What is Private Giving?
Did you know that the Visalia Rescue Mission is 100% privately funded? This means that every donation we receive comes from businesses, organizations, and individuals just like you, which also means that your gift always directly impacts those in need.
We’ve chosen this route of funding for several reasons:
More independence and flexibility
- Private donations come with fewer restrictions, while government funding usually comes with specific guidelines, spending limitations, and reporting requirements.
- VRM is a faith-based organization, a value we hold highly and believe is instrumental in the life-changing work of the Mission. Government funding would restrict our ability to explicitly integrate our faith in our programs.
- Private funding allows VRM to decide how funds are distributed and allows us to respond more quickly to needs in our community without waiting for bureaucratic approval.
Stability and sustainability
- Government funding can be unpredictable, subject to policy changes, and budget cuts.
- Having a broad base of private donors—especially recurring donors—provides a more stable and diversified stream of revenue for VRM.
- Faithful supporters who are dedicated to seeing the lost found in Tulare County ensure VRM’s doors will never close.
Fundraising is faster
- It can take months or years to secure funds from grants and government funding.
- Private fundraising through campaigns, donor outreach, and corporate sponsorships usually yield faster financial support.
- We’ve seen individuals in our community come together to quickly meet immediate needs at the Mission that would’ve otherwise been left hanging in the balance if we relied on government funding.
We’re grateful to get to partner with our community to serve our community. Thanks to your generosity, the doors of Visalia Rescue Mission stay open, offering hot meals, warm beds, and life-changing programs—day after day, year after year.
Sources
1. Payne, A. A., & Steinberg, R. S. (2019). “Do Government Grants to Charities Crowd Private Donations Out or In?” NBER Reporter, 2019(1). Retrieved from nber.org
2. “Understanding Different Types of Donors: Government, Private, and Corporate.” Funds for NGOs. Retrieved from www2.fundsforngos.org
3. “Government ‘Philanthropy’ vs. Private Giving.” DonorsTrust. Retrieved from donorstrust.org
4. “Private Foundation vs. Public Charity: What’s the Difference?” Investopedia. Retrieved from investopedia.com
5. “Public versus Private Funding of Nonprofit Organizations: Implications for Nonprofit Advocacy.” The American Review of Public Administration, 39(2), 219–234. Retrieved from jstor.org