Before we can move to Munich, Young Life requires us to fundraise! They set high standards to optimize our ability and capacity for direct ministry once in Munich. By focusing our attention now, pre-departure, on raising consistent support we hope to be fully present with students (and not stressed about our paycheck).
There are two requirements that must be met before we can move:
We need to have three years of our budget pledged. What is a pledge? It is a verbal agreement that our donors will give a specific amount for three years. Our budget is around $160,000 (more on that below).
We need to have three months of our budget in the bank (around $38,000) as well as first time costs (around $29,000). This will be built up through one-time donations as well as monthly donations starting now (before we leave).
We hope to reach 80% by December so we can start planning the details of our hopeful move in Spring 2021 (we also have to factor in Meg’s graduation from seminary in May).
Reoccurring donations (particularly monthly) provide the most sustainable platform. Through consistent generosity we can consistently show up in the lives of kids without running around fundraising all the time. We are glad to focus on raising support now so that we can be fully present with students in Munich.
For a numbered perspective, we need 165 people giving an average of $80 a month. We are currently on track with that average, with donations ranging between $10-500 a month. Everyone has a different capacity, a gift given with a joyful heart is meaningful to us regardless of the amount! But we also want to encourage you to risk big in generosity (to us and others), to stretch your comfort zone and trust that there is enough. We can make a difference in the lives of kids—together.
Overview of the Budget
Obviously, $160,000 is a lot of money. Unfortunately, we won’t get paid this amount—wouldn’t that be something! The budget contains our salaries, benefits, operation/program costs, Young life service charge (like HR and legal, learn more here), and German taxes (see pie chart).
Young Life areas function like little non-profits. As staff, we are responsible for maintaining a budget and stewarding our resources, in addition to managing volunteers, building community, and establishing relationships with students. Domestic area’s often have local support that help sustain the budget while international areas cannot rely on local funding for a variety of reasons (like transitory communities and non-profit culture).
If you have more questions feel free to email Chase at chaserharmon@gmail.com. And if you ready to join our team, set up your donor account!
FAQ
If you are collecting money right now (such as monthly pledges), where is that money going since you have not left yet?
It goes into our Munich account! We have to have cash in the bank to cover three months operating expenses (in case of emergency) and our one-time expenses (we get a moving allowance, etc.). So if people are willing to start now it helps us build up that reserve in addition to one-time gifts.
If you want people to start paying now and you don’t end of going to Munich is the money returned?
Donating now is totally optional (but it helps us build that reserve!), most people have opted for that thus far. From what we understand, that money could be returned although it’s not an easy system. We would anticipate transferring that sum to whatever YL job we end up in if it’s not Munich. The other alternative is it becomes a donation to “Young Life” and supports the mission at large. If someone is uncomfortable with those alternatives, pledging to support when we deploy is a great option!
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