$50k by Thanksgiving Day
Progress: $52,819 raised!!!
105% of our goal!!
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR GIVING + KEEPING OUR PROGRAM RUNNING!!
On October 16th, our Founder, Amy, shared a personal letter with our CiH family about a desperate need for funding
in order to keep our programs running at full capacity in Zambia. You can read the letter HERE.
Here’s an excerpt from that letter:
“I’m no stranger to struggle since starting Clothed in Hope. We’ve faced plenty of challenges over the last 7 years since all of this began. We walked through fire when someone tried to murder one of our staff members in the early years. I was stolen from when I lived in Zambia – multiple times. I’ve been told horrific stories of real-time abuse and oppression. We’ve looked corruption in the face time and time again. But nothing has brought me as low as I am now.
It seems as if every time we attempt the next step towards growth, we’ve been hit with an obstacle this year. You all gave money to start the Literacy Project, but then an entire shipment of product was ruined. You all sponsored over a dozen sewing machines, but then a few major contributions never arrived that we were counting on. We’ve endured staffing changes, inflation consequences, folks who have discontinued their HOPE Club involvement, cancelled Galas for Hope, and the list goes on (and on and on).
We have 14 Zambian staff relying on us. There are over 200 women who desperately need this program in order to keep their kids in their homes and pull themselves out of poverty. There are over 1000 children who need their mamas to gain a skill so they can have money to go to school and eat 3 meals a day. Need, need, need.
So here’s the bottom line: We need a lot. We need $50,000.”
FAQs
What will $50k do?
$50,000 will get us through the end of the year and the first bit of 2019, covering essential expenses to keep our program running and our staff employed. Our four training facilities will still be able to conduct classes, and we will still be able to graduate the next training class in November if funds are raised.
How did this happen?
So many reasons. Our Board planned this year’s budget very conservatively, anticipating challenges as they do each year. But nothing could’ve prepared us for the situations we’ve faced this year. While expenses have come in under budget, income from donations is down significantly. Larger gifts haven’t come in as promised. Galas were cancelled due to staffing changes with $40k missed income from those. Product shipments have arrived ruined, causing the lot to be damaged out. HOPE Club giving hasn’t increased as anticipated. The list goes on. There isn’t a single event that brought us here, but rather a series of unforeseen challenges that even the most conservative budget couldn’t cover. And it breaks our hearts.
What will you do to keep this from happening again?
Our Board has called a meeting for October 28 to re-structure and devise a plan for 2019 to keep us from getting to a place of such desperation as we now find ourselves in. We still plan to run Zambia programs at full capacity if $50k is raised. Our focus will shift to HOPE Club enrollment to ensure consistent, dependable monthly income to cover ongoing operating expenses. Our Board will devise a plan pertaining to our product line and future fundraising events, and we will keep you posted on those changes.
Why $50k now?
We kept hoping that donations would pick up this year and things would turn around. But after finalizing Q3 numbers, we saw that even with expected income for our average Q4, we would still fall significantly short and would not be able to run our programs at full capacity for these next months. Our Board decided it best to be honest and transparent with our CiH family to let them know of the issue at hand since we’re all in this together, and we are responsible to you all. This didn’t happen overnight by some tragic downfall, but rather a result of many difficult months this year for reasons beyond our control.
What if I have other questions?
We want to hear from you and we’re here to answer any question or concern that you have! Email us through our Contact page and Amy will get back with you as soon as possible.