The Opportunity: TechMission Connects Resources to Needs

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Our Vision is to Use Technology to Connect $700 million in Resources to Needs in 10 Years

The world is facing a crisis unique in history with enormous needs, but there are also amazing innovations that can help bring resources to address those needs.  TechMission uses the latest innovations to connect resources to need.  For each major area of need shown below, there are major innovations that are responding to that need.  We have developed programs to implement those innovations with the vision of bringing over $700 million in resources to at-risk communities in the next ten years. 

Many are starting to see the power of online social networks like Facebook.  The largest social network in the world is the global Christian community, and our goal is to use technology to match these resources to needs.  The problem is that too often those with resources are not connected with those who are effectively meeting needs of low-income communities.

 

 

The Need	The Opportunity	TechMission Initiative
At-Risk Youth	AmeriCorps Internships	TechMission Corps
Education	Online Education	City Vision College
Resources for Christian Charities	Online Donations/Discounts	TechMission Membership
Digital Divide	Christian Computer Centers	AC4
Addressing Addiction	Online Support/Recovery Groups	Safe Families/Blazing Grace
Free Resources	Online "Open Source" Content	UrbanMinistry.org
Fighting Poverty & Oppression	Online Volunteer Matching	ChristianVolunteering.org

Connecting Those with Resources...

There are enormous resources in the Christian community that could transform the world if only those resources could get connected with areas of need.  The result is that

• Christians globally have a combined income of $18.17 trillion
• Christian organizations globally have a combined income of $390 billion
• Value of faith-based volunteers in the United States is $51.8 billion
• Faith-based organizations make up 22 of the largest nonprofits in the USA and more than 90% of those are focused on social services
• Our past experience has shown that more than 80-90% of Christian organizations are not able to utilize secular online resources and networks because they do not meet the needs unique to the Christian social services sector

Sources: International Bulletin of Missionary Research, January 2008. David B. Barrett & Todd M. Johnson. http://www.gcts.edu/ockenga/globalchristianity/resources.php, Nonprofit Times, Corporation for National and Community Service, US Department of Labor. Who Really Cares, Arthur C. Brooks

 As the world moves toward specialization, specialized parachurch organizations are becoming increasingly effective in ministry as compared to generalist churches.  This is now being reflected in the giving patterns of Christians.  In 1900, the combined budgets of churches was more than 7 times that of parachurches.  Now this has reversed, largely due to a global trend toward specialization,  and parachurch organizations have twice the combined budgets of  churches (as shown in the diagram below).  Because of this, parachurch organizations providing social services has become one of the most effective forms of ministry.

To Those Effectively Meeting Needs

One of the reasons why parachurch Christian social service organizations have been so effective is that they largely focus on ministering to those with the greatest need (as Jesus did).  In the world today, this means focusing ministry largely on urban communities, Asia and the Southern Hemisphere.  Currently more than 90% of the growth of the global church is happening in Asia and the South, and more than 75% of the growth is happening in urban communities.  By connecting resources to needs, TechMission helps to enable these ministries that are effective to increase their impact.

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