I am part of a team at the Cambridge Vineyard church in Cambridge, MA that set up a fund to channel donations from members of the church to a set of charities chosen to cover a wide range of goals related to relief, opportunity and justice. Below is the description of the fund that we put together. So far, the biggest sticking point in setting this up has been the idea we had to choose funds for which there were significant connections through members of our church. For large organizations, this isn't so much of a problem since there is plenty of objective data to use in evaluating the effectiveness of the organization, but for small organizations, especially ones where the church member is a principal at the organization in question, we are dealing with some concerns about favoritism.
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Mission – Relief, Opportunity and Justice
The mission of the Partnership Fund is to empower the church to follow Christ's invitation to love the poor and oppressed. We want to do this by raising awareness and helping to end poverty, oppression and suffering through significant financial giving. The fund will pool our financial resources and partner with a range of effective, well-researched organizations to:
Provide relief from natural and man-made disasters
Raise people out of poverty through the provision of basic needs, skills, resources and opportunities
Fight against extreme injustice and promote basic human rights
How the Fund Works
The Partnership Fund is administered by a team of Cambridge Vineyard members who research organizations, monitor their effectiveness and decide on the timing and amount of disbursements. This team is chartered with finding the most effective organizations that are working towards the goals of the fund, and also taking the time to find new or under-resourced ministries where donations can have a high impact. The team will balance donations amongst local, state-wide, national and global organizations and amongst different areas of focus (i.e. basic life needs, housing, health care, education, economic/business development, etc.). Where possible, the team will use connections between church members and organizations to gain better insight into the organization’s activities and effectiveness and will research the underlying values of all organizations to ensure they are not in conflict with the values of our church.
Advantages
Donating to the Partnership Fund ensures that your money will be working towards fulfilling a comprehensive vision of short-term relief, long-term economic opportunity and the promotion of justice locally and throughout the world. Consolidating your giving will simplify your life at tax time and will raise the impact of your donation as we pool our funds to help the most effective organizations. All supporters will receive regular reports that will detail the amount each organization has received and updates on the status of each organization.
How to Give
Currently, the best way to donate money to the Partnership fund is to make out a check to the Cambridge Vineyard and specify “The Partnership Fund” in the memo line of your check. Since checks will be written out to the Cambridge Vineyard, all donations will be tax deductible. In the near future we will be adding online support for one-time and recurring donations with a credit card.
Learn More
If you would like to receive email updates on the activities of the Partnership Fund, send an email to [email protected] and we will add you to our list. If you have questions about the fund, contact Sebastian Gard at (781) 934- 5558. A list of the current organizations included in the fund and some basic information about those funds is available as a separate document.
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