I have consistently been charged with stewardship campaigns throughout my church-going life. The message is pretty simple, “if we all do what we can, it adds up to a contribution larger than each of us alone can do. “ I would ask that you consider a contribution to Northern Initiatives this year. But first let me tell you about how we help small businesses and how a gift from you will support our work.
How is our work funded?
A commonly asked question is where does Northern Initiatives get the funding to help small businesses start and grow? As a nonprofit organization we apply for grants from Federal and State Governments and private foundations. We earn money from loan interest and fees charged to our customers, covering about half of our operating costs. Corporate gifts and donations from people like you help to cover the remaining costs.
A gift from you to Northern Initiatives is important to us for three reasons.
When you give to NI:
- When you give to NI your donation immediately grows and helps more small businesses. Your contribution will be leveraged three to five times, because it is helping us to meet a match requirement so often necessary for Federal or State grants.
- A donation from you to NI provides flexibility. Many sources of support come with restrictions to a particular place or a certain group of customers. Private contributions are a source of flexible dollars and are most valuable to our operations.
- Your support helps us reach strategic goals of supporting small businesses in all 78 counties that we serve (we’re at 58, and we have made over $1M in loans in 20 counties, soon to be 25) and to provide 100% of our customers with knowledge to grow their business (currently at 75%).
Please consider a gift today!
While we are probably not the largest charity on anyone’s list, if you appreciate our work, I hope that you will consider a gift to Northern Initiatives this year. All gifts, regardless of size, allow us to sustain this vital work of bringing opportunity and wealth to Michigan families and communities.
–Dennis West, President
