True Charity

Lunch and Learn: Freedom
2019-03-26 12:00 - 13:30 UTC
Perhaps the ultimate aim of charitable work is to see the poor empowered and flourishing. While these goals are certainly noble and worthwhile, they are impossible without Freedom– the 6th Mark of Effective Charity. The poor are often trapped in a cycle of bondage, whether that be financial, psychological, or otherwise. Their freedom to choose has often been restricted. Though we aim to help, sometimes our charity inadvertently keeps the poor enslaved. How can we make certain that our charity acts as a springboard to a better future, rather than a contribution to a restrictive bondage?
Join True Charity Initiative on Tuesday, March 26th from 12-1:30 pm as James Whitford and Savannah Aleckson present over the 6th Mark of Effective Charity- Freedom. We’ll meet in the Upstairs Willard Learning Center for a time of food, fellowship, and learning. Suggested donation for lunch is $5. Seating is limited, so RSVP today to reserve your spot!

Foundations of True Charity Training-- Monett
2019-03-21 08:00 - 12:00 UTC
What role do relationships play in effective charity work? How can you know the best way to help clients in need? Is it possible to participate in charity work that truly empowers the poor rather than trapping them in dependency? We’ll answer these questions and more as we explore the driving philosophy behind True Charity. Join us as we delve into the first 3 of 7 Marks of Effective Charity utilizing relevant research, personal testimonials, and compelling discussion.
From this dynamic training, you’ll learn about:

The relationship between compassion, charity, and justice
The difference between bonding and bridging social capital… and why it matters
The vital importance of the Principle of Subsidiarity… and how to implement it
The necessity of identifying crisis vs. chronic need
The crucial difference between function vs. dysfunction categorization of need
The helpful mentoring tool LifeDeck for building and maintaining constructive relationships

The critical knowledge provided during this training is sure to be instrumental to any leader involved in charitable work who strives for effective, outcome-oriented charity. We’ll spend this training discussing the first 3 Marks of Effective Charity: Affiliation, Bonding, and Categorization. Stay tuned for more details about our next event covering the last 4 Marks of Effective Charity!
This half-day training is accredited for 3 continuing education credits for social workers. Cost is $40 per attendee. Can be paid at the door.

Lunch and Learn: Exchange
2019-02-28 12:00 - 13:15 UTC
What do you see when you look at the poor? Do you see someone helpless, in need of your pity and help? Or do you see someone with innate capacity and worth, with something to give?
An important aspect of charity work is seeing the client as an active participant in his or her own recovery and development rather than simply a “charity case.” One way we can put this valuable concept into practice is through the process of Exchange– the 5th Mark of Effective Charity. Learn how we can help dignify charitable work and remind the poor of their innate ability, all while responding to immediate and pressing needs without participating in harmful one-way handouts.
Join us Thursday, February 28th from 12-1:15 pm in the upstairs Willard Learning Center at Watered Gardens as we fellowship together and continue on our journey through the 7 Marks of Effective Charity. There is a $5 suggested donation for lunch. Seating is limited, so make sure to RSVP today!

Charity Tracker Training
2019-02-22 14:00 - 15:30 UTC
Charity Tracker is a secure web-based case-management sharing tool. This True Charity tool created by Simon Solutions has allowed us to connect more than 70 churches and charities in the Joplin area. If you are new to Charity Tracker or want to find out more, please RSVP for this free 90 min Charity Tracker training and demonstration.

Learn how the system works through hands-on demonstration
Learn how to run reports including meshed demographic data
Be equipped with best practice guidelines
Learn about Charity Tracker Plus and the ability to monitor and report Outcomes
Learn how CharityResources.us fits alongside Charity Tracker
Sign up to access information on more than 70,000 clients who’ve been assisted in the last 15 years

Whether you’re just interested or needing to refresh your team’s Charity Tracker skills, we welcome you to this regular training time. Please remember to bring your laptop to get the most out of this interactive training!

Lunch and Learn: Discernment
2019-01-24 12:00 - 13:15 UTC
Different people, situations, and types of poverty all call for different charitable responses, but how can we know which response is the appropriate one? That’s when the crucial Fourth Mark of Effective Charity comes into play–Discernment. James Whitford and Savannah Aleckson will lead the discussion over wise generosity that utilizes both heart and mind. We’ll talk about the importance of sharing relevant information with others in the charitable community as well as some 21st century tools that make collaboration easier than ever!
Join us on Thursday, January 24th from 12:00-1:15 pm in the Willard Learning Center at Watered Gardens. Suggested donation for lunch is $5. Make sure to RSVP today to reserve your spot!

CharityTracker Luncheon
2019-01-22 12:00 - 13:30 (America/Chicago)
Join us for a time of fellowship, encouragement, and collaboration as we discuss the impact of our CharityTracker network in the Joplin area. We’ll meet together at Mythos for some delicious food on January 22nd, 2019 from 12-1:30 pm. Watered Gardens Executive Director James Whitford and True Charity Initiative Local Director Savannah Aleckson will lead this informative and interactive discussion on CharityTracker, the web-based collaborative tool that has been invaluable to our community. Whether you’re familiar with CharityTracker or not, this luncheon is for you!
We kindly ask that each agency send one representative to this exciting and informative luncheon. There is limited seating available, so make sure to RSVP quickly to this event! We look forward to meeting with the servant leaders in our community as we partner together to pursue effective, outcome-oriented charity.

Lunch and Learn: Categorization
2018-12-27 12:00 - 13:00 UTC
Is giving the same treatment to anyone who asks for help the most equitable and charitable thing to do? How can we preserve dignity and enhance an innate sense of capacity within the poor? We’ll discuss these questions and more at our next Lunch and Learn event over the Third Mark of Effective Charity: Categorization. We’ll learn about the critical importance of categorizing those who ask for relief based on their ability and willingness to help themselves.
Join us on Thursday, December 27th from 12:00-1:00 pm in the Willard Learning Center at Watered Gardens. Suggested donation for lunch is $5. Make sure to RSVP today to reserve your spot!

Lunch and Learn: Bonding
2018-11-29 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Chicago)
Affiliation tells us that reinforcing familial and neighborly relationships is the first step in addressing poverty in an individual. But what if that person is truly isolated, with no family or friends to contact? Then the second mark of effective charity comes into play: Bonding. During this lunch event, we’ll learn how we can restore an impoverished person back to wholeness through establishing healthy relationships.
Please RSVP to this event so we can plan the food accordingly. Suggested donation for lunch is $5.

Lunch and Learn: Affiliation
2018-10-11 12:00 - 13:00 UTC
Join me for a discussion on this first and vital mark of effective charity, Affiliation.

“Just as it is gravely wrong to take from individuals what they can accomplish by their own initiative and industry and give it to the community, so also it is an injustice and at the same time a grave evil and disturbance of right order to assign to a greater and higher association what lesser and subordinate organizations can do.” Pope Pius XI, Quadragesimo anno, 1931
