The Thai Peace Foundation (TPF) is a registered foundation in Thailand started in 1998 by a group of Thai and American Christians dedicated to helping develop poor and marginalized Thai people and their communities socially, economically, physically, and morally. Over the years the TPF has contributed to the development and well-being of many Thai people and communities, mostly in the Bangkok area.
Current projects of the foundation include the Hosea Project, Sharing Joy Project, and Kingdom Kids Program. The TPF partners with a Thai NGO, a Thai church, American churches, and Converge. In order to successfully deliver these program there are overhead costs that must be paid.
Traditionally donors have been reluctant to provide funding for overhead costs, preferring to see their donations flow directly to those the foundation serves. While we all want to run lean organizations and deliver maximum benefits directly to those in need, this mindset has in some cases had unintended negative consequences for the people that everyone wants to help. Thankfully, this attitude is changing.
In an article published by the National Council of Nonprofits entitled “(Mis)Understanding Overhead” they wrote:
“Enlightened donors and grantmakers recognize that administrative costs (called “indirect costs” when government dollars are involved) are essential in order for charitable nonprofits to be financially sustainable, but for too long, “overhead” has gotten a bad rap and been inappropriately used as a measure of a nonprofit’s effectiveness. The assumption that overhead is “bad” reflects a mis-appreciation of the reality of what it costs to deliver a nonprofit’s mission.
Views of Overhead are Changing
The belief that overhead is negative is changing. Indeed, more people are realizing that costs may have nothing to do with how effective a nonprofit is. In fact, overhead that is too low can be of more concern. Instead the focus is shifting toward a nonprofit’s impact and effectiveness. It is our hope that everyone who invests in a charitable nonprofit’s mission – the staff and board of a nonprofit, as well as individual donors, businesses, private foundations, and government – become aware that operating a charity is not free (gasp!). It costs something to deliver a nonprofit’s mission.”
You can read the whole article here.
Funds donated to the "Thai Peace Foundation Vision and Mission Program" will be used to pay for overhead costs related to relaunching and administering the foundation. The most significant costs this year (2020) are relocation costs of the TPF office, training of new staff, upgrading office equipment, one staff salary and benefits, and office rent.
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