Category Archives: Non Profit

Christian Ministries Help Poor Children

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Several Christian ministries all throughout the world help poor children. Whether they are in third world countries or right here in the United States, there are millions of poor children that go without food, water, clothes, and many other basic necessities that most of us take for granted. Many people see fit to donate toys, clothes, and money to charities during the holiday season. Although this is a great start, toys are not the only thing that they need the rest of the year as well. Many people fail to realize that their small donation once a year does not help the them during the rest of the year. Here are some things that can be done to help Christian ministries help poor children all year long.

Give Time-
Whether traveling to a third world country like Ethiopia or Istanbul with a Christian ministry to help the poor, donating much needed time is one of the most precious gifts that anyone can give. There are never enough people that can help build homes, schools, cook, bring fresh water or even hold a hand when someone is sick. Although many may not think that giving their time will help the poor, they would be wrong. Cooking a meal for poor children or even reading a story to a child is very important.

Adopt a Child-
This is not adoption in the literal sense. Many Christian ministries have programs that people can donate money to each month to help a specific child. They are given regular updates of how the child is doing, what their contribution has done for the child during that month. Many of these programs will often give the adopter the opportunity to meet the child they “adopted”.

Hand-Me-Downs-
Many Christian ministries and churches accept hand-me-down clothing that children can no longer wear. Giving these outgrown clothes to a church or ministry instead of places like thrift stores where they will be resold at a price to anyone can help immensely. Many poor children do not have clothes that fit them or even warm clothing to wear during the appropriate time of the year.

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Who Is Succeeding?

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When times are tough it is hard to remember that there are successful schools in every market. Successful schools provide an example of what works. Studying their processes can help you increase enrollment.

There are many examples in the parochial and private school market. Here are two groups in the parochial school market who continue to enjoy success even in this tough market. Group one consists of those who operate a free school. Group two consists of those who have high tuitions (over $15,000 per year without discounts for multiple children.)

If they have a common secret for success, what is it?

Their secret for success is their focus on value. Let us think about the high-priced school first. Some would say they are able to charge a higher fee because they cater to the financially well to do. In concept that is correct, but how does it work in practice?

In practice that means they must provide superior services. In some cases, that means focusing on ensuring that every student goes on to a first-tier college. In other cases, that means providing something that is missing from public school (leadership development for example). In every case, the school recognizes that providing a religious education is necessary but there must be something more to justify the tuition. In short, the school provides something that the well-to-do families perceive as extremely valuable. It is something beyond religious education and beyond what the public schools provide.

For the free school it is the same process. However, the donors are the ones who must see the superior value. If the school provides the students with a way out of poverty, for instance, the donors will provide the funds. Again, it is something beyond what the public schools provide and beyond religious education.

Religion is a critical element at every parochial school. The religious education must be on a par with the academic education. However, the religious education alone is insufficient to justify the tuition for most families.

Most schools are in between the two extremes. The tuition must be set to attract the desired families and students. The donors must be recruited to fill the gap between tuition and the cost of the education.

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Success Indicators

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It is 2011. Next year at this time how will you know 2011 was a successful year for your organization? What are the indicators that define success?

The first place our minds race to when we are trying to establish indicators of success is finances. It is an easy area to work with. It is already quantified for us. Each month we see a new set of numbers. We know or will shortly know how 2010 ended. Deciding how much better, in dollars or percentages, next year should be seems easy.

Perhaps we should check on how easy it is. How much in dollars or percentage do you want the financial changes to be this time next year?

Is the change enough to cover the loss of a key employee? It will cost something to find the replacement (advertising, staffing agency fees, training, lost time during absence of the previous employee, and lost productivity while the new employee reaches his or her potential).

What are the major capital expenses that might happen next year (roof leaks, pave the parking lot, etc.)? Is your financial goal enough to cover those contingencies?

Is the financial goal attainable if you loose a major donor or find that one of the grants is reduced or non-renewable?

Can you think of other reasons your financial goal maybe a little low?

What was your financial goal for 2010? Is success in hand or did the organization fall short?

After being unable to meet expectations for a few years, the lack of success makes it difficult to write paychecks and pay other bills. The vitality is gone and sustainability is threatened. It is important to find the road back to vitality and improving sustainability.

What follows is the formula for restoring vitality. It will work for every nonprofit. The weak become stronger. The strong will build added strength.

Financial success depends almost exclusively on cash flow. If you increase it each year, the funds necessary to meet the demands of the unexpected or weather an economic downturn will be there.

When the goal is to increase cash flow, the way we spend money changes. Instead of buying new technology because our technology is out of date, we buy technology when it will increase productivity. Increasing productivity is a great way to increase cash flow (If it costs less to do the same thing, the cost saving becomes extra cash at year-end.).

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Early Habits Lead to Life Long Learning

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When planning, launching or growing a children’s ministry, we take on a formidable, rewarding, and exciting challenge. Setting a routine for children in any arena is useful for their well-being. It is said that faith thrives on routine, and a structured approach to education has been proven time and again to yield life-long, useful benefits. Children’s ministries rely on the people involved to teach, encourage and even inspire their students. Ministry is a unique teaching challenge, because the end net result, whether the child who believes grows to be an adult who believes, requires so much time to prove or disprove.

We must approach this ministry with the faith that it will be successful.

Many hands lighten the load of any work that must be done, and so establishing and recruiting a defined team to administer, evaluate and deliver the messages to be taught is very important. Leadership is not drawn from a title. Making someone the director of the ministry based solely on their enthusiasm for the work is ill-advised. Choose and build your team wisely, slowly, and with care, in order to introduce your students to people, teachers, administrators, teacher helpers, who will be in attendance and part of the program for some time.

Children’s ministries must not fall apart. We cannot allow this. It will only give non-believers ammunition to pick apart the misunderstood aspects of the faith behind the teaching, the hope behind the vision, and the purpose behind the actions of your children’s ministry.

When we introduce children to the joy of learning and the challenge of improving early in life, we set the foundation for something that could go on for the balance of the child, person’s youth and adult life. Learning leads to teaching others. It is more realistic to build learning into someone than faith, yet it needs cues and guidance. Children feel things more deeply, more honestly than jaded adults, so children’s ministries are successful when they appeal to the emotional side of faith, thereby opening room for educators and students to have frank conversations about the basis of faith, the reality of judgment, and the concepts of love and forgiveness. Learning added to faith, or entered into with faith in our mentor reenergizes us body and soul.

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