Shark Tank
Hi Friends,
One of the most popular shows on TV in recent years has been Shark Tank, a show where entrepreneurs present their business ideas and inventions to the “sharks”…. businessmen and women who are looking for investable ideas that will make them even richer than they are already. The show is aptly named. Wide-eyed and naive business-owners exit the tank either with a deal or bloodied from the shark feeding frenzy.
In many ways Starfysh is entering the “shark tank” this year. Now six years in to our existence, we have proven our model and our effectiveness as a legitimate, faith-inspired, human development organization. The buy-in that so surprised us back in 2010 has continued, evidenced by every metric: donations, visits to our work, and growing mailing list. Our various project successes and operational growth testify to God’s ongoing blessing on our efforts.
To date, “investors” have come from across the spectrum, mainly in the form of normal people like you and me who resonate with our mission’s purpose and style, giving small-to-medium-sized gifts. These small investments, given on a regular basis, have been our financial life-blood. They are balanced out by lots of other types of support, coming in the form of larger gifts, peer-to-peer fundraisers, visiting teams, and a few small project-specific grants. Some gifts come from churches, even though we don’t actively pursue churches for our donor base. Except for one Rotary grant, we have not yet pursued the large grants available that we hear are out there. And we have chosen, for now (and maybe forever) not to go after government grants (e.g., USAID, etc).
The business model we are able to present to our would-be shark investors is validated by our growth and successes made possible by the ever-growing, small-gift buy-in to our work. And, though Mr. Wonderful probably cares not a hoot about God, we would tell him that God blesses each investment, making each dollar go much farther that it would on human effort alone.
2016 finds us at critical mass. Having grown, having proven ourselves and, most importantly, having proven God’s hand in our work, we enter… the shark tank.
So I’ll just come out and say it… What Starfysh needs now, today, my friends, is an infusion of fresh energy and connections and expertise and cash that will move us to a new and higher level of success and effectiveness. Won’t you consider your part? If you or someone you know would like to discuss an investment with proven life-transforming results, please contact us. Or if you want to just test the waters for now, give a small gift. God blesses each gift, no matter the size. We’ve seen it happen time and again.
May the Lord bless you sharks as you consider how to use your talents and passions and resources to make a difference in the world. Let me just say from personal experience, transforming a life will definitely be worth your investment.
Steve Edmondson
President, Starfysh