Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread: Reflections on Our Board Meeting & Fundraising Needs
WRITTEN BY EMILY TUTTLE
Last week, our Friends of Children Everywhere Board of Directors traveled to Guatemala for one of our biannual in-person meetings at Casa Bernabé. Throughout this update on how we budget and fundraise, please enjoy photos from our Board’s week at CB.
We visited each of the houses to pray with the kids and parents, dropped off photo albums from the sponsors, caught up with friends at CB, took photos of each house, attended the weekly campus-wide prayer meeting, had dinner in the houses, played many rounds of cards, met for two days in the pergola to plan for the upcoming year, went to church, sorted dresses for Día de Gracias, worked on some special projects to thank our supporters, and ate very well thanks to the amazing kitchen staff and the kids who help out preparing the food and serving. Thankfully the highway reopened after the mudslide while we were there, and the internet access came back on just in time to include everyone in the meetings. Thanks so much for praying for us last week!
Our fall meeting is always when we focus on budgeting, as it’s right after the end of our fiscal year and the time of year when Casa Bernabé’s accounting staff are working on their budget too.
Edgar and Sara meet with the heads of all the departments at Casa Bernabé, review the year, and work on the budget for the upcoming year to ensure that we have the leanest budget possible to do the most with what we have been entrusted with. (For an example of this, see this blog post about how we budget for meals at Casa Bernabé!)
If you’ve been to Casa Bernabé in the last few years, you may have heard Edgar talk about praying for our daily bread, but what does that really mean?
Casa Bernabé’s ministry is made possible through the faithful support of a diverse network of donors and partners. Approximately 70% of all funding comes from generous individuals, churches, and organizations in the United States and Canada through Friends of Children Everywhere (FOCE). An additional 20% is raised locally in Guatemala, reflecting growing national engagement in the care and restoration of vulnerable children. The remaining 10% is provided through in-kind donations, including food and supplies (for example, all our eggs and toilet paper!). This combination of international and local support ensures long-term sustainability and reflects a shared commitment to holistic, Christ-centered care.
At FOCE, we take our responsibility to honor donor intent with the utmost seriousness. We also do our best to limit fundraising and administrative expenses to maximize the impact of every dollar given. 90% of every dollar spent in the past year went directly to program expenses.
Every designated gift is carefully tracked and 100% of the gift is allocated solely for the purpose specified by the donor.
For more detailed information around FOCE’s financial results, visit our website.
Currently, just under 50% of our monthly general fund/sponsorship costs are covered by recurring donations, which means half of what we need each month must be raised through one-time gifts. While we are incredibly thankful for the generosity of all our supporters, this funding model presents challenges to budgeting, planning, and sustainability.
To ensure we can consistently meet the daily needs of the children and staff at Casa Bernabé, we are actively seeking to grow our base of recurring monthly donors. Even modest monthly commitments make a powerful difference by providing stability and allowing us to focus more energy on ministry and less on fundraising and to be able to make every dollar go absolutely as far as it can go.
We also have seen over and over again how God has provided, and we know He will continue to do so. Edgar often shares a story about a year when Casa Bernabé was really struggling to make ends meet. Our beloved Día de Gracias (Thanksgiving) day celebration was coming up, and our normal donations hadn’t come through that year. The leadership was considering cancelling Día de Gracias due to lack of funds, and one of them suggested opening the wooden chest sitting in the front lobby.
The chest had been sitting there with a hole in the top inviting donations for years, but no one had ever opened it. The key had long since been lost, so they found a crowbar to wedge it open. When they opened it, inside they found the exact amount to cover Día de Gracias that year! It was such a specific amount of money that it felt like a clear confirmation from God that He would always provide for our needs, from daily necessities to a cherished day of celebrating together.
As we approach the end of the year when many of us evaluate our giving priorities for the upcoming year, we will be sharing more specifics over the coming weeks about how you can get involved and support the ministry of Casa Bernabé.
Consistent monthly giving remains the most helpful way to encourage the work of caring for these kids, and there are several ways to do that. You can become a Child & Family Sponsor of a specific house for $120/month, and you’ll be connected with the family of your choice to offer support and prayer and become part of their extended family network. You can also become an education sponsor, sponsor a teacher’s salary, or sponsor an entire house (we have two remaining that need sponsors).
You can also set up a recurring monthly donation in any amount and make a meaningful contribution to the work God is doing through the staff at Casa Bernabé. We’ll be sharing even more giving opportunities over the coming weeks, and we’re so thankful you’re part of our Casa Bernabé family!