What’s more important, money or mission? Do we put profit or priorities first? Better yet, is there a way to balance it all?
I realized early on, well before I ventured out on my own as a freelancer, that my mission requires both. Big Bold’s focus on faith-based organizations requires doing the right thing, even if it’s at the expense of making as much money as we’d like. Honestly, this can be tough when your family depends on you to make it work.
We were confronted with that very scenario not long ago. We were given the opportunity to help an organization that is so needed in our area. Adult & Teen Challenge of NW Ohio is addressing the opioid epidemic in ways many recovery centers are not. Jesus is at their center, and they’re not all about the money! What’s more, they’re also a start-up!
It’s not easy to start a new venture. You know what I mean if you ever started something that requires your skin in the game, like ALL OF IT! It isn’t easy, and it comes with sleepless nights. That dichotomy of having faith in what can’t be seen against business being slower than you want—Uffdah,as we’d say in Minn-eh-soh-tah! (Translates to “oh my gracious.”)
Adult & Teen Challenge of NW Ohio needs to make it. They need to thrive, but so do we. We know our mission is important. But when given the opportunity to serve an organization that literally saves lives, how could we charge more than they could afford? Coming in at or under their budget became our priority, but not the biggest. We wanted to help them save lives and make a splash doing it.
What would you do? Would you turn away the business because it didn’t meet your bottom line? Or, would you take-on the project knowing it was the right thing to do? Something to ponder.
Money or mission—what’s your organization’s priority?
