By Rick PostmaYou will likely not be surprised to learn that funding applications come to Word & Deed on a regular basis. Requests originate all over the world and come from churches or organizations that have either found us on the internet or have heard of us by word-of-mouth. Sadly, we have no choice but to turn down the vast majority of these applications due to limited resources of finances and time. In order for a request to be approved, it needs to be investigated. When it involves a new partner, a trip to the country in question is usually required. Furthermore, our commitment to existing partners and projects, as well as the realistic constraints of our support base limit how much we can do. The purpose of this two-part article is to answer a number of questions typical of prospective partners and supporters. Given space constraints, the answers are brief – each one could serve as the basis of an article on its own.
Is Word & Deed simply a funding organization?To see Word & Deed as a funding pipeline, able to be turned on and off at will, is a very common misconception. In the first place, charity tax law (especially strong in Canada) requires active oversight of any projects funded by donors who receive a donation receipt. This translates into regular written and financial reports as well as regular visits to review the project in the field. New partners are often required to provide quarterly reports, while established partners provide semi-annual reports. Countries are usually visited once per year and sometimes twice yearly depending on the needs. Regular communication via email and voice over Skype (internet) also takes place. In addition, goals are set for each project on a yearly basis and written up in a project agreement which is signed both by Word & Deed and the developing world partner in question. Finally, reports are required indicating how well each goal is being achieved through the year. Word & Deed Board requirements as well as lessons learned in the “school of hard knocks” over the last 15 years also mean that Word & Deed is by no means a passive partner in any project.
Word & Deed emphasizes Partner Development. What does this mean?Word & Deed places a great deal of emphasis on partner development. As much as possible, projects are to be run by local Christians rather than people from the Western World. Where “Western” people are involved, their mandate is to work themselves out of a job. There are countless “white elephant” projects in the developing world which were built by a group of people who came in for 5 or 10 years, put together a project and then left, having failed to include the local people. Not having a sense of ownership, the locals allowed the project to fall apart. Word & Deed projects sometimes take a little longer, but they are driven by indigenous Christians who know the needs of their community, speak the language, and understand the culture. If our goal is to move the people of the developing world to self-sufficiency, then our methodology had better reflect that. This means that we are very careful about sending work teams to the developing world. The first question we need to answer is what is in the best interest of the people there? In most cases the answer is that they do the work even if it takes a little longer.
How does the application process work?Partner and project applications which come from missions in our supporting community or from Reformed or Presbyterian churches in the developing world are given a close look. Various questions need to be considered: Does the partner agree with our mission and mandate? Is the teaching of God’s Word a central part of the project? Is the Church present either in the form of a Mission of one of our supporting churches, or in the form of a locally instituted church? (Word & Deed does not function as the Church.) Are we in a position to make regular trips to the country in question, and does the size of the project(s) warrant trips there? Do commitments to other partners and available funding allow us to take on the project in question at this time? By funding this partner/project, have we kept to our guideline of no more than 30% of overall funds going to any one country? If these and more questions are answered affirmatively based on an initial assessment, then the prospective applicant is asked to do the following:
1) Fill out a partnership application formThis application ensures that our mission and mandates are in agreement. Word & Deed also requires that a partner board be set up with an executive and that all finances are handled using at least two signatures. The partnership application is reviewed by the Word & Deed Projects Sub-Committee. If approved, the partner is then asked to submit a project proposal. (No funds are forthcoming until a project proposal is completed and approved.)
2) Fill out a project applicationa. First a brief two-page project proposalSome of the questions addressed in this brief proposal include: What is the problem being addressed by the project? How many people will be impacted? How is the Word foundational to the project? What is the estimated cost? Have other solutions been considered?
Word & Deed staff reviews the brief overview to see if it meets our guidelines and has a good chance of being approved. If so, the partner is asked to make a detailed project proposal.
b. Detailed Project ProposalQuestions answered in summary form in the brief project proposal need to be answered in more depth in the detailed project proposal. Additional questions also need to be addressed whether in written form or in discussions: Is the project sustainable? Is there an exit strategy? How is the project avoiding dependency?
Part 2 of this article will appear in the spring issue and will deal with government funding as well as a number of additional items that prospective partners should keep in mind when applying to Word & Deed.
Word & Deed Emphasizes:
Gospel Focus
Targeting Self-sufficiency (teach them to fish)
Run by local Christians
Serving God
Bridging Communities
Renewing Lives
Rick Postma is the Director of Public Relations for Word & Deed Ministries.