Ember believes that missionaries of the future will rely on a 'portfolio of revenue.' [credit for this term goes to Ben Arment.] In other words, they will need to actually make some money outside of personal donations. Every summer, our teams are required to dream and execute a Creative Revenue Plan - a way to make some income based on their talents and gifts. This unique income will go directly towards the funding of their missions experience. Prayer and financial support letters are also required.
Here is some of the context on how this plan came about - in case you didn't notice, I was super frustrated. Combine that frustration with some of the systemic issues with missions support and the freedom to execute what we imagine with The Ember Cast, and we had the experiment known as the Creative Revenue Plan, which I think is going great.
Like every summer, I'm thrilled to see the plans that students execute. This summer includes pet sitting, lawn mowing, photography and babysitting. Not only that, our whole team was involved in a big missions training event which leveraged our skills, experience and talents, both as our team and Ember as an organization. And one of our guides leading a trip for a local church came up with a painting party for his team.
The future necessitates that missionaries continue to be smart about finances, including how they raise support, how they use their skills to create revenue and the fine balance between the two.
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