Fundraising

Raising your own support is not an easy task.  

Raising money for any good cause is often a struggle.  But it’s especially difficult when it is for yourself.  

Some people seem to be incredibly gifted at fundraising.  They’re bold to make the “ask” and it just comes naturally.  For most of us, it is not that easy.  Just recently a friend in ministry with a support-raising role was sharing with us that he spends over half of his “working time" just raising support.  That leaves only 50% of his time for actual ministry!  

Support-raising is very counter-cultural in America, especially for a man.  My mentality is that I should work hard and earn my own salary.  I shouldn’t be dependent on anyone else.  Asking for help is a sign of weakness.  As a missionary, I am forced to rely on others to provide for me and ultimately I have to rely on God to provide day in and day out.    

In addition to raising my own support to be a missionary in Kenya for the past 11 years, I have also felt the responsibility to fundraise for the ministry I have been serving with, Christ’s Gift Academy (CGA).  CGA has a Board of Directors in the USA who is responsible for fundraising and there is another American missionary couple who serve with CGA and also take on that responsibility.  Along with them, I am the only other American missionary that has been on the ground in Kenya long-term.  That places me in a unique position to impact the lives of Kenyans, as well as share the stories and the needs back home in America.  This “burden” of fundraising includes finding sponsors for each of our students which is usually about 30 new sponsors each year ($45 a month), but also includes getting one-time donations and finding general school sponsors who can give consistently without having a specific child to sponsor.  Child sponsorship only covers about 70% of our budget so we need one-time donations and general school sponsors to make up the other 30% of our budget.  We also focused on finding churches, groups and individuals who can give a larger amount monthly that will help pay our teacher and staff salaries ($200 a month).  

On top of all of that, God led my Kenyan friend and I to start a football club for girls in Kenya back in 2009, the Suba Lakers.  We began the club to help young, vulnerable girls develop their talent, stay in school and come to know Jesus in a more personal way.  As these young girls grew older, we realized that to keep them in school and continuing their education to build a better future, we needed to support them financially by assisting with high school fees.  Otherwise they would end up dropping out of school to get married at a very early age like many girls do in Mbita (only 16% of girls in Mbita finish high school).  As the only American representatives of the Suba Lakers, we are tasked with the responsibility of finding sponsors for our girls to help us pay for their secondary school fees ($30 a month). 

So... this “non-fundraiser” is tasked with the responsibility of raising his own support, as well as support for 2 ministries.  I have never liked the “direct-ask” approach, probably because I don’t like it when people do that to me.  We’re constantly trying to re-think our approach and find creative ways to engage people in the ministry.  But since neither I nor Daneen have any marketing or creative design background, it often feels like an overwhelming task.  My personal approach to all these fundraising needs is: to make the needs known through newsletters, presentations and discussions; and then let each individual decide if they want to be a part of it.  I pray that the Holy Spirit will prick the hearts of many to join in. We are trusting that God will provide.   
    

As we pray and consider what is next for us after our commitment to Kenya ends in December, part of me hopes that our next job will not have any aspect of fundraising, for us personally or for anything else.  But we don’t want to limit God!  We want to stay open to whatever and wherever God is leading us.  

Though Fundraising has been difficult for these past 11 years, God has always provided… for me personally and for these ministries I have worked with.  It may not always be to the level that we would like, but it is always enough.  Fundraising has kept me humble by knowing that it is not through my own power, wisdom or strength.  It has made me more dependent on God and grown my faith exponentially.

Even though fundraising is the least-desirable part of being a missionary, I am grateful for the opportunity to do it.  I am appreciative to all of the supporters of Christ’s Gift Academy, Suba Lakers Football Club and for me personally.  So many people have invested their hard-earned money to impact the lives of young Kenyans- feeding them, educating them and giving them a hope for a better future.  

Most of all, I thank God for how he leads and guides me and how he provides when we put our trust and confidence in him!