WHY SUPPORT MODEST NEEDS?

People who choose to support Modest Needs tend to do so for intensely personal reasons - most often because they understand from personal experience the difficulties our applicants face and the value of a short-term helping hand. But generally speaking, we've learned that Modest Needs' donors choose to support our work primarily because:

1. We Operate with Integrity

At Modest Needs, when we make a promise to our donors and applicants, we keep our word. We don't deviate from our mission, and while we'd like to grow to the point that we can reach more of the people who need our help, we'd rather be small and efficient than large and wasteful.

We strive on a daily basis to administer our programs fairly, to carefully vet the grant applications we receive, and to practice good stewardship of our donors' funds. And when we do make a mistake, we confess it, learn from it, fix the problem, and then move boldly forward, informed by the wisdom we have gained from the experience.

2. We Value the Contributions of ALL of Our Donors

At Modest Needs, we believe the power to affect positive change rests, not within a few people giving a lot, but within all of us doing whatever we can to make a lasting difference in the lives of others.

While we appreciate the support of our major donors, we also recognize that kindness and generosity cannot be measured in terms of dollars and cents. We believe that there is no such thing as a 'small act' of kindness. And we are genuinely grateful to the thousands of persons who make this work possible a few dollars at a time - many of whom were once Modest Needs' applicants.

3. We SHOW Our Donors Where Their Money Goes

Modest Needs maintains a comprehensive list of the grant applications we're currently working to fund alongside a record of every application we've funded since our inception. Current or prospective donors can review our current grant applications and, through their contributions, recommend to us which of these applications they'd like to see funded most quickly.

Additionally, when a grant application is funded, the donors who recommend that application for funding have the option to receive a copy of the actual 'Thank You' note written by the successful grant applicant to those who supported his or her application.

Many donors tell us that receiving these heart-felt 'Thank You' notes is the most rewarding part of supporting Modest Needs.

4. We Respect and Safeguard Our Donors' Privacy

If you choose to support Modest Needs, you won't suddenly be bombarded with appeals for more and more money. At most, once we've thanked you for your contribution, you'll hear from Modest Needs twice a year - once in the summer and once during holidays - but if you opt to exclude yourself from these appeals, we'll certainly respect your wishes.

Additionally, Modest Needs goes to great lengths to safeguard our donors' personal information. As we explain in our privacy policy, we do not share information about our donors with any entity, for any reason, under any circumstances, ever.