A Letter from the CEO: Bridging the Gap
An update on 7/5/2023: Our $120,000 goal for the Bridge the Gap Campaign has been met! We’re still receiving donations and preparing our budget for the next fiscal year. A full campaign update will be published to our blog soon. Thank you for your donations and prayer.
Dear Neighbor,
Your investment in our program, whether it be your money or your time, demonstrates your passion for helping neighbors to access safer homes. Your passion is why we write to you today.
I am writing to share a hard truth that directly affects our ability to repair homes.
Recently, two of our long-term funding partners significantly lowered the amounts designated to us because their current focus has shifted away from owner-occupied home preservation. This has created a gap of $120,000 in our planned revenue for the 2022/2023 fiscal year.
The impacts of this loss are:
- An estimated 30 households are without funding for repairs next year
- Increased estimated wait time for households on our waiting list
- Decreased revenue to fund tools, trailers, and essential program costs
- Fewer opportunities for volunteer build days
The circumstances around losing these funds are outside our control. We greatly value our funders’ long-term investment and look forward to continuing to partner with them going forward. We can’t change the situation but can do everything we can to minimize its impact.
Will you donate today and make sure homeowners can access critical repairs?
This is a timely request as we enter the final quarter of our fiscal year on June 1, 2023. We are actively planning and budgeting for repairs and services in 2023/2024. A donation today can truly make the difference for a family in the coming months.
The two most helpful things you can do right now are:
- Make a donation, matched up to $40,000 by our board of directors
- Meet with me to discuss the importance of home preservation and how you can share personal gifts and talents to support our program.
The immediate impact of this funding loss is hard. However, it is an unfortunate reality of nonprofit funding cycles. Our board of directors and staff are highly motivated to minimize any negative impacts for homeowners waiting for repairs.
Here’s how:
- Our board of directors is personally offering a $40,000 matching gift opportunity. We hope this gift demonstrates their confidence in our long-term commitment to repairing houses for low-income homeowners.
- Our staff is prospecting and writing grants from new funders.
- Staff is continuing to offer case management services to homeowners who seek assistance.
- We are engaging community members, like you, in solution-oriented dialogue and being clear about ways to help.
It feels odd to speak to such a great need when there’s more momentum in our organization than ever before. There are really exciting things happening, made possible by an ever-growing community of donors and volunteers, including:
- Momentum is building in Anderson with new partnerships.
- Churches and faith communities are engaging at the highest rate in organizational history.
- We have received dedicated funding to assist with home repairs for Veterans over the next couple of years.
- We have a solid and capable group of regular volunteers, many of whom serve with us weekly and monthly.
I have full confidence our team will identify necessary long-term funding options to fill the gap. Developing sustainable long-term solutions with funding partners will take time. We are asking you to help us bridge this gap, so we can create a realistic vision for our next fiscal year with the full support of our staff.
I hope you love your home and find it a place of peace, safety, and refuge. If that is true, and I pray that it is, would you be willing to partner with Rebuild Upstate to help your neighbors in need love their homes too?
Click here to donate today and help us bridge the gap.
Please contact me directly with any questions or concerns. I’d love to meet with you personally to discuss how you can help us. You can reach me by email at [email protected] or by phone at 864-933-7144.
Please keep our organization, and the homeowners on our waiting list, in your prayers. Thank you for all that you have done to support Rebuild Upstate. I look forward to connecting with you soon.
In Solidarity,
Jake Beaty, CEO