These are new words to many people?
Yes, being a Foundation manned by non-paying volunteers and helping the countless number of Poor & Needy, funds(money) is the lifeline of any organization, without which nothing moves and we can’t help the countless out there needing our help. As I have mentioned to the volunteers, even if volunteers don’t sleep and we have 25 hours a day, there will be always work to do helping the endless streams of needy people.
Perhaps, with the recent upheavals caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, ongoing Ukraine-Russian conflict, etc many of our donors are in a “state of fatigue!”I personally know of NGOs/NGIs/Homes that are really running short or in desparate need of funds to keep their organizations going.
Imagine a Home of 60 odd residents, they have to eat, to be sheltered, water/electricity bills, medical expenses, etc. On an average, some RM20k-RM25k is needed monthly. What if the funds don’t come in? If you are alone, you starve, go fasting but how about the 60 odd old folks/children?
I know of some PIC(Person-In-Charge) of Homes who are using part of their personal savings to foot the running of the Homes when funds are insufficient. But how long can this go on? Someone has pawned her jewellery, mortgage her property, etc to make up for the shortfall in running the Homes but, again, for how long?
I know of Homes that have closed due to insufficient funds. Some of the residents have to be transferred to some other Homes which are too struggling to manage and maintain. Funds from the government are hard to come by, etc
These are the hardships faced by many organisations helping the Poor & Needy and YSJB is no exemption.
To engage the donors is never an easy task, especially during these difficult times as described but what to we do? We cannot be blind to the cries of the needy people, we see them, we feel for them and we hear them, many of them everywhere because volunteers have “eyes” that can see them whereas ordinary people don’t see them because they don’t want to see them – NOMB(None Of My Business).
With the present scenario, as described above, where our donors themselves are affected, apathy sets in resulting in donor’s fatigue where they no longer donates as they used to be because they have lost interest in what the volunteers do, or perhaps, they have lost the financial strength themselves.
This is a serious matter as, even though how lean an organization is, like non-paying volunteers, asking a lot of services free from our supporters so that we will have more money for our clients, there are certain expenses like rental of office, water &, electricity bills, vehicle running costs, etc that have to be incurred.
Cost of food provisions have gone up by some 25%, meaning that less people can be served and coupled with the dwindling revenue coming in due to donor’s fatigue, many NGOs/NGIs are finding it difficult to keep afloat, including YSJB.
We try to keep our donors engaged with the many projects/activities we do, keeping their interest alive, justfying to them we are worthy of their support, writing long and comprehensive reports, always improvising, always engaging and always keeping them up-to-date of our projects.
And, we pray hard for funds to keep on coming in so that the Poor & Needy will not be left out.
We feel, we see and we hear the cries of our clients. After years of being volunteers, we can somehow, ‘detect’ signals given out by the Poor & Needy – I once sensed that this person was ‘needy’ – he kept checking on the price of the items he bought, has 3 children in tow and when he checked out of the supermarket, he was digging everywhere as the bill exceeded what he has got. I stepped in, quickly paid for his bill and met him outside. He is now one of the many on our monthly food aid list.
Volunteers like us go round ‘sniffing’ for the needy.
That was how we ‘detected’ the homeless guy I wrote about recently – off the busy highway, we noticed some signs of human activities, we investigated and now we are helping him to come out of the dark deep pit.
We publicise our activities through social media(website, FB, Twitter and Business WhatsApp), with personal and trusted bonds of friendships over many years and through recommendations by word of mouth and whatever means possible and available to canvass for funds.
To YSJB, it is the TRUST & GOODWILL built up over the years, both personally as JAMES HO and foundation-wise as the Founder, now Secretary, that we are still able to get fundings (although they have dropped significantly lately as described above).
I am confident of your continuous and unwavering support to see us through this difficult period as we try our best serving our clients with L❤️ve & Humility.
Now, we are in the process of finishing our project at Sherun Home in Taman Selesa Jaya, JB – a RM41k project to replace the awning/roof, some RM25k paid so far(first project RM15k completed, now second project costing RM26k), another RM16k yet to be paid as it is still work in progress, hopefully all will be completed, say, by 20/4/2022 as it is raining daily and the 60 odd old residents there are getting wet when it rains due to the leakages. The whole structure is to be replaced and rewired.
The contractor, my good friend, has agreed to go ahead with the project knowing that I will eventually pay him.
Speed is the essence due to the raining season and I am honoured by the trust and faith he has in me as far as money is concerned, knowing pretty well that YSJB has not raised enough funds for this massive project – it is FAITH that propels us always!
Thanking everyone for your support in everything we do.