More Facts About Buying Animals from World Vision's Gift Catalog

WVGoatGiveNowTwo weeks ago, I wrote about World Vision’s gift catalog and their solicitation to purchase animals for needy families. Some readers were surprised to learn that a donation to buy a goat (or some other animal) does not of necessity lead to the purchase of a goat. Instead, World Vision’s spokeswoman, Amy Parodi,* told me that the money goes into a fund which helps support agricultural or other community based assistance for needy families. That support may or may not include the purchase of some animals.  To some readers, that was new information; others had always assumed something akin to Parodi’s explanation was true.
Since then, I have read more about animal donations and asked World Vision a few more questions. World Vision answered quickly and clarified some points. As it turns out, the organization doesn’t keep track of how many animals are purchased. More about that shortly.
In 2006, Jon Dennis in the US edition of the Guardian investigated claims that donors were buying goats for needy families. He wrote:

So is your money is going on a real goat? “No,” Oxfam spokeswoman Katie Abbotts told Guardian Unlimited’s Newsdesk podcast. “The public are buying into the idea that they’re buying a calf … We need to have the choice to buy the livestock most appropriate to a community, depending on their circumstances and local environment. So it might not be appropriate to buy a goat in some instances, but we’ve never made that a secret.”

Dennis interviewed an OXFAM representative who said information about the actual use of the funds was “in big letters” in their catalog. However, Dennis said the information wasn’t on the organization’s “shopping pages” but did appear elsewhere in OXFAM’s materials.
In 2011, the charity group GiveWell recommended against animal purchases, calling them “donor illusions.”  On the other hand, in 2008, the progressive New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof favored the approach.
In 2010, filmmaker Christopher Richardson went to Africa to find his goat and recorded the experience in the documentary “Where’s My Goat?” Watch:
[youtube]http://youtu.be/OSYPowFlm7c[/youtube]
Although Richardson interviews those who don’t support the goat buying program, he seems upbeat about the program.
One thing is sure; I am not alone in my curiosity.
Back to my follow up questions for World Vision. I asked Parodi how much money was raised by the Gift Catalog and how many animals were purchased. I wanted to get some idea of how close the marketing was to the reality. Parodi gave me the jaw dropping numbers:

The catalog raised $33.7 million last year, $12 million of which was designated to animals. We don’t track how many individual animals are purchased each year. We used to track those numbers, but as the program has grown, the administrative burden became more than was worthwhile from a financial stewardship perspective.
As you can imagine, the reality of our programming in the field is much more complex and nuanced than simply giving a family an animal in isolation from other programs and services.

Actually, I probably can’t imagine it. My inability to understand the marketing versus what they actually do is why I asked.
My other questions (based on Parodi’s answers to the questions I reported in the first post) required a little additional research from Parodi and here is what she learned:

ME: Back to the goats/livestock program, it seems to me that you probably get more donations than needs for livestock. Is the excess what goes into the related agricultural projects expenses?
PARODI: To clarify, in the field, we don’t have “animal” programs. Rather, we have food security programs and livelihood programs.  In many of these programs, livestock are a tool we use to help families produce enough to eat and generate income for themselves. Programs that use livestock are eligible to receive funds from gift catalog animal donations.
Once those livestock-specific programs are fully funded, then any remaining funding is allocated to a group of economic development, agriculture and food security programs.  These programs qualify for animal money because they address the same development need that animals address – specifically, hunger and a lack of economic opportunity.
Once those programs are funded, if we have remaining animal money, we then hold the revenue for use by qualifying programs in the following fiscal year. This is a relatively rare occurrence though.  For example, last fiscal year, we had more $14 million in projects that met the criteria receive funding from animal revenue.  But we raised a little over $12 million in animal revenue.
ME: How much is sitting in a fund waiting to be spent on livestock and related agricultural projects?
PARODI: Nothing is sitting in a fund for any length of time.  In fact, really, money is given to the field to fund their programs before we’ve actually raised it. Before each fiscal year, our field staff submit proposals for the programs they want to run. Each fundraising office, including the U.S. office, reviews those programs, commits to fund a portion of those programs, and sends the money so that the field staff can begin (or continue) their work. Once the fiscal year begins, the fundraising offices raise resources to cover the funds they’ve already sent to the field.
I think most people understand that it makes no sense to just drop a goat – and only a goat – into a family’s lap. World Vision’s integrated programming helps families overcome hunger and poverty – and uses goats and other animals as a tool to accomplish that.  But there are times when animals aren’t the right tool. The items in the gift catalog give donors a glimpse into some of the tools that we use to make those programs happen, but the programs themselves include much more than just the items in the catalog.
All organizations that offer gift catalogs have to address the tension of helping their donors understand the needs and the best solutions without overcomplicating the conversation. We all need to honor the promises we make our donors – and we need to be careful not to promise something that we can’t deliver. You’ll find that most catalogs articulate similar language about how donations will be used.

Parodi says “most people understand that it makes no sense to just drop a goat — and only a goat — into a family’s lap.” I am not as confident as Parodi. In absence of a well-designed survey, I am not confident about “what most people know.” I can point out that a donor who donated based on a gift buying trip through World Vision’s website wouldn’t know any of what I now know.
wvwebsitegoatsSee for yourself. First click here (World Vision’s front page), then locate the Gift Catalog (link), then click “animals” (link), and choose any of the animals (e.g., rabbits), then go to your cart (link – should be something in there if you checked an animal). I went through the checkout process and found none of the information provided above on any of those pages.
You will however see this video about Jack and Isaiah:
 
[youtube]http://youtu.be/VODK55tS2XA[/youtube]
 
In the video, Jack buys a goat on his mother’s behalf and Isaiah gets a goat dropped into his family’s lap. Perhaps the video is not meant to be taken seriously, or maybe it intends to create a friendly myth, like the tooth fairy or Santa Claus. Someday Jack’s dad is going to read this blog and have to tell Jack the truth.
In my view, a better approach would be to provide this information to potential donors more directly so they can know the extent of the complexity of the situation. One of the naysayers in Richardson’s Where’s My Goat? documentary (about 2:36 into the video) said that the gift catalog is about “Western feel good, and not about serious development.” I understand her point and think there is a risk that the creative fiction could lull us into an ignorant satisfaction. I’m not sure it is good for us to think we have done our part via a gift donation at Christmas.
 
 
*Thanks to Amy Parodi for her kind and professional help in providing information and World Vision’s response for this post.
 
 

Frustrated About the Mars Hill Global Fund? Help Ethiopian Pastors Directly Through New Covenant Foundation

Yesterday, Mars Hill Church posted a request for members to give money through the end of the year. The request raised the possibility that the eleven independent churches might not get off the ground if members didn’t keep giving to Mars Hill.

Without generous people like you continuing to give through the end of the year, many of these churches may not have the necessary funds to continue as new churches.

As I said yesterday, I don’t understand this threat. If the churches are so fragile that survival depends on Mars Hill giving now, I don’t understand how they will make it when the Mars Hill money runs out.
In any case, one casualty of Mars Hill’s demise may be the Ethiopian pastors supported by the church through partnership with New Covenant Foundation. New Covenant provides several ways for donors to support Ethiopian pastors. Current funding for those pastors will run out at the end of the fiscal year.
One may donate to New Covenant Foundation here. Watch:
[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/113747611[/vimeo]
Mars Hill used videos of Ethiopian and Indian pastors living in poverty to raise money for the Global Fund. However, as the church admitted, most of the money went to expanding Mars Hill locations in the United States. Millions were raised with only a tiny fraction being spent on international efforts. We all learned later that this was the plan all along.
I believe that the money raised for the Global Fund should now be given to the charities which manage the resources for the Indian and Ethiopian pastors. If the actual donations are not given to them, then the dissolution pot should be divided 12 ways instead of 11 with a share given to the international pastors. This commitment was not mentioned in yesterday’s end of the year fund raising appeal.
To help address Mars Hill’s lack of clarity on this matter, I am today featuring the Ethiopian charity. In a future post, I will provide information about Vision Nationals, the charity which operates in India. Mars Hill folks have been voting with their nickels for months, they can do it again one last time.
 

Only Two Weeks Until the End, Mars Hill Church Still Wants Donations

Even though Mars Hill Church dissolves at the end of the year, someone in charge of the website is still seeking donations. It isn’t clear just who is making decisions. Is it Dave Bruskas? He is telling Albuquerque that the new church will be marked by transparency. However, since nobody signed this communication, it is not clear who is asking for money.
The initial paragraph doesn’t seem reasonable. No explanation is given for why giving to Mars Hill and having that donation split eleven ways is going to help the local churches more than a direct donation to that local church. If they can’t raise the necessary funds on their own now, then how will they ever do it?
I have heard no explanation for this; readers, have you?

Thank you for continuing to faithfully serve and give to your church. As we close out the year and say good-bye to Mars Hill, your gifts continue to be very important as they will determine how much will be distributed to help fund the eleven independent churches launching in January. Without generous people like you continuing to give through the end of the year, many of these churches may not have the necessary funds to continue as new churches.

We wanted to provide the following information for our donors and supporters, to keep you informed as you prepare to make your final year-end gifts to Mars Hill Church.

Giving at Local Churches – Each of our local churches will continue to accept gifts made during Sunday services through December 28th, 2014. Should you desire to give this way, simply drop your gift in a giving basket or GIVE box after service.

Gifts via Mail – If you’d like to mail in your final gifts to Mars Hill Church, please make sure they are postmarked by December 31st, 2014 and sent to the following address:

Mars Hill Church
c/o Giving
1401 NW Leary Way
Seattle, Washington 98107

Feel free to use a GIVE envelope which are available at all Mars Hill Church locations to send your gift in postage free.

One Time Gifts via ACH or Debit/Credit Card – Donors may give online at marshill.com/give via debit card, credit card or ACH up until 9:00 PM PDT on December 31st, 2014.

Recurring Gifts via ACH or Debit/Credit Card – Recurring gifts setup online at marshill.com/give are drafted on the 5th and 20th of each month. If you have setup a recurring gift, we will automatically stop your gift after the final scheduled gift on Monday, December 22nd (next business day after the 20th) has cleared.

If you wish to stop your recurring gift manually, you may do so at anytime by sigining in at marshill.com/give with your Mars Hill account.

Text to Give – Donors will be able to text gifts to Mars Hill Church up until 9:00 PM PDT on December 31st, 2014. Simply text “Mars Hill” and the amount to 45777.

Stock Gifts – Mars Hill Church will continue to accept gifts of publicly traded securities or bonds through December 31st, 2014. Please contactgiving@ marshill.com if you need broker information.


DONOR STATEMENTS & UPDATED CONTACT INFO

In July 2014, Mars Hill Church sent mid-year statements to our donors to the address we had on file. Year-end donor statements will be mailed out on or around January 20th, 2015 to assist with your tax return preparation. In order to ensure your statement is received, please check your mailing address by completing one of the two options:

  • Log into the Give page and check to see if your giving account is linked (Once logged in, you should be able to see your giving history on the “View giving history” tab. If your account is linked, you can update your address under your account settings.)

  • Contact [email protected] or call our giving line at 206.816.3649. Please include your donor and family number from your mid-year statement and include your complete mailing address. We’d also appreciate your updated phone number and email address should we need to get a hold of you.


THANK YOU!

Thank you again for your generosity and faithfulness in helping us finish well. We wish you and your family a wonderful Christmas and blessings in the new year.

Should you have any questions about giving, please contact [email protected] which will remain active at least through April 2015.

 

Mars Hill Church Executive Elder Dave Bruskas on the Future of Mars Hill Albuquerque, Bible Teaching and Communication

This is the next several minutes of Dave Bruskas’ talk to the members’ meeting at Mars Hill Albuquerque (soon to be North Church). In this clip, Bruskas reminisces about opening the church building as a Mars Hill replant, and then describes his hope for the church going forward.
In doing so, he makes some hard-to-miss references to problems at Mars Hill. First he says one sermon per week and a discussion of that sermon (I assume he meant in community groups) isn’t enough. I always thought Mars Hill had lots of content online and elsewhere, but Bruskas wants to provide more. Also, he is going to improve communication and governance. The church will be elder led (in contrast to Mars Hill) and there will be better communication. He lamented that the pastors, including himself, often learned about the church online (you’re welcome).
Listen in (mostly audio with some quotes pulled out, be patient, they will come).

While this all sounds like an improvement, I still want to learn why it took the scandals and revelations of the last year to bring these changes about. I would like to hear more about why Rev. Bruskas did not activate these changes while the #2 man at Mars Hill Church. Perhaps, he feared for his job, but it would be good to know if he felt the same thing the other elders did who put their jobs and ministries on the line to make the changes now evident.