State of the CKC Union
A Financial Narrative by Julie Miles
January 2009: During the past five years, I have served as Creek Kids Care’s financial officer. This has meant keeping tabs on everything from depositing checks to maintaining our non-profit status. Recently, I realized that our supporters might like to get a financial overview of what Laura, Cat and I have always kept a close watch over. This is not the fancy financial report of a huge multi-national, rather it is a simple reporting of what we have spent and donated over the past five years. Hopefully, it will be as inspirational to you as it is to us.
Most impressive are the business operating expenses which have totaled just over $1500 since our inception in 2004. We have no salaries and no monthly expenses to get in the way of our good work. We are proud of this, especially in light of the fact that we maintain a professional website and communication at no cost, thanks to the donated services of Jim McGough.
Another impressive figure is our net inflow. From 2004-2008, CKC has received over $53,000 in donations (remember that every purchase is considered a donation)! That’s a lot of cards, magnets, framed artwork and knitting. This number also includes grants made to CKC.
A final inspirational number is the total in charitable gifts that Creek Kids Care has been able to make over the past five years. Our main body of support has gone to Fresh Start and The J.F. Kapnek Charitable Trust. During that time, we have donated well over $25,000 to these and a few other organizations!
All of this good work has been brought along by the Creek Kids, day-by-day, action-by-action. Together, the Creek Kids have had some significant experiences together painting, sticking, tying, boxing, decorating, selling, framing, cutting, baking, loading, delivering, working and laughing – all in the name of learning how joyful and easy changing the world can be. The kids and teens are active in as many of aspects of running the organization as we can involve them in. Many Creek Kids, involved from the very beginning, have watched CKC grow from a “kitchen table business” to one that is city-wide and beyond. They are empowered by their successes. We are empowered by their enthusiasm and generosity.
We are all in this world together. It’s our pleasure to improve it just a little each day. We know that during the next five years, Creek Kids Care will continue to prosper both financially and spiritually because we do it all with infinite “Care”.
Time to ask for more
Now that Julie, Cat and I have taken a good look at our numbers and how they’ve changed over the years, it’s clear to us that our expenses for materials have steadily grown, decreasing the amount that we can donate. Consequently, as of right now, we are raising the price of all stationery from $10 for a pack of 10 cards to $12 for a pack of 10 cards. Learn more / Order now!
Julie Miles serves as Program Director of The J.F. Kapnek Charitable Trust in Walnut Creek, which is one of the organizations that CKC supports. She brings her organizational and small business management skills to Creek Kids Care by procuring supplies for the creation of the stationary, and maintaining all business and accounting records. [more]
