also noticed produce stands and dressmaking businesses. Those small enterprises helped her see the role that local commerce played in people’s daily lives.
What the shoe shops helped her understand
A shoe drive fundraiser has two connected purposes: raising funds for the participating organization or individual, and putting reusable footwear back into use through a commercial network.
Funds2Orgs combines shoes from multiple fundraisers across the U.S. The footwear moves through a resale network where micro-entrepreneurs buy and sell shoes in their communities, supporting local economies and avoiding “free shoes” that would destroy people’s ability to earn a living. Our social enterprise explanation describes how that process works.
For Danielle, seeing shoe shops made that process more tangible. The connection helps you explain to your supporters: the funds support your stated cause, while the shoes enter a broader resale network in the reuse economy. Individual fundraisers cannot select where their collected shoes are shipped.
A photograph that brought the trip together
One of Danielle’s most meaningful memories involved a photograph she took early in the trip. Children gathered around her, and she worked quickly with her camera in bright light.
Later, while reviewing the images, she noticed a close-up of a boy whose eyes appeared blue. Looking more closely, she saw that they reflected the sky. She also recognized a reflection of the Hope and Joy shirt she was wearing.
She had made the shirt for the mission trip. Seeing it reflected in the photograph connected her preparations at home with the experience of being there. She came to think of him as her hope and joy boy.
For Danielle, the image also carried spiritual meaning. She had wanted to deepen her faith during the trip, and the photograph became a personal reminder of that experience.
A new purpose after coming home
Danielle’s visit coincided with the dedication of Show Mercy’s birthing center in 2019. She toured the building while the ministry was still seeking support for staffing and medical equipment.
Before leaving for Uganda, a local brewery owner had offered to host a fundraiser for her. After returning, Danielle revisited that offer with a different purpose. She began planning an event to support the birthing center.
Her first campaign helped her travel. The next idea grew from a need she had seen during that visit. Today, Show Mercy’s medical-care page describes prenatal care and trained professionals at its birthing center.
Planning your own mission trip shoe drive fundraiser
Begin with the trip budget and the date the money is needed. Then speak with a fundraising coach about a collection plan, storage, and pickup timing that fit your schedule.
Invite your community to contribute gently worn, used and new shoes. Set aside time to keep pairs together and bag the collection as your coach instructs. Funds2Orgs pays by weight after we receive and process the shoes. Include that timing when planning how to meet your trip’s payment deadlines. Our shoe drive fundraiser FAQ explains the process.
As the campaign progresses, share the work with your supporters. Show them how to participate and let them know when collection closes. After your trip, bring the story back through approved photos, a short update, or a conversation at your church.
If a shoe drive fundraiser could help you take the next step toward your own trip, connect with a Funds2Orgs fundraising coach to discuss your plans.
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