Dear Friends,
If I am being honest, which I try to be at every opportunity, fundraising is the hardest part of my job for me. The most painful part is that I was raised with an aversion to talking about, or asking for, money from others.
Unfortunately, the target for my position and to put The Ranches in a really safe financial position is to raise $10,000 a day. That is the number that haunts me and gets in the way of solid and restful sleep.It is with this in mind that I present another opportunity to be uncomfortable at the expense of fundraising and in hopes that you’ll forgive my discomfort and awkwardness.
Over the past few years, y’all have shown up big and helped us and donated significantly in support of our RanchWorx trades program, buying a new stock trailer, addressing issues with our water system and the building of a 5th cottage. For those generous donations and support, I cannot thank you enough.As we head into fall, we are working on addressing some ongoing concerns with things that wear out on a campus that is over 75 years old. The biggest concern at the moment is freezer space. In feeding nearly 40 kids and an additional 25 staff each day, the need is great and the current set up strained.
As we get animals donated at county fairs and get them butchered, we have to store them somewhere. Our main walk in freezer is a bit over 50 years old and our smaller freezer in our dining hall isn’t much younger. Both could use some significant upgrades. A generous donor has pledged $20,000 to start the process and we are hoping to raise an additional $25,000 to address this needed upgrade.
If this request in any way irritates or exacerbates a dim view of me or The Ranches, I genuinely apologize. That’s the gig that I signed up for, but I can understand your feelings. Seriously, I do.
If you do find it in your heart and mindset to help with this need, I’d genuinely appreciate it. If not, there are absolutely no hard feelings. I’ll keep you posted on how we do.
Sincerely,
Heath Kull – President
