Miles for Mission was more than a virtual 5K—it was an invitation to walk alongside global communities for God’s mission. Every mile was a shared act of partnership, prayer, and support with ministry leaders and communities served by International Ministries across the world.

Through a peer-to-peer fundraising strategy including paid and organic social media, email marketing automation, and customer journey mapping, I achieved a 357% ROI and increased the brand’s community engagement worldwide.

I led a team of contractors and internal staff to execute the multi-faceted, integrated campaign to invite others to engage in global mission. The strategy was to transform a simple challenge into a faith-driven movement to:

• Inspire Global Unity — Encouraging believers across continents to participate in the Great Commission through both action and giving.
• Strengthen Connection — Helping participants feel personally connected to God’s work in specific countries and ministries.
• Integrated Storytelling & Technology — Using a peer-to-peer platform to facilitate not just donations, but also storytelling, prayer sharing, community building, and engagement.

From the first touchpoint to the final thank-you, every interaction was designed to remind participants they were journeying together in God’s mission—regardless of physical distance.

Project Overview

Miles for Mission invited people worldwide to join a virtual 5K they could walk or run in their own communities while uniting in support of global mission work. Each registrant received a branded welcome kit—including a custom hat and participant packet—to create a physical reminder of their shared commitment.

Campaign execution included:

• Technology Integration: Implemented a peer-to-peer fundraising platform with automated registration, participant dashboards, and donation tracking.
• Faith-Centered Messaging: Crafted email and direct mail promotions, PR, social media, and influencer-generated content rooted in missional storytelling.
• Multi-Channel Promotion: Activated mission-aligned influencers, deployed paid ads, distributed print materials, and launched segmented email campaigns for recruitment and engagement.
• Personalized User Journey Mapping: Designed two pathways—lead generation for new audiences and participant journeys for registrants—to ensure both experienced personal connection to the mission and consistent encouragement to engage.
• Campaign Journey Mapping: Designed with digital and physical touchpoints during each funnel stage: Awareness, Consideration, Purchase, Advocacy, and Retention.

Impact & Results

• Global Reach: Engaged participants from over 75 countries, symbolically and prayerfully uniting in God’s mission.
• Lead Generation: Added hundreds of new contacts to International Ministries’ database, expanding the future donor pool.
• Brand & Mission Visibility: Increased awareness through coordinated web, social, influencer, and print campaigns, helping participants see themselves as advocates of and co-workers in Christ’s work.
• Donor Pipeline Growth: Established post-event nurture campaigns that encouraged sustained giving and ongoing prayer partnership.
• Community Building: Fostered a deep sense of connection across continents, cultures, and languages through a shared missional goal.

“Walking my 5K here in South Africa, I prayed for brothers and sisters in other countries doing the same. It felt like we were truly walking alongside each other in God’s mission.” — Participant, South Africa

Created as part of my role as Marketing and Communications Director at International Ministries (2025). All rights belong to International Ministries.