How Donated Funds are Used

Guidelines for Support

On this page we would like to share how Mission support works for our ministry at Tenwek Hospital. Funds donated to our Mission Project Account, stewarded by Samaritan’s Purse, may only be withdrawn for use for our own family’s ministry (not by SP or administrators or other missionaries), and only to reimburse approved expenses that we encounter. Samaritan’s Purse continues to be regarded as one of the best-run charities in the world from an accounting and administrative standpoint. The website Charity Navigator scores it 95.33 (averaging 93.40 for Finance and 100.00 for Accountability & Transparency) and gives it a 4/4 Star rating, such that donors can “Give With Confidence”. 

All funds donated through Samaritan’s Purse are tax-deductible and therefore become governed by both IRS regulations (for faith-based / non-profit organizations) and Samaritan’s Purse’s financial stewardship policies. Here are some highlights of those policies:

“All contributions designated to the specified project account [mission account] are considered irrevocable gifts to Samaritan’s Purse and cannot be withdrawn by you [meaning us, the missionaries]. Funds received into this account are tax-deductible and will generate a tax-deductible receipt for the donor [you]. Per IRS regulations, monies in this account may only be used for pre-approved ministry related expenses and cannot be directed by the donor in any way.”

Also: “Monies in the project account being funded can be used for various ministry expenses or projects in the field, however any project over $500 must receive pre-approval from Samaritan’s purse.”

What our mission funding covers:

Before we even raise any donations, the Post-Residency Program (PRP) provides basic furnished housing for us at Tenwek Hospital through its own funding sources. For this reason, it was a great blessing and honor to be selected for the PRP program. Some expenses for Fraser (as the physician), including a modest stipend, also come directly from Samaritan’s Purse through the PRP’s own funding sources. “Spouse and dependents”, however, and many other necessary expenses rely entirely on our raising donor funds. For this reason especially, we need to raise financial support for our family’s presence and ministry outreach in Kenya. We anticipate needing to raise between $3k and $5k per month.

Per Samaritan’s purse stewardship guidelines, we rely entirely on donations into our mission account for the following categories:

  • Visas (for spouse and dependents)
  • Malaria prophylaxis and vaccinations (for spouse and dependents)
  • Health and emergency evacuation insurance premiums (for all of us)
  • Excess baggage for both departure and return (beyond stated policy)
  • Relevant travel / transportation (e.g., ministry-related trip expenses for spouse and/or dependents (such as flights to mission country), transport to community outreach, or transport to retreats/conferences relevant to ministry work or medical credentialing)
  • Mission orientations (MTI, CIT or mission organization-specific training)
  • Participation in pre-approved, relevant ministry and/or medical conferences (e.g., conference fees, transport to and from, and room and board during conference sessions)
  • House help and child-care expenses (related to ministry and language study)
  • Housing needs (durable goods such as dishes, pots, pans, linens, etc.)
  • Spouse and children’s language study (if applicable)
  • Continuing Medical Education (Professional and membership dues, subscriptions and other resource materials)
  • Physician’s Medical Boards registration
  • Physician’s Medical License (keeping up with license in the place where originally issued)
  • Student loan payments (loan servicing for Fraser only, Betsy is not eligible)
  • Meetings with Supporters (requires specific information to be provided, such as a written summary of event / meeting purpose, list of those who participated, etc.)
  • Purchase of cell phone, laptop, or automobile for use in country (there are limits on how much can be spent on each of these items, and each purchase requires pre-approval / authorization).
  • Projects we become involved with on the mission field / at Tenwek hospital.
  • Ministry-Related Expenses (specific to a ministry outreach or project; requires prior approval)
  • Grants (given to individuals in the host country with a beneficiary or benevolent intention; e.g., paying for patient’s procedure, buying food for an orphanage, etc.)

We will also accept gifts made directly to us for our discretionary use, but as these would have no accounting oversight from Samaritan’s Purse, we cannot issue a tax-deductible receipt.

Please email or call anytime with questions relating to financial stewardship. Once we get established at the Hospital, we will have a better sense of what specific ministries we can afford and what the needs are for additional specific projects. We look forward to sharing these stories in the newsletter.

Whether you support us on a monthly basis, a one-time basis, or are prayerfully declining, we have confidence that it is all to God’s glory. We recognize that many of you would gladly come along with us but lack the practical opportunity to serve in person during this season. Most important, we are confident that God has promised to bless you beyond your generosity.