Dollars and Sense

I keep getting this cents there's something I need to talk about here. I just can't buck the feeling, but if I start writing I'll surely figure it out. I'm banking on it.

Wait a second. What's with all these puns?
Oh snap.
*gulp*
It's the dreaded fundraising talk.

Yup. I've started fundraising. In fact, you can click right here to donate!!

Now, I just want to clarify what exactly these donations will be going to, and be as transparent as possible. All crew serving with Mercy Ships are required to pay a monthly crew fee, to offset their living expenses while aboard the ship. They are also responsible for their travel costs - getting to and from the ship. It is a pretty unique concept in the world. Instead of the organization paying their workers, the workers pay the organization.

Where is all this money going, you ask? Well, it ain't going to Scrooge McDuck, I can tell you that for sure.

As you might imagine, running a hospital is pretty costly. Even without any salaries for the all of the hundreds of staff, the equipment, supplies, medications, and even power usage are SUBSTANTIAL costs. And when I say substantial, I mean hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars. Not to mention, of course, feeding and housing all those hundreds of staff. The mandatory crew fees essentially just cover those basic costs of room and board and emergency insurance. The ship's operating costs (above and beyond that) are supported by donations (above and beyond the crew fees).

This hospital is also usually rather far from where the volunteers live, so the other major expense of flights to and from the ship is also covered by the volunteers themselves.

So let's cut to the chase. This is my breakdown of what I anticipate my costs to be:

Flights: $2000-3000
Crew Fees: $1400 ($700 x 2 months)
Minimum Total: $3400
Serving The World's Forgotten Poor: PRICELESS.
*all prices in USD.

Ah? Ah? ...sorry. Couldn't resist.

All donations will be processed through Mercy Ships and held in an account (did I mention they have their own bank aboard the ship?), then used to pay my crew fees each month, and refund me (if possible) for the cost of my flights, which I must pay up front. As you may have noticed, on my fundraising page, I set my goal at $3000. That's because a) that's a lot of money and b) if I can get that much, I can manage the rest myself. What if I go over that, you ask? Well, first off, that would be incredible, and second, any money raised above my goal will go directly to Mercy Ships to the aforementioned substantial operating costs.

This week I'm working on some fundraising ideas, trying to get my flights booked (so I'll have a more definite idea of the cost), and arranging travel insurance. Next week I visit the travel clinic at the health unit, and will get a number of pokes and jabs and blebs and pills. Yippie.

That's all for now, folks! In case you missed the first two links, click here to support me!

Feel free to comment below or contact me directly with any questions or concerns!