The Wherefore of Moolah

Did you know that “wherefore” means “why?”

As in “Wherefore art thou Romeo?” Means “Why are you Romeo.” (ie Why is the one I love the one I cannot have. Totally not where this post is going.) It also means “the cause or reason: to study the whys and wherefores of a situation.”

Anyway, today is logistics Tuesday. Every Tuesday I will try to update with a numbers-and-facts post about the internship. This will take up Tuesdays for the foreseeable future because there are plenty of questions and the answers may often change as the program grows.

LOGISTICS TUESDAY

So today I will answer WHY DO INTERNS HAVE TO FUNDRAISE?

The first answer is: They don’t. There are three levels of internships currently available through ASI. The first, the level 3 internship, is the least consuming. It’s a 10-15 hr/week, NON FUNDRAISING (as in, you don’t have the option) position. The least commitments/expectations.

Level 2s (what I was for 18 months) have the option of raising up to 1,000/month plus healthcare. (All goals are set between interns and their supervisor, with a budget worksheet from ASI as a guide.)They are expected to put in 20-30 hours a week. (Sunday hours count!) The cap is set so that no one raises far beyond what they would need to live. Keeping honest people honest. And not overwhelmed.

Level 1s, what I have been since August 31, can raise far more (I don’t know how much, I just know I’m below it) since they are expected to give 40+ hours/week and are essentially raising their entire salary.

Search as you will, ALL "money" photos are awkward. via googleimagesearch

So, applied to my personal position, that means that I put in at least 40 hours/week for this job. My night-time (Recovery childcare, First Tuesday) special event (Partner meetings, etc) and Sunday hours (8am-9pm with a long lunch break) count toward this.  I’m also a full-time grad student (9 hours of class per week, plus homework and readings, a total of about 25 hours of “work”).

So I fund raise because I can’t work enough hours at other jobs to pay all my bills.  And I set the goal of raising enough to not work ANY other jobs (though I’m not yet there) because though I will do ANYTHING to pursue where I know God has called me, I honestly just don’t like working such long days, dividing my attention, and selling plasma. (It hurts.) I’ll do it, but I’m pursuing this as an alternate route.

Ahem. So, that’s the frame-work of HOW we fund raise. Or, by what guidelines we can, should we elect to do so.

And now, WHY The Stone doesn’t just pay us salary.

In the Barrett's (Elder Couple) Kitchen, learning about salads and gender-specific roles. :)

Though our partners give faithfully and generously, the church only gets so much from the offering. That money is distributed, with far more than the national average, to missions, local efforts, mercy, and mid level pastors (although mid level pastors, on national average, get paid very little). It’s distributed at FAR LESS than the national average to our senior staff.

There are currently 41 interns. There is nowhere near the budget we would need to support all of them. The Stone was given a choice. Let the number of interns be limited by what you can pay, or let what you can pay be limited by the number of people you bring on mission with you.

If they chose to pay in salary, that money would have to come from somewhere. What ministry could be cut to pay us? Would they tell Connections that moms don’t need community? Would they tell Missions that we don’t need people in unreached places? Would they tell NextGen that kids don’t need to be engaged on their level?

No, of course not. No one would do that. These are all very valid needs.

Okay, then we can just cut the interns, right?

FALSE! That would be saying, “We don’t believe it’s important to replicate ourselves, to pass on the knowledge and heart of the church, to equip the next generation to plant, or to pour into those who feel a calling.”

They also love me by letting me hang with their kids!

So….we fund raise. The plurality of leadership of the church loves us. That’s why we (all fundraising interns) have the option of living FREE in nice, FURNISHED apartments. That’s why I can be (and am) poured in to by the women above me. That’s why the elders invite us into their homes and hearts and feed us physically and spiritually.

And that’s wherefore I have a support blog. Hope that explains a little better. Post questions in the comments so I know what to write about next time!