God’s Version of Philanthropy

Human beings love to give to those that are less fortunate than they are. The reason we do not see more of this is that we find out that many of those to ask for help are not actually in need. One of our biggest concerns, when we try to be philanthropic, is that we will not find the right ministry or the right people to invest in. This sometimes causes those who have the most to give away to stop giving altogether. There is always an excuse about some terrible story of some unethical nonprofits that stole someone’s money. What is left out is that philanthropy is full of wonderful people who are dedicating their life, at a great personal sacrifice, to serving people and God. The largest majority of them are focused on trying to get their dollars to touch the most lives possible.

Often philanthropy doesn’t end with just the check that is given but requires some engagement from the giver. It is wise if you are going to invest in a charity to offer to be part of the charity in some way. 80% of those who volunteer at a charity give to that charity. There’s a reason for that. When you are able to see the actual needs of human beings being met, you want to help. It is extremely motivating to move you towards giving more and being more engaged.

Philanthropy is a wonderful part of our lives and is a critical part of our spiritual lives. The Bible says look not every man on his own things but every man also on the things of others. He doesn’t want us to limit our thinking to where we are only thinking about ourselves but instead Jesus is encouraging us to say, “I want to look at what the other guy is dealing with.” As a result, we can build in divine compassion and be able to focus our charitable giving through good, godly, and dependable ministries and nonprofits. If we take this approach, our love for philanthropy will grow and we can play a critical part in providing needed help, support, and funding for some of the great work that is being done in the US and around the world.

ABOUT DALE SUTHERLAND

Throughout the entirety of his career, Dale Sutherland has remained invested in community involvement, whether it be with his church body or with global neighborhoods living under extreme levels of poverty. Upon graduating high school, Dale felt called into the ministry field, leading to him pursuing a degree in Bible and Biblical Studies. He began a successful career with McLean Bible Church as the Pastor of Student Ministries, increasing the weekly participation by hundreds. Through his involvement with this mega-church, he grew invested in growing the community in a variety of ways, whether it was through throwing events, leading missions trips, or brainstorming outreach projects.

After over a decade of service to this church, Dale Sutherland was given the title of Director of Outreach, later becoming the Associate Senior Pastor. With this heightened responsibility also came the allowance to develop new strategies for outreach and community involvement, not just within the church body but throughout the local neighborhoods and global areas. His leadership contributions advanced missions efforts in the following locations: India, Uganda, Ethiopia, Philippines, El Salvador and the Dominican Republic.

Nowadays, Dale is more invested in missions than ever before. In 2019, he assumed the role of the President of International Care Ministries (ICM) USA. This nonprofit organization was founded in the Philippines and has since expanded its outreach efforts. In working with the branch in Washington D.C., Dale Sutherland is able to oversee global missions as well as raise awareness for this purpose in his home country. ICM exists to alleviate poverty and bring hope and ongoing assistance to the ultra-poor who live on less than the US $0.50 per person per day. This unfathomable income level is what sparked the foundation of ICM and continues to drive its community outreach efforts.