09/15/2025
This is a lengthy post. Please take a few minutes to read!!!!
Thank you
STEADFAST DOES NOT FUNDRAISE.
We know this is an odd, even revolutionary position for a charity to adopt, but allow us a moment of your time to explain.
The U.S. charity system is broken. A survey from Syracuse University a decade ago found that between ten of the largest and best-known charities in the United States, they spent a total of more than $1.1Billion on fundraising and administrative costs β nearly 17% of their total annual budget. https://onlinegrad.syracuse.edu/blog/big-non-profit-budgets-spending/ That means you gave these organizations more than a billion dollars that never made it to their mission β and these are the biggest and βbestβ charities in the country.
In our current charity regime, this type of spending is often necessary. As well-meaning charities accept bigger donations, their staff grows, meaning larger donations are necessary to keep the charity operating. As larger donors are courted, they insist on more assurances, more perks, and more cache for their sizeable donations. While no one intentionally strays from the original mission, it is lost in the endless cycle of donations and fundraising.
Steadfast began with a dream to provide homes for every homeless veteran in our great country. We endeavored to keep to our mission, maintain maximum transparency, and the utmost efficiency of every dollar committed to our cause. Time and time again, we found it nearly impossible to stay this course as government agencies, businesses, and individuals each demanded various versions of βpay-to-playβ scenarios that would force us to compromise our mission or our donorsβ trust. We refused each time. Our refusal to sacrifice our integrity, while honorable and faithful to our mission, also directly caused our initial community innumerable delays.
Simultaneously, we realized how difficult it is to raise money for veterans. It comes as no surprise that the only veteran-focused charity in the Syracuse survey β the Wounded Warrior Project β spent 34% of its budget on fundraising alone; nearly twice the next closest charity. This is, unfortunately, not difficult to understand. While most Americans would agree that we owe our veterans a massive debt of gratitude for their service to our nation, they also hold those veterans responsible for their choices and situation and are unwilling to freely give their own funds to help veterans suffering from homelessness.
Our ultimate conclusion? We will help veterans. It is not our mission to house every veteran; it is not our mission to expand our efforts or to be nationwide; it is not our mission to end veteran homelessness. Very simply, it is our mission to house homeless veterans. We will do so with integrity and efficiency and transparency. But we will be slow. We will not be able to build a house for every homeless veteran. Our veterans need members of each community to step up and face this problem in their own city. You need to assemble a team of people who can help. You need to find land and petition your governments. You need to raise money and gather building supplies. We will share our knowledge, our experience, and our systems with anyone who asks. We believe that our model presents the best option for helping our veterans because it is a sustainable solution that does not require constant donations or fundraising. It requires only a dedicated and determined spirit who wants to help our veterans. Because, whether they are suffering from their own choices or not, we do owe them a debt of gratitude and a second chance if we are able.
Steadfast will gladly accept donations β see the donation links on this website β and we will spend any money we have on housing homeless vets - but we will not spend money, time, or effort on fundraising because we believe that veteran homelessness is a very serious problem and one that can be solved, but only if we dedicate our money, time, and efforts to solving the problem, not to building a bigger charity.
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