A+ RATED LUTHERAN WORLD RELIEF TOPS $5 MILLION IN GIVING
Baltimore, January 13, 2005 - For sixty years, Lutheran World Relief (LWR) has quietly and diligently gone about its business. As the relief and development arm of The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod and a strong partner with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, LWR has diligently worked to attack poverty at its root causes and respond to disasters while epitomizing good stewardship of the money entrusted to it by national Lutheran church bodies, individuals and groups.
That focus on being good stewards has attracted a new following in the wake of December’s earthquake and tsunami. Because rating agencies such as the American Institute of Philanthropy rank LWR as one of only two international humanitarian organizations to earn its highest grade, (A+), and because the national press rates LWR just as highly, individuals, foundations and groups looking for the best outlet for their philanthropy are turning to LWR.
“It’s reassuring to be associated with an organization like LWR,” comments Brad Hewitt, senior vice president of Fraternal Operations for Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. Thrivent infused LWR’s WAVE OF GIVING™ rebuilding campaign for South Asia with $1 million on December 31 to aid survivors in South Asia. Thrivent also established a $2 million matching grant fund to compel its 2.8 million members nationwide to also support the highly rated organization. “We’ve no doubt our members will respond,” continues Hewitt. “Supporting LWR is a smart use of our members’ money, and they’re used to investing wisely.”
Many non-Lutherans also are supporting the Baltimore-based Lutheran World Relief. “We’ve received countless calls and contributions from new donors,” says Fran Troxler, manager for mission advancement at LWR. “First-time callers giving $100,000, others giving $20,000 online on their credit card, companies sending us their employees’ disaster response funds. And nine year-olds sending us dollar bills,” she adds. “The word is getting out.”
As the word gets out, “It’s been a hectic, and rewarding, couple of weeks,” comments LWR president, Kathryn Wolford, who met with President Bush at the White House on Monday. In just the last four days, LWR was listed on NBC Nightly News program in an elite group of nonprofits worthy of supporting and shares top honors in Newsweek’s ranking in their January 17, 2005 issue. “We’ve also just passed $5 million in giving for this effort,” adds Wolford. Hectic indeed.
“I commend the press and individuals who aren’t just blindly supporting organizations without taking a critical look at how they spend money,” comments Lisa Bonds, vice president for external relations at LWR. “Reporters want to explain what a ‘relief effort’ truly is, and they’re finding that the approach we used on a daily basis, not just in our relief work, is an effective one.”
Lutheran World Relief responded within hours through partners in India to begin feeding survivors and providing necessities. After assessing immediate and short-term needs, LWR began assisting in distributing cooking utensils, clothing and bedding. LWR will focus on restoring livelihoods and constructing temporary housing, with an eye toward long-term housing solutions, disaster shelter construction and training, and psychological counseling for survivors. “Obviously, getting people back to work is crucial,” reports LWR staffer Kelly Bauer, assessing initial community-based efforts from Chennai, in India. “The sooner people get back to work the sooner life begins to feel more normal. Their dignity begins to resurface as they provide what they need for their own families.
LWR works with community partners in the countries where it has programs and where it responds to disasters. “When LWR commits to an effort,” adds Bonds, “we commit big time. We’ve been in India, for example, for more than 50 years. We have strong, strong partnerships there and we have staff there. And we’ll be there for 50 more, I’m sure. So, as you can imagine, there’s less knee jerk reacting for LWR, and a more pragmatic, long-term view of calamities like this one, and how we can rebuild and actually improve lives. We’ll find the silver lining in this, and rebuild communities to be stronger and better prepared for the next disaster,” she concludes.
Sixty years is a long time to “get it right,” a phrase Bonds uses to describe the balance between being effective on the ground and keeping overhead and administration costs to a minimum. “There are tremendous efficiencies,” she notes, “to working the way we work. By not duplicating infrastructures and networks and capital already in place with our partners and by scrutinizing and constantly monitoring the groups with whom we work, we get maximum mileage out of our donors’ gifts. And that’s what they expect.”
“We are pleased to expand our strong partnership with LWR,” comments the Rev. Mark Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America which sent an initial $100,000 in support of LWR’s WAVE OF GIVING and pledged to LWR up to 50 percent of monies they receive for relief efforts for survivors in South Asia. “LWR has again been rightfully recognized for its integrity and capacity to provide both relief and development in communities throughout the world.”
Rev. Dr. Gerald Kieschnick, president of the second-largest US Lutheran governing body, The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod, has similar words of praise. “It’s a blessing to have an organization like LWR that, in addition to our own church body’s efforts, we can encourage our members to support,” Kieschnick comments. “LWR has been highly ranked and effective for years,” he adds. “We’re thankful that other organizations are placing similar confidence in LWR’s efforts.”
WHO IS LWR? Lutheran World Relief, an international nonprofit organization, works to end poverty and injustice by empowering some of the world's most impoverished communities to help themselves. With partners in 35 countries, LWR seeks to promote sustainable development with justice and dignity by helping communities bring about change for healthy, safe and secure lives; engage in Fair Trade; promote peace and reconciliation; and respond to emergencies. LWR is headquartered in Baltimore, Md. and has worked in international development and relief since 1945.
Lutheran World Relief is a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS), individuals and parish groups in international relief, development, advocacy and social responsibility.
For more information contact Emily Sollie at esollie@lwr.org or 410-230-2802.
