I’m often asked about my profession. People nod and smile as I tell them I’m involved with a software company, but sometimes it gets weird when I further explain that we’re a non-profit company. I tend to get a cocked-head, raised-eyebrow, confused look; as if I sprouted an additional set of eyebrows.

We are a Non-Profit
Why did we decide to be a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization?

It’s first important to define exactly what the term “non-profit” means. It’s misunderstood and confuses many. A common misconception is that non-profit organizations cannot or should not charge for their services. While many organizations perform services for free, this isn’t what defines a non-profit organization. There are many for-profit companies that don’t charge for their services and many non-profits, who do. Another false belief is that you’re not allowed to charge more than your direct costs.

The best definition I’ve heard is “an organization that does not distribute its surplus funds to owners or shareholders, but instead uses them to help pursue its goals.”

As an organization, we have many goals, but our main, overarching goal is thus:

“To provide religious organizations with the resources and tools to reduce ministry operating costs in order to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

Everything we do as an organization is compared and contrasted with this goal. After we were able to clearly articulate our goal, we outlined our main reasons for becoming a non-profit organization.

• All of our customers are trying to operate with the lowest costs possible in order to maximize their impact for Jesus Christ. We want to help them by charging as little as possible while streamlining their managerial overhead.
• Being a non-profit eliminates the traditional model of ownership. By eliminating the concepts of proprietary ownership and shareholder value, the likelihood of unforeseen power struggles, jealousy, and greed is greatly reduced. We’re not concerned with increasing our share price, maximizing profits in order to sell the company, or padding our bank account balances. We’re focused like a laser on our previously stated goal.
• We wanted to prove our intentions that “the money doesn’t matter” by making it impossible for us to get rich off our customers.

We are Serious
I’ve heard it suggested that non-profit organizations aren’t serious about their mission or can just quit at any time and go home without consequence. I’d argue that just the opposite is true. We’re required to be good stewards of our time and money and are committed to a much higher authority than just a set of investors or shareholders.

Just naming a few companies that you may have heard of can quickly dispel the insinuation that non-profits aren’t serious:

1. Salvation Army
2. Mayo Clinic
3. Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
4. Children’s Hospital
5. Goodwill Industries

All non-profit organizations. All of them serious.

We are Efficient
Not only are we serious, but we’re also extremely efficient. We launched ManagedMissions.com in nearly 6 months mostly by utilizing a team of volunteers who share our heart for ministry. Our capital investment to launch our first product was less than $5,000! Going forward, our costs will remain low as our baseline operating cost is much lower than any for-profit company offering similar levels of service.

We are Seeing God Move
In the short time since we’ve launched a product, we’ve seen God move mightily. We’ve met and partnered with some great people and are helping send hundreds of people into the missions field.

We are Here
www.managedmissions.com