Frazoli's Restaurant Sale Becomes a Win, Win, Win, Win!

A couple of years ago, I was contacted by a local FCA leader with an interesting opportunity. A car dealer who was a big supporter of the FCA chapter had recently purchased a Fazoli's Restaurant building that had closed. Needing to clear all of the restaurant equipment out in order to expand his dealership, the owner offered all of the equipment to the local FCA for their ministry, but they had only two weeks to remove the items. When we received the call about this opportunity, I contacted a group that were experts in liquidating warehouses and grocery stores and asked if they could bring a crew to this town and have a quick 5-day sale. They were able to come to town, advertise locally, and sell all of the tables, ovens and equipment in the restaurant. They were even able to sell the 15' walk-in freezer that was attached to the building. After all of the cost, over $3,000 was given to the local FCA chapter to further its ministry.

What I love about inventory donations given for God's work is that everyone wins! The donor wins because he is able to help his favorite charity and get the items removed so he can remodel. The liquidator company wins because they are able to make a profit for their work while at the same time help benefit a local ministry. And the charity wins because they are able to receive funding and not have to become liquidators. FCA is very good at Bible studies and sports camps, not restaurant equipment liquidation.

Bass Boat Blesses Radio Teaching Ministry

Recently a radio ministry opened a donor fund with iDonate.com and began to promote the opportunity to make noncash donations during their radio broadcast. A donor near Austin went online and donated a 1996 bass boat to the radio ministry. iDonate.com had a boat dealer in the area that was glad to arrange pickup (50 miles away) and had the boat on their lot by that next Saturday. The boat was in excellent shape, and by Monday a buyer had put a cash offer on the boat and it sold for $4,300. The donor had not been able to use the boat for several years and was very glad to be able to bless the radio ministry that they loved. iDonate.com makes it possible to bless your favorite ministry well beyond the checkbook. Just look around and see what you might be able to donate! To donate a boat or make any other noncash donation or to even nominate your favorite charity, go to http://www.idonate.com/.

A House Full of Longaberger Basket; Donation?

A church was having a capital campaign and one of the ladies on staff at the church had a desire to benefit the church. She also had another dilemma: 60 miles away she was trying to sell a home but in the home was a very large collection of Longaberger baskets (910 to be exact.) Faced with the stress of trying to inventory the baskets as well as sell the home, she chose to donate the baskets to benefit her church. iDonate.com had contracted with a local collectible auction that was actually one of the best in the country at selling Longaberger baskets. They traveled the 60 miles to her home, picked up and inventoried her items, and sold them over a two-month period. The items netted nearly $11,000 for her church.

Windshield Advertising Brings in a 2001 Camry

I wanted to experiment with a new way of advertising for vehicle donations, so I had a banner put on the back windshield of my van that simply said “Donate Your Car Boat or RV” with our contact information. After several weeks, I was approached by a man that was at a conference I was attending. He saw my van and said that he had a 2001 Camry that he was planning on replacing and offered it as a donation through iDonate.com. Our local car dealer picked up the vehicle but after inspection realized that the head gaskets needed to be replaced and he recommended that we place it in a protected auction. Toyota Camrys are very desirable cars, and this car still brought $4,500 and, after the auction fees, was able to net $4,300 for the charity.

Blown Head Gaskets Bless the Homeless

iDoante.com liquidates 100s of vehicles each year, and with each vehicle that is offered, we work to find the best possible dealer to sell them. Some vehicles are just pure junk and need to be put out of their misery. Other times a lot of TLC will help.

One of our car dealers who helps us process vehicle donations picked up a 1999 Mercury Village minivan. This car was being donated to an inner-city ministry that did free medical car for the poor in their community. The donated vehicle was in very good condition except that it had blown head gaskets, a very expensive fix. As our dealer evaluated the car, he determined that it would be worth it to have the car repaired and use the proceeds from the sale to pay for the repair. The net effect of this creativity was a van that sold for $4,000 and netted $2,000 to the charity vs. a van that would sell at a salvage auction for $400 and only net $200 for the charity.

This creativity is what sets iDonate.com apart from other vehicle donation programs. We auction only vehicles that are too far gone for repair, and our vehicle dealers are able to maximize the value on vehicles that can be repaired. That is maximizing the value of a donation and bringing an extra $1,800 to an inner-city ministry.

Pallets of Sports Drink Bless Haitian Orphans

At a recent community meeting, our ministry president, Bill High, mentioned to the group about businesses being able to donate surplus inventory. One of the business owners has several pallets of sports drink that his business produced and sold that was getting close to the expiration date. The best solution for him was to donate the merchandise to SCCF, and we arranged to have it picked up by a local liquidator. The proceeds from the sports drink will go to benefit orphans in Haiti. The exciting thing about inventory donations is that everyone wins: the business owner, the liquidator, and the orphans in Haiti. Isn’t that the way God’s economy works, fueled by generosity, not consumer demand?

Buffet Tables Go From Problem to Provision

In Kansas City, there is an exclusive club connected with the local professional baseball team. This particular club recently changed out their seven buffet tables and needed to find a home for the old ones. Thinking that they could easily sell them locally, they were quick to find out that selling restaurant equipment is time-consuming and not very profitable. As time ran out and there was a baseball game the next night, they offered the tables to the local rescue mission. Normally rescue missions do not use buffet tables, but seeing an opportunity, the rescue mission called us at iDonate.com and asked if we could liquidate the tables. We had a company within 10&nbspminutes of the stadium that was able to pick them up the next morning. In the end, they netted $1,500 for the local rescue mission. Problem solved for the stadium club and found money for the local rescue mission. Isn’t generosity fun!

Your support of our ministry is vital and very fruitful!

We were recently honored to have a visit from Wycliffe Bible Translators, and we now have a partnership with this incredible ministry. Just think about it: your financial support will help me serve Wycliffe in translating the Bible in languages that have never before had the Word of God written in their language. Wycliffe currently has a major initiative to complete and/or begin translations in every language by 2025.

While the leader from Wycliffe was visiting us, I was telling of the struggles we were having keeping our support base strong. He encouraged me to communicate to each of you that your support of our ministry has a major impact and it is multiplied many times over because of the many ministries we serve. Your donation dollars also allow me to serve ministries like AWANA International, New Tribes Mission, PIONEERS, Gospel for Asia, Walk Thru the Bible, and over 150 other churches and ministries. It is like I am on staff with all of these ministries without their having to keep me on their salary roles.

We have lost significant support recently because of the economy, but the need continues. Thank you for all of our friends who continue to support us regularly and generously. May God richly bless you as you give sacrificially. As you read this letter, I encourage you to pray about how you might get behind our ministry and partner with us as we bless so many other ministries who are collectively reaching millions of people with the Gospel of Jesus and the Love of Jesus with aid and support. I can’t think of a bigger bang for your buck that your donation will have as we establish new ways that donors can give to fulfill the great commission. We are in an incredible time of change and transition, and I pray that we can take every opportunity to help charities raise needed funds so they can fulfill their missions without hindrance or delay! Your support is much needed and appreciated.

You can now donate online to our ministry by going to http://www.creativegivingsolutions.com/?org_id=&org_id=Erwin

A Sail Boat in Indiana!

We have a family that has a personal Family Foundation (aka Donor Advised Fund, click link for more information)http://www.servantchristian.com/web/Individuals_and_Families/home_page.asp?b=16 .

While vacationing in Vermont last winter, they called me and said that they had a 20' McGregor sailboat that was being stored in Central Indiana that they would like to donate and the proceeds would go into their fund and they would grant the money out to charities that they support. What a challenge! After making a few calls, I found an auctioneer in central Indiana that was a strong Christian. After three months of work between the donor and the marina, the boat was shipped 80 miles and transported to the auction yard, where it eventually sold for $2,500. This made me realize that anything could be liquidated through businesses that God has placed all over this nation. There are not many items that we turn down, and anything is worth inquiry to see about donating. If you have an item that you think could be donated to benefit charity, please go to http://www.idonate.com/ and submit your donation, give us an opportunity to serve you in your generosity!

Starwars / Battlestar Galactica / Star Trek Collections Benefit God's Work

The Gen Xers are giving! Last year I was able to liquidate not only one but two sci fi collections. One collection was almost entirely of Star Wars and was very neatly cataloged and well cared for. For the donor, it was time to simplify his life and put these items to good use and help his church.

The other donor had an equally impressive collection of Star Wars, Battlestar Gallactica, Babylon Five and Star Trek. For him, it was a matter of getting more room in his garage, and since he had been out of college for over 10 years, it was time to grow up a little as well. Between the two collections, we were able to raise about $1,500 of charitable benefit. If you have a collection that you would be willing to release for charitable benifit, go to our website, http://www.idonate.com/, and click on colletibles. We will give you instructions on how to donate.

Story Book Dolls; Collectibles Benefit a Church

A church in our area recently had a fund-raising campaign, and one of the members had saved her "Story Book Dolls" ever since she was a very young girl. Realizing that these dolls could be sold to benefit her congregation, she donated them. Carefully wrapped and cataloged, I took these dolls to a local group that specialized in selling collectibles. These dolls broght over $1,000, and they allowed this lady to give more than she could have hoped through cash giving alone. Do you have any collectibles that can be put to good use? Ask the Lord if He would be leading you to donate them to benefit ministries. Just go to our web site, http://www.idonate.com/, and read about donating collectibles and many other items that you can give.

A Box Full of Junk Jewelry

When I first began to liquidate noncash donations for Servant Christian Community Foundation www.servantchristian.com, I was presented with a very large box of costume jewelry that was left through an estate to an overseas missionary. Having served in missions nine years prior to this, I was very interested in trying to bring some valuable support to missions.

My first thought was that maybe we could get $100 for all of this junk jewelry and tried to find someone in the area that bought these types of items. I did find a place that reluctantly said that they would take a look at these items (there were about 200 pieces). As I was driving the jewelry to them, the thought occurred to me to run it by our regular jewelry buyer, and she was glad to give the items a quick glance to see if any had any gold or precious stones. The next day I got a call from her saying that they found 29 rings that had value and she would pay $800 for them; I would have never thought. I was able to sell the rest of the jewelry for $75 at a local costume jewelry outlet. It goes to show you, you never know what value your items have until you allow an expert to take a look.

If you are ever intested in donating some of your old jewelry, please go to http://www.idonate.com/ and follow the instructions and we will make arrangments to receive your donations. Our whole purpose as a ministry is to help Create a Culture of Generosity.

Antique Binicle

I visited a church one time, and as we were discussing different ways that we could help them fund thier ministries, the executive pastor of this church showed me a picture of an "Antique Binicle." To be honest, I didn't know what a binicle was, so I did some research and found out it was a shipboard compass that was formerly used on an old wooden cargo ship and there were nautical collectors who collected these types of items.

Through various sources and an extensive process, we were able to sell the binicle for around $2,500. For the church this was found money and for us, it gave us confidence that if we look hard enough, we can find buyers for almost anything!

Jane Erwin, A Sweet Blessing

Janey and I have been married almost 26 years now! Having met in high school, we were married while I was serving in the United States Marine Corp in 1982. We had a three-year honeymoon in California before returning to Arkansas after my time with the Marine Corp was completed.

Janey has allowed me to dream big, and she is always there with me. When we felt the call to full-time ministry in 1996, I left my job at the United States Postal Service and we joined Gospel for Asia http://www.gfa.org/ in Carrollton, Texas. Janey faithfully followed, sensing God's calling for our lives to reach the nations. While at GFA, Janey was a major asset to the organization, eventually heading up the Gift Entry Department that processed an average of $20 million per year in donations with the average donation being a $30 sponsorship of native missionaries.


Then the miracle of miracles happened for us in 2001 when we found out that God had given us a child that we prayed for since our marriage began in 1982. Benjamin was and is the joy of our lives and a gift from God who loves us very much.


In 2005, we were honored to move to Kansas City and begin serving at Servant Christian Community Foundation (http://www.servantchristian.com/) - but with much difficulty. Not able to sell our house in Carrollton, Texas, for two years, it cost us dearly and left us with a lot of debt. All the while, Janey has been a sweet blessing.

Now as I serve at SCCF, Janey has been working part time at Costco so that we might pay down debt and as usual has become a top employee at Costco, loved by her customers and her fellow employees. Janey has a God-given abilty to bring joy wherever she goes and God blesses the work of her hands. She is a major part in raising Benjamin to be a "Joyful Man of God," and our home is very blessed because of Janey's gentle touch. I love you, my sweet blessing.