Matched Giving Opportunities

The Chalmers Center for Economic and Community Development has a need for $250,000 in annual pledges by the end of 2007. When combined with resources from other sources, these funds will give the Chalmers Center a core operating budget of approximately $450,000 annually. In addition, we intend to augment this core budget with additional grants and gifts for specific projects.

Funding to Support Our Goals – A fully funded operating budget will help us reach our three year goals of:

1. Curriculum Development – Integrating biblical worldview messages addressing animism into existing technical curricula and contextualizing these curricula for strategic locations in Africa, India, China, and Latin America. The curricula are from Freedom from Hunger, one of the most respected secular relief and development organizations in the world.
2. Worldwide Fraternity of Trainers – Equipping members of our volunteer, worldwide Fraternity of Trainers to contextualize Chalmers courses and curricula and deliver them in their own countries and regions, thereby replicating the Chalmers Center’s impact many times over without increasing our expenses. We have a goal of recruiting and equipping 50 trainers in the next three years.
3. Distance Learning – Expanding the number of offerings of our distance learning courses so that we can equip and train more churches, ministries, and missionaries to minister more effectively to the poor in their communities. We are currently designing two new distance learning courses that will be offered for the first time in spring 2007. The first of these courses is called “How to Do Short-Term Missions Without Doing Long-Term Harm,” a course targeting those who host or participate in short-term missions trips. The second course is called “Principles and Practices of U.S. Economic Development Ministry,” a course addressing economic development strategies appropriate for ministering to low-income individuals in the U.S. in the areas of savings, asset accumulation, financial literacy, job training, housing, and healthcare finance.
4. Training Institutes – Continue to partner with churches and ministries worldwide to host Christian Economic Development Institute (CEDIs), week-long training events that equip churches to use microenterprise development to minister to the economic and spiritual needs of the poor.
5. Partnerships – Develop and expand strategic relationships and partnerships with key ministries so that our training is made available to networks of grassroots, indigenous churches. In particular, we are desirous of relationships and partnerships with churches, denominations, missionaries, and Christian organizations ministering in closed or oppressed contexts including China and India.

Giving Opportunities – Please prayerfully consider how you can financially support the work of the Chalmers Center. A current gift can be doubled when combined with one of the following matching grants:

1. Maclellan Matching Grant – The Chalmers Center has been awarded a matching grant by the Robert L. and Kathrina H. Maclellan Foundation toward general operating support and expenses. These expenses include the Chalmers Center’s day to day operations and costs related to:
   
   
   • Promotion of our training to new regions and organizations
   • Delivery of our distance learning courses and training institutes

   The Foundation will match gifts, dollar for dollar up to a maximum of $25,000 that reference the grant and are raised by April 1, 2007.

2. First Fruit Matching Grant – The Chalmers Center has been awarded another matching grant by First Fruit Incorporated to enable us to complete the funding for a three-year, $360,000 curriculum development project. The Chalmers Center has already received a $180,000 grant for this initiative from another Christian foundation that wishes to remain anonymous. First Fruit has pledged to match donations for this project, dollar for dollar, up to a maximum of $90,000, enabling us to complete the funding for this very strategic endeavor. This funding will include:

• Hiring a Director of Training
• Developing the Global Fraternity of Trainers
• Integrating biblical worldview messages addressing animism into the Freedom from Hunger curricula

Making Your Contribution – We welcome gifts of any size, whether a one-time gift related to one of the matching grants or a regular monthly donation. If you would like to make a gift, please make your check out to the Chalmers Center and mail it to us at:

Chalmers Center
Covenant College
14049 Scenic Highway
Lookout Mountain, GA, 30750, USA

On the memo line of your check or in a separate letter, clearly state "Chalmers Center Restricted" and the item for which your gift is designated (e.g. Chalmers Restricted - Maclellan Match). You can also make a donation with a credit card (Visa, MasterCard, or Discover) by calling us at 1-706-419-1805.

Thank you for considering a gift to the Chalmers Center.