Give Hope - One Christmas Gift at a Time!

For many people in Canada, there is often a feeling of conflict between what Christmas should be about – sharing the joy of Jesus’ birth and the Christmas story, connecting with family and friends – and the reality of the season.

It is stressful and busy, and everything is further complicated by the need to find the time and money to shop for gifts that aren’t always needed or used. Last year, as a possible solution to this problem, ITCA created a Christmas catalogue filled with items designed to simplify gift-giving and support International Teams programs at the same time. The catalogue contained everything from ice cream for orphans and high school tuition for teenagers to vocational training for widows and bicycles for pastors.

Philip Sheldon, Canadian Team Leader for Impact Kenya (PACE), says that the catalogue allowed them to do something special for the large number of orphans attending PACE Academy. “The catalogue funds allowed us to buy special foods for the children in December. One of the most purchased items was the $5 gift of bread and milk at the Victory Nursery School in Maina. We were going to be short for January because of a drop in our regular donations, but these small gifts were enough to enable us to continue until our regular donors came back.”

One of ITCA’s regular supporters emailed to share how an article about the catalogue in the December issue of Momentum resonated with her. “I really loved your article. I’m at a point where I can honestly say that I hate Christmas. Last year, I hated it but still wasn’t able to say it out loud and this year I’m dreading it. I’m dreading the shopping, the wrapping, the decorating, the traffic, the noise, the people, the expectations, and the disappointments. It’s too much and I just want to close my eyes and make it all go away. Reading your article made me feel like maybe there’s hope... it inspired me to think of ways to simplify Christmas.”

Simplifying Christmas can be as easy as visiting our website at http://catalogue.iteams.ca during the holiday season and choosing one or more of the many unique items in the catalogue, such as Bibles for pastors in Sudan, juice for a family-style dinner at Welcome Home, tuition for a former street kid in Rwanda, or baby chicks for widows in Kenya.

The 2011 Christmas catalogue – new and improved, with many options to give genuine hope in tangible ways – was launched in mid-November and we would love for you to join us in Giving Hope, one holiday gift at a time.

New Online Services Department Makes Online Giving Easy

Chris Fane

International Teams Canada's new Online Services Department is an exciting step forward for ITCA's head office infrastructure, one that Neil Ostrander, CEO, believes will provide increased opportunities for genuine engagement with ITCA's people and programs.

ITCA's total revenue has more than doubled in the past three years, an increase that he says was driven in large part by programs, people, projects, and teams leveraging online services as more donors choose the convenience, reliability, and security of donating online. "We created the Online Services Department this summer and gave it a focused mandate to grow our donor support and partnerships by simplifying the online donation process and empowering leaders and teams to tell their stories. We believe that the new tools we have access to can help engage our supporters and get them truly excited about giving."

The new team operates under the leadership of Chris Fane, previously a sub-contractor for ITCA who brings a wealth of real-world web, graphics, and branding experience to the role, as well as a unique perspective on user experience and usability.

Chris says that his primary focus in the new role is on making sure the stories of ITCA's missionaries, staff, and indigenous leaders are being told. He believes that leveraging online tools is a great way to supplement the various offline ways those stories are currently being shared. "This role helps both donors and fundraisers from beginning to end by streamlining our process. We can help people who are raising funds by giving them the resources they need to communicate their vision for the project, as well as the tools they need to come back to the donors after the experience and communicate that story effectively. We're also making better use of donor dollars and scaling back the number and frequency of print materials by giving our supporters the opportunity to receive updates via email, Facebook, and our website."

Chris believes the best barometer for the success of the new department is the comfort level of ITCA's donors with the new technology. "We'll know we've done our job when everybody has a great experience using the online tools, because we've made it accessible and easy to use for everyone, regardless of their familiarity with online giving. Everything is a work in progress, so we're always looking for feedback. We want our donors to tell us what works for them!"

Stay tuned to our website for further enhancements to the online donation system. To share feedback, please email Chris directly.