Finance & Accountability

SFI Financial Philosophy, Donation Management, and Accountability

From its early roots, SFI has been a selfless, service-based entity that has facilitated the starting and supporting of apostolic and entrepreneurial ministries. SFI has also, from it’s inception, had all financial matters managed by a professional and licensed accounting firm. SFI has not solicited donations or raised funds for its own operations. Furthermore, SFI has not promoted or marketed the SFI name or brand nor has it required or asked those ministries that we have served or supported to market, promote, or come under it. We have been an underground, inconspicuous foundation-laying ministry and seek to remain so!

However, the network has come to a place where we need to strengthen our own foundations so that we might better serve and support the foundations of others. We have sown much! For us to continue to sow and to multiply, we need to replenish the well so that we can continue to grow and multiply the ministries that we know are effective and fruitful -truly Salt and Light.

Financial Facilitators

Practically, SFI has been and will continue to be the U.S. based donation manager for those ministries or individuals that we have partnered with and supported. Historically we generated donors and financial support for those that we helped establish, but we are now working several independent projects. SFI has also been the ‘official sending agency’ for those ministries founded by U.S. missionaries. We also keep records of donations and send out tax-deductible receipts to the donors. This service, up until now, has been done FREE OF CHARGE, simply meaning that when an SFI sponsored ministry or individual receives a donation from a supporter or donor, 100% of that donation goes directly to the designated person or ministry! SFI removes nothing for its own operation.

Though we do not see Paul or the other apostles ever soliciting the saints for their personal ministry or needs, he does commend the Philippians for sharing in his sufferings and states that both he and the Lord were pleased with their unsolicited generosity to him. He goes on to say that God will abundantly supply and meet all their needs according to His (the Lord’s) riches in glory! (Philippians 4:10-19) We also see Paul proactively soliciting and raising funds for the ‘oppressed saints in Jerusalem’ (1 Corinthians 16:1-3). So from now on, we too will be making needs known and will provide the opportunity to help finance and support the following:

Scholarship and support of specific Kingdom workers
Reimbursement of individual NA’s spent on behalf of supporting an SFI ministry or startup
Start-up capital for projects and ministry (e.g. Orphanages, Schools, Ag Training centers, Fellowships and ‘Entrepreneurial Ministry’– S.A.L.T.) as the opportunity or need presents itself
Practical maintenance of sustaining SFI logistics, websites, accounting software, etc.

Scholarship and Support Funds

We are seeking to raise ‘scholarship’ or long-term support funds for:

a.) The sending and training of indigenous and permanent ‘long-term’ missionary laborers.
The SFI network has sent a number of indigenous pastors and workers from the ‘byways and hedges’ to our Philippine base for Ag training or to our Culinary school for Vocational training to acquire skills that can be applied back in their countries of residence. This method has proven to be highly effective and fruitful both as salt, a means of sustaining oneself, and light, an effective platform to share the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These workers obviously do not have the ways or means to do either of these programs without financial aid.

b.) To send, train, deploy, and support our young entrepreneurs and missionaries that have made a commitment to go support and aid the permanent ministries in the ‘byways and hedges’.

Logistical and Administrative Cost of NA’s

To cover the cost that SFI’s Network Associates (NAs) who are actively engaged in finding, screening, selecting, and monitoring SFI related projects have been enduring. For the most part, NAs have born these costs entirely out of their own pocket which has not only placed a burden on them and their families, but has also has become a hindrance to establishing and advancing the Kingdom in the ‘byways and hedges’ through the SFI network. Most SFI projects take a considerable amount of due-diligence and relationship-building which often requires the core NAs to travel and spend some significant time on site. These logistical transportation and accommodation costs can impede the establishment of worthy and potentially fruit-bearing projects.

SFI Network Maintenance Cost

As an entity, SFI would like to be able to continue sending 100% of donations to the designated ministry or minister. However, as we grow and add more ministerial NAs, mission workers, and interns, the administrative and logistical burden grows as well. In time we would like to hire and pay a reasonable salary for those workers who are giving more and more of their time and skills. At this time all administrative work is being done Pro Bono by volunteers. We are beginning to outgrow our ability to draw upon this well without putting our servants under duress which is really not the right thing to do. Furthermore, though we love and greatly appreciate our volunteers, many times the work of SFI takes a back seat (understandably so) to other jobs and responsibilities, which has caused some costly delays and even breakdowns of projects. Therefore, we either need an influx of capable volunteers or an influx of funds to help cover the costs of maintaining our foundations without overburdening a few dedicated workers.

Fund Management & Accountability

All donations and funds are professionally and ethically managed, administrated, and accounted for by an accounting firm in Texas which has been a key foundational cornerstone in the SFI network from its inception. The firm also manages and files all the necessary legal documents to maintain SFI’s U.S. based non-profit, tax-exempt status and has handled the personal taxes of some ministerial NAs since 1994.