So lots of people ask me: "What do you do during the summer since there aren't students around?"
I promise I'm not turning into a professional blogger (several Piebald Life readers this weekend at a wedding gave me grief for the length of last week's posts). I'm taking a seminary class, planning for the fall, and working in a little R&R as well.
But my primary task over the summer is to make sure I'm fully funded for the coming year. InterVarsity, like most inter-denominational ministries, has their staff raise their own support--salary, insurance, administrative costs, travel, expenses, etc. So each summer I put the fun back into fundraising so when the fall rolls around I can be fully devoted to the work on campus. If I'm short of what I need to raise, I'm required to take time off of campus to get the money in.
No one comes on I.V. staff because they want to fundraise. Most all of us come on because we love college students. Ergo, most staff (including me at times) view fundraising as a necessary evil.
But for the most part, fundraising has been one of the most wonderful surprises about my job. I've been privileged to meet some of the most generous and prayerful people on the planet because I've been forced to fundraise. There have been moments of extreme clarity while pumping gas or buying groceries of recognizing that every single diaper, every doctor's visit, every electric bill is paid for by money that once sat in someone else's bank account. We are all provided for by the grace of God and the generosity of others--I am simply privileged to know it very tangibly.
Of course, it's also been a tremendous blessing that I've never really struggled to raise the money--that is, until this year. This year as I've moved to UNC after nine years at Virginia Commonwealth University, I'm in a bit of a hole. I left behind over $32,000 in Richmond, and I've walked into around $20,000 in alumni money waiting for me here. In case math wasn't your strong suit either, that's about $12,000 that I need to make up from somewhere. So I'm looking to add new supporters to my ministry. If you're interested in giving either one-time or monthly (I'm looking to add ten folks at $50/month, five at $25/month and three at $100/month), you can click on the newly-added "Support this Ministry" link to the right.
Lots of you all support me already, thank you. I promise that this is the one and only time I'll post on this, but it's on my mind this morning as I hit June and get to work on narrowing this gap.
4 comments:
fundraising is awesome!! yay! (feigned enthusiasm to convince myself that im having a good time) i just licked a bunch of envelopes and adhered a bunch of stamps. lots more to go. good luck Alex. ill be praying for you, and you better be praying for me!
Dude, the problem here isn't that you're not putting enough "fun" into your fundraising.
The problem is that you haven't put the "raisin" back into your fundraising.
Everyone knows that the keys to being on campus are dried out, shriveled up grapes.
If this is intimidating to you, you can always start out with the small, "snack box" versions. Though, for time's sake, I'd jump straight to the big size.
Some folks recommend these to aid fundraising, but, while moving, I don't think they're as effective as the above.
GUPY fundraising has actually been an amazingly fun experience for me. As I wrote my letter at Rockbridge it was really exciting to get to share my heart with dozens of friends of the family.
It has made me really jealous of staff, actually, because they have people outside their ministry partnering with them. Sometimes as a student leader I really wish I had connections with people off campus that would show an interest in my ministry as a student leader and support me in prayer, etc.
It has been mega-exciting just to get cards back saying people will pray for me this summer. The family of one of the little girls that used to be in the preschool Sunday School class I co-lead in high school even had me over for dinner. They are not only supportive but completely on-board w/ the kinds of things God's been teaching me lately, and I'm excited about staying in closer contact with them now as we update each other periodically what God has been up to.
Now, I've never had to raise $32,000... but hopefully if I ever do I will forget that fundraising isn't supposed to be that fun for normal people, haha.
Oh, and what seminary class do you get to take this time??
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