100 Personal Investors

"A unique approach to helping fatherless young men.”

What can you do to help fatherless young men? Exactly what you already do and become one of 100 Personal Investors.

What is a Personal Investor? The 100 Personal Investors are men who believe in Benjamin Watt and agree that the work he is doing is of equal importance to the work they do. But, these men do more than just believe in and agree - they also invest. Each of the 100 Personal Investors donates 1% of the income they earn in 40 hours to pay Benjamin Watt a salary. This means he will be able to work full-time on the problem of fatherlessness without being a drain on the finances of Next Step. He will also be able to promote to those he works with (individuals and churches) that 100 men besides himself are literally investing in them. Personal Investors are asked to commit for at least one year of giving and also participate in Next Step in at least one additional way (prayer team, mentor, provide a service, etc.).

What is the return on investment? Benjamin will give 2000 hours/year working on "the problem of fatherlessness in America." He will pray for God to bless his 100 Personal Investors financially (for obvious reasons!). You will also be invited to hold him accountable by reviewing regular reports of how he used his time. "Investments" will be tax deductible. Personal Investors will also be invited to an annual “Thank You Event.”

Perhaps an added benefit of this investment will the ability to go to work on Monday morning actually smiling because you know the first 24 minutes of your work week (1% of 40 hours) will help us see fatherless young men become good Christians, good husbands and fathers (in that order!), and productive members of society, by God's grace.

So how much will Benjamin Watt get paid? In theory, the average of 100 men’s salaries. Depending upon who God leads to become the 100 Personal Investors, that amount could change from year to year. Benjamin will not know the amount of each man’s investment, only the percentage. Remember, the goal is not to attain a particular level of support, but to have 100 men who are behind this important work enough to invest a small percentage of the pay from their important work. In this way, God will determine Benjamin Watt’s salary. No one should feel obligated or pressured to become one of the 100, but if God prompts you to participate, don't miss out on the blessing!

Consider this - which is the most important work? Building a house, managing a business, pastoring a church, performing surgery, operating a machine, or working on the problem of fatherlessness?

It depends on who is doing the work! All work is valuable in God's sight, however God has uniquely designed and equipped each of us for different kinds of work. The work God has designed (or called) an individual to do is the most important work he or she can do. If you are doing what God has equipped you to do, and I am also doing what God has designed me to do, then neither your work nor my work is more important.

Every man’s work is important to God and to the world He has created. But not every man’s important work pays financially. This is one reason we are depending on God to provide 100 Personal Investors.

How do I become one of 100 Personal Investors? Please contact Next Step through our website, our facebook page, or call our director’s home church (El Vista Baptist Church) for more information. Your investment (donation) can be received as a lump sum, or set up as an automatic deduction from a bank account. For more information about Benjamin Watt, please visit www.facebook.com/just1watt or www.nextstepforguys.webs.com/stories .

Are there any other ways to help besides becoming one of 100 Personal Investors? Plenty! There is no pressure to become one of the 100 Personal Investors. You can Pray, Mentor, Give, Volunteer (bookeeping, legal services, fundraising, web development, etc.), and much more.

How will gifts to Next Step be used (outside of the 100 Personal Investors)? Because of the 100 Personal Investors, 100% of undesignated gifts received by Next Step will be used to fund the work of Next Step. Donations will help produce quality training materials, fund phone calls from fathers in prison to their sons, pay for programs and events for fatherless boys, provide scholarships for fatherless boys (private school, summer camp, youth activities, etc.), provide financial assistance for mentors (like helping with the cost of mentoring when appropriate), cover travel expenses, postage, office supplies, marketing and advertising, etc.

Note: In the spirit of Next Step (men investing in other men to become what they are designed to be), it is our preference that the 100 Personal Investors be men who see themselves as investing in another man, Benjamin Watt. However, we will certainly not prohibit any individual or organization from designating their gifts to Next Step as they desire.