I just finished up having our annual form 990 for 2022 submitted to the IRS and I got to thinking about how unique Lightforce One is from so many other nonprofit organizations in that nearly all of the donations go directly to projects, not to overhead!
All of the overhead continues to be covered by my donations, as the founder. That means that aside from bank fees incurred, all of the funds donated by others go directly to the projects and none of it goes to overhead. The donation forms offer the option for the donor to cover the credit card processing fees too. If the donor selects this box, then 100% of their donations go to the project because they have also covered the processing fees.
In so many other cases we don’t know if our donations are actually benefiting those we intended to benefit or if they are going toward paying high salaries to the officers. Not only does nobody draw a paycheck from Lightforce One, as the founder, I contributed over $10,000 in 2022. Lightforce One is not about making money for those running it, it is about helping those in need.
This means you can be sure that when you donate money to Lightforce One, that money goes directly to the Lightforce One projects. We work to uplift and empower the underprivileged and the marginalized of the world, and your support helps us do that!
We are currently saving up to kick off a metal fabrication project for the orphanage in Uganda that we work with. This will enable them to make their own bunk beds at half the price of purchasing finished ones. They will also be able to make their own windows and doors, reducing construction costs of new buildings on the campuses. Volunteers will be learning a trade, and the orphanage will be able to sell items they make to help with their operating budget helping them to become more financially self-sufficient. We still need another $1,500 to kick this project off.
To contribute to this project and others, please visit https://donate.lightforceone.org/empowerment and donate to our Empowerment Campaign.
Dave Bauer
President
Lightforce One