Who Would You Like to Support?

A little over a year ago, I decided to run ads on my blog as a means to raise money for various charitable organizations.  Through your visits we have raised $25.06 that was sent to St. Jude's Children's Hospital last summer and, just this month, $28.27 that was sent to Compassion International.

So, now we are starting at $0.00 and it is time to start thinking about where the next check should be sent.  This is where I want your help.  I have chosen four organizations and listed them in a poll in the sidebar to the right.  Over the next few months, please take a few minutes and participate in the poll.  At the time I receive the next check, I will send it to the organization that has received the most votes.

Here is some information about each organization:

1. Heifer International - their mission is to work with communities to end hunger and poverty and care for the earth.  With gifts of livestock and training, Heifer International helps families improve their nutrition and generate income in sustainable ways. The animals are referred to as “living loans” because in exchange for their livestock and training, families agree to give one of its animal’s offspring to another family in need. It’s called Passing on the Gift.
2. Habitat for Humanity - a nonprofit, ecumenical Christian ministry founded on the conviction that every man, woman and child should have a decent, safe and affordable place to live. Habitat for Humanity builds with people in need regardless of race or religion.
3. American Red Cross - as part of a worldwide movement that offers neutral humanitarian care to the victims of war, the American Red Cross distinguishes itself by also aiding victims of devastating natural disasters. Over the years, the organization has expanded its services, always with the aim of preventing and relieving suffering.
4. Show Hope - founded by Steven Curtis and Mary Beth Chapman, Show Hope is a ministry that enables individuals and communities to change the world for orphans by not only addressing a child’s need for food, shelter, care, and spiritual nourishment, but by also addressing the root issue for an orphan: the lack of a family.

Thanks for all your visits to "The Fruits of the Spirit" that make giving in this manner possible!

Ads for a Cause

Since I originally wrote the below post, the following amounts have been received and donated:

July, 2009 - $25.06 raised and given to St. Jude's Children's Hospital

January, 2010 - $28.27 raised and given to Compassion International

Originally posted November, 2008

For several months now I have been running Google ads on my blog. I only did so because I was curious about how much (or how little) could really be made by doing this. I’m sure you’ve all heard the stories about how much bloggers can make by placing ads on their site. After hearing this for so long I was curious if all the hype was true or not. I never started my blog to make money for myself and just thought I’d do it for a short period of time and see what happened.

Well, first off, I will tell you that you must have thousands of visitors to make any money doing this. In 4-5 months I’ve made a whopping $4.63. So, I think I answered the question of how much can be made… at least for my blog.

I decided I would take down the ads. I had answered my question and that was that. There weren’t a lot of financial benefits and, after all, I didn’t start my blog as a way to make money. But, each time I would start to remove the ads something would stop me. I didn’t feel I should leave them there as they were, but it didn’t seem right to take them down either.

Over the last few weeks I’ve found what I believe to be the reason why it didn’t feel right to remove the ads. I’ve spent time in prayer and in thought about this and feel that it is right and it is okay. So, here’s the plan…. I’m going to leave the ads up and each time I reach a certain dollar amount (I’m thinking every $50 to $100) I’m going to send it to a charitable organization. It will take a bit of time to add up to those dollar amounts. However, I don’t think the Lord has limits on how long it takes to reach the goal. I think His concern is that we choose the right goal and that we reach it.

And, there’s more…. since I couldn’t do this without each one of you that visit me I’m going to let you pick which organization the money goes to each time. You’ll see that I’ve added a poll beneath the ads. There are several very worthy organizations listed and by voting you get to take part in making the choice of where the money goes. Next week I will post some information about the 4 organizations that you now see in the poll. If you have a favorite charitable organization that you would like included in the list, please let me know in the comments and I'll add it to the list either now or in the future.

Thanks so much to all of you that visit. You encourage me, you uplift me, you are my friends. We all share so much with each other in our posts and comments and prayers. Now let’s share with others that are in need of help outside of “bloggy land”.