When I founded Pack for a Purpose 14 years ago, I did so with persistence, determination, and the support of my friends, who donated their professional skills. My IT skills were laughable. However, I believed that if people had a place on the internet where they could easily find information to make meaningful contributions to the communities they visited, they would do so. And they have!
I am enormously proud of the accomplishments of this global non-profit, a 501(c)(3), and what we have achieved with our efforts as an all-volunteer organization. Because of our website, travelers from six continents have taken over 414,469 pounds of meaningful and requested supplies to over 400 community projects in over 55 countries around the world.
All the information on our website comes directly from the communities where the projects are located. The choice of projects and list of needs is locally provided and this information is updated as needed.
Because Pack for a Purpose is based on the notion of meaningful gratitude, anyone can participate. Children, seniors, brides and grooms, students, educators, families, and businesses can demonstrate their gratitude in a way that is truly useful to the communities they visit. We have grown from 27 accommodations in 10 countries in December 2009 to over 450 accommodations in 55 countries in December 2022. Universal kindness is what fuels Pack for a Purpose’s success.
For Pack for a Purpose to continue its mission, at this point, we require more than kindness. We need sustainable funding. The time required to grow and maintain an effective and transparent website of this size is not possible with only volunteers. While my wonderful friends continue to provide us, pro bono, with their professional skills, we need a full-time staff of two to sustain and grow our mission. I do not believe there is a non-profit in the world that provides this level of impact with no paid staff. Fortunately, two full-time staff would not only allow us to become sustainable but would substantially increase our outreach and effectiveness.
This may seem like a small staff, considering the impact of the organization. However, two full-time employees would provide a huge increase in our bandwidth. While I will always continue to give my time and leadership to Pack for a Purpose pro bono, the time has come to make this a truly sustainable organization for decades to come.
I am hoping all of you who read this will be motivated to donate today and consider committing to an ongoing contribution to Pack for a Purpose. I am also asking that if you have a connection to a company or philanthropist who you believe would be a good match with Pack for a Purpose, that you would please let us know.