Every charitable organization has limits. There’s only so much money, only so much time, and only so many hours that can be spent furthering the mission on which it stands. I would wager to say that most of these enterprises also have goals and dreams that aren’t possible now but would further their impact in ways the rest of us can’t even imagine.
At Community Purse, we invite three organizations to come and tell us about their work in the hopes of receiving a grant. There is always a question-and-answer period when someone asks, “What would the money we give be used for?” I watch the speaker for their answer. I watch their face light up, and their words come faster as they say, “We would have the funds to train more advocates,” or, “The money would go toward furniture for the lounge we are building for the kids,” or, “We would be able to finally fix our website.” I have heard people bemoaning their websites more than once, actually. It’s a common problem.
The needs were already there. They weren’t created with the hope of our grant. There is probably a long list of needs for every nonprofit organization that visits our meetings.
Often, our grants are “manna from heaven” to fund their current wish list. And these grants go to furthering their mission.
For example, the Lake County Chapter just funded a new kiln for BiG Great Lakes. With a new kiln, the nonprofit doesn’t have the expense of outsourcing the firing of beautiful pottery made by special needs adults.
We are called to give to others. If we have more than we need, God calls us to share. By combining our donations together, our giving circles are able to give grants that are larger than what an individual donor could give.
“Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.”1 Timothy 6:17-18
We invite you to visit one of our meetings and see the fun we have and the good we can do by working together. Visit our Chapter pages to learn more about each chapter.
See you there!