The [Mis]Adventures of Joel and Lauren » Giving

Night in a Box Followup

Lauren — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 16:56:22 +0000

If you read my last post, you know that we slept in a box downtown on December 3. I am here to say that it was a great success! We heard some amazing stories from single moms about their trials in life and celebrated with them as they shared their triumphs. We heard the despair of a man who left his children fatherless when he was incarcerated. We are eternally thankful to our parents for providing us with stable, loving homes, and we hope now more than ever to share the love of Christ with families going through these difficult times.

You can see here that we are at almost $36,000 in total funds! Also, Joel and I raised $880, which you can see here. THANK YOU SO MUCH to all of you who donated and prayed for us.

We forgot our camera, but here’s a picture that Jason Powers took of most people by their boxes. We’re the ones on the far right side.

Night in a Box

Lauren — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 16:57:57 +0000

Call us crazy, but this Friday night, we’re sleeping in a box downtown! We are raising money for a non-profit called Encompass that reaches out to single moms and kids who don’t have dads. These are the “hidden homeless,” as they, especially the kids, are often bounced around from place to place, maybe not knowing where they’ll stay from one night to the next.

There are so many single moms and fatherless kids in our community, and we want to provide the support they need as they deal with trials that many of us never faced. If you are able to support us at all, click this link. https://sna.etapestry.com/fundraiser/EncompassDenver/nightinabox2010/individual.do?participationRef=1339.0.9220221 Most of all, please pray for us and this ministry! By the way, Joel said he’d give you a free hug if you give more than $1.

PS – I’m doing the bookkeeping at Encompass now, in addition to volunteering, so we’re excited about it!

Haiti

Lauren — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 16:16:11 +0000

Our hearts are heavy this week as we learn about the devastation in Haiti. I am frustrated that this happened in the one place in the western hemisphere that is the least able to help itself. I am frustrated that the news media is so enamored with finding out the death toll. I am frustrated that aid can’t get in because the roads are so bad.

What am I not frustrated about? There are a number of great organizations out there who are ready to help. When we give to new charities, I like to look up their stats to make sure they are actually stewarding their money well, rather than spending it on fancy fundraising dinners, etc. Here are some basic figures from Charity Navigator. Although these show who spends prudently, it doesn’t tell you who can have the biggest impact or who has the best resources in Haiti. I don’t know much about a number of these organizations, so sorry if they aren’t great, but the numbers mean something!

*Listed in order of highest percentage going toward program expenses

*Name of charity links to their website. Program expense % links to their Charity Navigator page

*The number of stars is assigned by Charity Navigator and is based on the above factors plus organizational efficiency and capacity (and yes, there are charities with 0 stars!)

Charity	Program Expenses	Admin. Expenses	Fundraising Expenses	Charity Nav. Rating
Nazarene Compassionate Ministries	93.7%	5.5%	0.7%	****
Save the Children	91.7%	3.7%	4.5%	****
American Red Cross	90.1%	5.9%	3.9%	***
Samaritan’s Purse	88.6%	4.9%	6.4%	****
Doctors Without Borders	87.3%	1.1%	11.4%	****
World Vision	86.7%	4.6%	8.5%	****
Compassion International	83.1%	8.0%	8.8%	****
Oxfam America	80.1%	6.1%	13.6%	****
Healing Hands International	78.3%	10.8%	10.8%	***

So for now, we pray and give, pray and give…