A Culture of Generosity

For for-profit businesses, figuring out where to get their revenue from is more or less straightforward, but for non-profits, non-governmental organizations, and ministries, it can be much more nuanced.

A truism we often quote at the Agathe Center, when in discussions about funding and where the money comes from, is: “You can a little bit done with no money. You can get more done with some money. You can get a lot done with more money.”  Many of the non-profits and non-governmental organizations we work with want to get more done, but struggle with tapping into the sources of charitable funds that will make that possible.

And then, there is this question always on the table: “Is an organization that relies on income from charitable donations to fund its operations rather than a fee for service model truly sustainable?”  Given that there are thousands of such organizations around the world, many having been around for over one-hundred years, it seems the answer to this question is yes.

Sustainability for an organization that relies on charitable donations means tapping into cultures and sub-cultures of people who are generous and who are inspired by the organization’s mission and the people who are committed to carrying out the mission.  We sometimes refer to this as “friend-raising” rather than “fund-raising.”

At the Agathe Center, we are blessed to be connected to a few friends who want to be a blessing to the next generation of impact entrepreneurs.  They are not out for notoriety.  They are not seeking visibility for their generosity but happy to “not let their left hand know what their right hand is doing“ (Matt. 6:3). They enable us to provide our services at no charge to our clients and they often are the sources of seed capital that start-ups need to get started.

There’s a culture of generosity around our work.  God seems to be blessing it.  And our great hope is that the entrepreneurs we work with, as they experience success, will join it, giving generously to meet all kinds of needs and desiring to bless the next generation that follows them in the way that they have been blessed.  Excited about that possibility!

Ralph