WHO WILL FIND HELP HERE?
Before I go much further, let me address the question of who this information is intended for.
I think this discussion could benefit anyone looking to recruit volunteers, raise funds, or raise awareness about just about any issue. “Moral concerns” type issues are a natural fit for churches, i.e. right-to-life, Christian Coalition, pregnancy resource centers, homeless, and feed the hungry, abuse, addiction, etc. Within certain boundaries (mostly set by the IRS), even political/civic groups (Tea Party type groups) can work with churches.
Example: My special-needs granddaughter lives with me. I’m in contact, mostly through the internet, with other parents of medically fragile children. I know from talking to them that it’s a struggle to get things done around the house, especially gardening and little things that would really improve the quality of their lives while they’re at home with critically-ill children. How neat would it be for a group of volunteers to pick a family, buy some perennial flowers and go make a little garden for the family to enjoy? That’s not a huge thing, nor would it be difficult to accomplish, but it would mean a lot to the mom of a sick child -- something beautiful and restful to look at every day. I can tell you, it would be a great thing to do. One person with a vision for helping these families could reach into churches, find volunteers, raise a little money, and do this.
That’s what I’m talking about.
Before I go much further, let me address the question of who this information is intended for.
I think this discussion could benefit anyone looking to recruit volunteers, raise funds, or raise awareness about just about any issue. “Moral concerns” type issues are a natural fit for churches, i.e. right-to-life, Christian Coalition, pregnancy resource centers, homeless, and feed the hungry, abuse, addiction, etc. Within certain boundaries (mostly set by the IRS), even political/civic groups (Tea Party type groups) can work with churches.
***NOTE: I'm not a lawyer or an accountant. Church leadership and pastors have an understandable obligation to protect their church's non-profit standing with the IRS. Also, IRS guidelines are constantly shifting and sometimes affected by court cases. The page listed as "What Churches and Pastors Can and Cannot Do Politically" gives current (as of Jan. 2010) guidelines as understood by the legal minds at the National Right to Life Committee. They've been around, doing this kind of thing longer than anyone else I can think of. Their guidelines tend to err on the side of caution, which is a good thing, I think.Anyone who wants to reach a religious-based audience with their message will find helpful, practical tips and ideas here. And I don’t think you need a huge organization behind you to do this. Sure it helps to have a pre-existing organization, like being a chapter or affiliate of a state or national group. But if you’re an individual with an idea – especially a very “local” idea – you could take these ideas to reach churches and run with your idea, pretty much on your own.
Example: My special-needs granddaughter lives with me. I’m in contact, mostly through the internet, with other parents of medically fragile children. I know from talking to them that it’s a struggle to get things done around the house, especially gardening and little things that would really improve the quality of their lives while they’re at home with critically-ill children. How neat would it be for a group of volunteers to pick a family, buy some perennial flowers and go make a little garden for the family to enjoy? That’s not a huge thing, nor would it be difficult to accomplish, but it would mean a lot to the mom of a sick child -- something beautiful and restful to look at every day. I can tell you, it would be a great thing to do. One person with a vision for helping these families could reach into churches, find volunteers, raise a little money, and do this.
That’s what I’m talking about.
Making a difference. Whether it’s you, by yourself, seeing a need (big or small) that needs to be addressed or whether you’re part of a national group with thousands of members – the church should be a place where people *start* things.There are effective and efficient ways to reach church members and find those volunteers and funds.
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