Homestead for Veterans and Children w/o a Father

Hi There,

I am the President of a nonprofit dedicated to eliminating the absent father crisis and the veteran suicide crisis. I am a father and a veteran of the United States Air Force special warfare community where I served as a Combat Controller (CCT) before being medically retired after a fall during training caused me to fracture 5 vertebrae in my spine, 3 in my neck and two in my low-mid back.

With our 501(c)3 nonprofit - Hunt Pray Eat, Inc. - we connect military veterans with children growing up without their father in the home and facilitate events and excursions which encourage fellowship and mentorship.

After a 10 month search for the ideal property, we have been fortunate to secure a 12 acre, operational farmstead in Chester, SC called Ellis Acres, and now the real work begins. We need to build up and improve facilities and infrastructure that will support our mission for decades to come.

I am reaching out to his community in the hopes of finding more folks who have a heart for our mission and feel compelled to support our work in whatever ways they may be able to. Whether its a donation of your time, services or money, we are very grateful for all the assistance we receive.

One project in particular that drew me to this forum is our Homeless Veteran Housing project. Our plan is to construct several homes on the property, we have discussed log cabins, cob & stone, earthbags, as well as several other natural building techniques and our hope is that this forum will help us connect with the person who possesses the necessary skills and experience, as well as a heart for homeless veterans, and who can help guide us is doing this in the best way possible in order to best serve the men and women who served us, and now are in desperate need of being served.

Our website (www.huntprayeat.org) will be live by the end of the month (Jan. 2024) as it is currently being redeveloped, in the meantime I encourage you to contact me directly to receive our slide deck (if the attachment doesn't work for you) which goes into great detail about our mission and how we are executing our mission here at Ellis Acres. You can also visit our GoFundMe page which describes our organization and some of our goals for the upcoming year:
- Email: huntprayeat@gmail.com
- GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/children-and-veterans-of-the-carolinas utm_medium=copy_link_all&utm_source=customer&utm_campaign=p_cp%2Bshare-sheet

If you have read this far, thank you for your time and I will look forward to connecting with you!

What a great idea!
Homeless veterans have to deal with a lot of problems, growing plants can be very calming and gives life a certain steadiness and appreciation. Building shelters is a great way of feeling selfworth. Fatherless kids will really benefit of this too, because they lack good male rolemodels.
Inspiring! Godspeed!

Thank you for your information.
One of the things I do not understand about NFP outfits is how many similar one there are.
In Australia, the laws were changed to ensure NFP organisations do you spend too much of the cash flow on wages and salary.
Not because they dont have much income, but because they often have large incomes!
Sonce your website is not available, what ate the breakdown of tour groups income and expeenditures please?

Welcome to the forum!

We have a similar organization in Texas that builds tiny homes for homeless veterans.

Some school districts have gotten involved for students to help build these homes and learn construction.

Since 2005, the organization OFH, Operation Finally Home has been providing mortgage-free homes for wounded veterans, first responders, and their families.

That is just one example of what is being done in Texas.

I wish you the best with you attempt to help these folks.

John C Daley wrote:Thank you for your information.
One of the things I do not understand about NFP outfits is how many similar one there are.
In Australia, the laws were changed to ensure NFP organisations do you spend too much of the cash flow on wages and salary.
Not because they dont have much income, but because they often have large incomes!
Sonce your website is not available, what ate the breakdown of tour groups income and expeenditures please?

Hi John,

Thanks for taking a look at what we're doing, it means a lot! Hopefully you found the attached slide deck which covers the majority of what you will find on our website when it goes live next week.

I (and every other nonprofit leader) get this question regularly, and it typically comes from a member of the younger generation who lacks an understanding of how businesses works. So, forgive me if that doesn't describe yourself, but considering this describes the average person asking this question, I will answer it as though I am speaking to someone who fits that description. Because, for starters, anyone who has a foundational understanding of the nonprofit industry knows you can visit the IRS website and pull the financials for any nonprofit in the United States and answer this question on your own.

Please don't misinterpret my tone, everything I say is full of love, compassion, understanding and a deep and genuine desire to educate folks about the realities of running any business, but more importantly a 501(c)3 nonprofit, such as ours. I say this as a person who has worked in high-level, middle-management roles with large Fortune 500 companies, I also have three LLC's of my own in addition to this 501(c)3 of which I am both the Founder and President.

The short answer to your question is "100%", one hundred percent of the donations we receive go directly toward our mission. However, the short answer is not fair, and does not do justice to the "Big Boys" out there, we will use the ASPCA as our example of a Big Boy for the sake of this discussion. They are among the biggest, very widely known, and it's very likely that everyone is familiar with their mission and how they enact on their mission. The short answer is also unjust and unfair for us too, because my deepest hope is that we will continue to grow, and with growth comes expenses that the average person has difficulty connecting with the mission.

With that in mind, I will begin by saying; this question demonstrates a lack of understanding of the business side because what ends up happening is, regardless of the answer, whether it is 100% - such as in our case - or the answer is 76% - as it is with the ASPCA - what ends up happening is people who have little or no connection to the organization or the industry begin applying their own code of morals and ethics toward determining what is an acceptable answer, without a deep understanding of the unique challenges each individual organization is forced to over come in order to enact upon their mission, or just frankly to keep the lights on. Furthermore, not only do they typically lack business acumen, they also generally have no intention of doing it themselves, or doing it better. Some organizations have the best of intentions and do brilliant work for the people they serve, but just have weak business leaders who aren't great at managing finances. That doesn't make them bad, it's almost always just a case of someone who has a huge heart and little education or experience in running a business. However, when you hear a response like 76%, or even worse I know some which are less than 30%, a person who doesn't understand what it takes to run a business immediately assumes the worst and suspects the ugliest forms of misappropriation of funds must be happening behind the scenes. 99% of the time that is just not the case. Especially in the U.S. every nonprofit goes through a rigorous verification process and has no choice but to remain 100% transparent with its financials otherwise your 501(c)3 status can be and will be revoked quicker than you could cash a check! :D

Regardless of the answer, there is no official measuring stick and there shouldn't be, so if the Australian government has chosen to try and regulate what they feel is an appropriate answer, I - and I believe the vast majority, if not all, of my peers would agree - is an egregious example for government over-reach and just makes me more proud to live in and do business in the United States. In my opinion, the U.S. model in dealing with 501(c)3's is incredible. Rather than "governing" what they feel is an appropriate amount of spending on certain things, they require every 501(c)3 to essentially be publicly owned, and to report and make their financials public information in order to allow the individual donor to make that determination and to decide whether or not they want to support a particular organization.

Now, whether you are asking because you're considering supporting our mission, are just curious, or are some kind of self-appointed NFP Police Force (I say that in a very joking and tongue and cheek fashion! :D), the world may never know! But, regardless of your reason, I appreciate your question, because it is one that we get a lot. I take a lot pride in being able to say we have no paid employees, we don't spend money on advertising, and all of our donations go directly to our charity mission, however, someday I hope that the answer is no longer 100%, someday I hope we get to a point that we cannot survive without paid employees, someday I hope we can afford to have an advertising and marketing budget. Now, a member of the NFP Police Force may see those expenditures as "non-mission-specific" spending, as you mentioned "salaries and wages". However, I would argue that salaries and wages are mission-specific and mission essential. For example, I would love to have a full-time, salaried therapist on staff for our kids and veterans to access free of charge, 24/7, 365; that would fall in the category of "salaries and wages" which a member of the NFP Police would point out as non-charity-specific spending, however, me knowing that within the salaries and wages part of our budget is our full-time therapist, I know that person's salary is "charity-specific". So you can see how this becomes a slippery discussion.

The reality of doing business in a capitalist society is that an organization cannot survive on volunteers alone. Every organization at some point will need a staff of full-time employees, and a person who can afford to volunteer 40-50 hours a week, has a necessary and in-demand skillset, and will still be able to pay their rent is extremely rare. I am blessed with having a retirement pension that covers my living expenses, so for as long as I can handle running the operational side of our business on my own, then we can get by without paying employees. I, however, would argue that employee wages and advertising are mission-critical, if not "mission-specific".

With all that said, I caution you and any other person who would ask this question to look inside yourselves and ask why you are asking this question, what answer do you believe to be an acceptable answer, and if you find the answer unacceptable according to your own morals and ethics, are you willing to start your own 501(c)3 and replace the work of the organization that you feel is not doing business up to your standards?

If you can't answer the last question with a hard "Yes!", then do everyone a favor and support the organization as they work to improve the lives of others, or silently judge from afar. Because, even if an organization spends less than 30% of the money they receive on their actual charity, at least they are out doing SOMETHING to make the world a better place for others, while the NFP Police Force sits in their arm chairs criticizing them for not "helping others good enough"... doesn't that sound silly LOL? At the end of the day, at least they are out helping others.

I hope I haven't offended you in any way, again everything I've shared is filled with love and a genuine desire to help you understand that regardless of how much of every dollar that is donated to an organization goes to "charity-specific" expenditures, there is no universal "right or wrong" and the best thing we can do as individuals is find one organization who has a mission that connects to our heart and our soul and just pour everything you can into that organization without judgement, because I have yet to meet a leader in the nonprofit space who doesn't have an absolute heart of gold for their mission and the people they serve, and none of us ever receive all the help we need.

If you'd like to connect directly and chat in more detail, please feel free to reach out directly via my email and I'd be happy to schedule a video or voice call with you anytime, John! :D
HuntPrayEat@gmail.com

Also, if you're happy with the fact that we are able to spend 100% of our donations on serving our kids and veterans, and you find that you have a heart for our mission, please considering showing your support. Below is the link to our GoFundMe, and once the website is live you will have to ability to sign up to become a monthly supporter.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/children-and-veterans-of-the-carolinas?utm_medium=copy_link_all&utm_source=customer&utm_campaign=p_cp%2Bshare-sheet

I hope to hear from you soon!

Anne Miller wrote:Welcome to the forum!

We have a similar organization in Texas that builds tiny homes for homeless veterans.

Some school districts have gotten involved for students to help build these homes and learn construction.

Since 2005, the organization OFH, Operation Finally Home has been providing mortgage-free homes for wounded veterans, first responders, and their families.

That is just one example of what is being done in Texas.

I wish you the best with you attempt to help these folks.

Thank you so much! What I love most about our organization is, this is just one of many ways we serve our veterans.

If you have any information you would be willing to share regarding potential sources of funding, we would be very grateful!

You can email me at: HuntPrayEat@gmail.com

I don't have any sources of funding though I can say that OFH secured a grant from big box retailer Lowes, which would provide all the building materials for Big Heroes, Tiny Homes for the future.

Big Heroes, Tiny Homes is Humble, Texas ISDs program where these students are building tiny homes.

Anne Miller wrote:I don't have any sources of funding though I can say that OFH secured a grant from big box retailer Lowes, which would provide all the building materials for Big Heroes, Tiny Homes for the future.

Big Heroes, Tiny Homes is Humble, Texas ISDs program where these students are building tiny homes.

Thank you very much for the additional intel! Lowe's is one of our sponsors in Las Vegas.

Thanks Ellis for your extensive answer.
I am a 74 year young person who has had a full life.
I would put myself in the "are just curious, or are some kind of self-appointed NFP Police Force" grouping  of the choices you offered myself.
I am a Civil Engineer who has run my own business for nearly 45 yeras, I have employed a lot of people over that time.

I dont understand why so many small groups get established when I imagine start up costs  have to be generated each time.
And I have seen organisations that seen to employ all members of one family.
I expect some cash to be directed to advertising, salaries overheads etc.
Its great the IRS has lists available.
I have seen organisations with 96% overheads
I have no issue with a therapist being employed to assist people who need help, its all part of the big picture.
I expect suitable wages be paid and I dont expect staff to work longer hours.

 Because, for starters, anyone who has a foundational understanding of the nonprofit industry knows you can visit the IRS website and pull the financials for any nonprofit in the United States and answer this question on your own.

Assuming people have a basic understanding of the industry  may be a step to far!

this question demonstrates a lack of understanding of the business side because what ends up happening is,

I think most people will have a lack of 'basic' understanding and perhaps  your promotion needs to take this into consideration.
For instance I would take more notice if this information was included with promotional material;
- IRS has all financial details of xxxx
- We expect to use x% of funds raised for administration and wages. In line with xxxx.
- we plan to employ staff with the following skills xxxxxxxxx to assist participants.
Our gross income is in the range of xxxxx, togethrt with grants of xxxxxx.

Hi, if you reach a point where you're looking to expand publicity or seek partners you may want to reach out to the folks at Daily Pnut, they run a daily email newsletter but it is veteran-run and often features service-related causes. The owner was also recently involved in a veterans' entrepreneurship event, I think he's got some really good connections in this area and might be a good resource. The site seems to be on the blink (or maybe it's my internet service) but they have a contact email editor@dailypnut.com

John C Daley wrote:Thanks Ellis for your extensive answer.
I am a 74 year young person who has had a full life.
I would put myself in the "are just curious, or are some kind of self-appointed NFP Police Force" grouping  of the choices you offered myself.
I am a Civil Engineer who has run my own business for nearly 45 yeras, I have employed a lot of people over that time.

I dont understand why so many small groups get established when I imagine start up costs  have to be generated each time.
And I have seen organisations that seen to employ all members of one family.
I expect some cash to be directed to advertising, salaries overheads etc.
Its great the IRS has lists available.
I have seen organisations with 96% overheads
I have no issue with a therapist being employed to assist people who need help, its all part of the big picture.
I expect suitable wages be paid and I dont expect staff to work longer hours.

 Because, for starters, anyone who has a foundational understanding of the nonprofit industry knows you can visit the IRS website and pull the financials for any nonprofit in the United States and answer this question on your own.

Assuming people have a basic understanding of the industry  may be a step to far!

this question demonstrates a lack of understanding of the business side because what ends up happening is,

I think most people will have a lack of 'basic' understanding and perhaps  your promotion needs to take this into consideration.
For instance I would take more notice if this information was included with promotional material;
- IRS has all financial details of xxxx
- We expect to use x% of funds raised for administration and wages. In line with xxxx.
- we plan to employ staff with the following skills xxxxxxxxx to assist participants.
Our gross income is in the range of xxxxx, togethrt with grants of xxxxxx.

Yes, I agree there is a redundancy issue in the NFP space. I have yet to find even one other organization in the U.S. that does everything we do, and parts of what we do are not replicated by any other organization, to the best of my knowledge. I say this with a great deal of confidence as I personally searched for months prior to filing for the 501(c)3. I argue our organization is unique, for several reasons. When it pertains to the aspects of our mission which are being accomplished by others, we generally try to partner with those organizations (to avoid reinventing the wheel and wasting precious donations). Or, in the instance of our housing for homeless veterans initiative for example, we aren't just building them a home and setting them off into the world. For starters, our goal is to build just 4 homes, on our farmstead, and to establish a community (critical for veterans) for these individuals. Their stays here will be short-term (6-12 months ideally), and in order for them to participate in our program they must agree to certain terms, because we are not offering a "handout", rather a "hand-up", as they say. They will be subject to random drug screens, submit to fully transparent financial coaching, maintain a full-time job, commit to helping work on the farmstead, stay on top of regular medical visits for both physical and mental concerns, this list is not exhaustive, but you can see where we are going with this. We aren't just giving them a home, our goal is to give them a sense of security in knowing they have a warm bed and a place to call their own, but also figure out why they struggle to acclimate to civilian life and maintain a home of their home, in a effort to develop them into a more functional and contributing member of our society.

Regarding your concerns of nepotism; I understand the concern, but I will say that oftentimes NFP work is a family affair. For example, I know a family who nearly lost their matriarch to a rare form of brain cancer. During that battle they looked outward for support, but the issue was so rare they couldn't find an organization with the expertise or resources to help them, so the family started a 501(c)3 of their own! Today it has grown and they employ several people, but many of their top positions are still filled by members of the family.

As for the high overhead figures, these numbers fall flat without context. For example, an organizatoin with an annual income less than $100,000 may not have found any volunteer support yet, so they are forced to pay employees. If their mission is improve literacy in children, for example, and they only bring in $100,000 but they pay two teachers a fair wage at $48,000 each, yes from the outside in, to the untrained eye, their overhead seems very high, because it falls in the category of "salaries and wages", however, that "overhead" is mission-essential and directly supports their charity. I could give several hypothetical examples, but you get the point. It's difficult to address specific concerns without context or detailed information regarding any actual NFP's to which you may be referring.

I appreciate your input on the marketing piece, and I understand where you're coming from. From an advertising and marketing standpoint, too much information in a single ad is generally a bad thing, as you may only get a person to glance at your ad for a few seconds, and if there is too much going on, the already-overstimulated human brain tends to guard itself by blocking out something that isn't immediately important and contains too much uninteresting information. In a perfect world, NFP advertising would work just as you've described it. However, unfortunately that just not the reality of advertising these days. Thanks to Tik-Tok and various other short-forms of entertainment, the average attention span is quickly lost or overwhelmed, where folks like you and me yearn for more! :D

Thanks again for your questions and initiating the conversation John! I am truly and deeply grateful. As you can see I have spent more time addressing your concerns because they are the concerns of many others who don't always reach out. Knowing everything I have put in print here will last beyond my final breath, I want to ensure I don't simply offer a short response, but to offer a thoughtful response, with context and explaination that will satisfy the most discerning reader who could stumble upon this conversation years, or even decades from today! :)

Tereza Okava wrote:Hi, if you reach a point where you're looking to expand publicity or seek partners you may want to reach out to the folks at Daily Pnut, they run a daily email newsletter but it is veteran-run and often features service-related causes. The owner was also recently involved in a veterans' entrepreneurship event, I think he's got some really good connections in this area and might be a good resource. The site seems to be on the blink (or maybe it's my internet service) but they have a contact email editor@dailypnut.com

Thank you so much for your thoughtful recommendation, I will reach out today!

Ellis, thanks again.
Whilst I am writing to get a better picture, I am also asking questions which others are afraid to ask.
I appreciate the opportunity you took to respond.
I will look at the Go fund me site now, regards John

John C Daley wrote:Ellis, thanks again.
Whilst I am writing to get a better picture, I am also asking questions which others are afraid to ask.
I appreciate the opportunity you took to respond.
I will look at the Go fund me site now, regards John

Thanks again for asking the tough questions, JD! :D