This post is part of a nine-part year-end giving series on organizations we love.
We’re Scott and Elizabeth Drury, and we’ve put together a list of seven organizations we love and directly support financially that are doing important work around the world. If their efforts resonate with you, we’d be delighted if you’d consider giving to them. Or if you believe any of them would resonate with others within your personal and professional networks, we enthusiastically invite you to forward the links along.
Just so you know, we are ordinary people trying to make it easy for other ordinary people to encourage their networks to give to great organizations. We’re acting voluntarily and on our own initiative, not as fundraising employees or contractors. We have nothing to gain personally from anyone’s giving, other than the satisfaction that we feel right now in sharing the information.
Three perspectives are prompting this list:
One, we have been involved professionally or as volunteers in non-profit fundraising and consulting for our entire adult lives–work that has engaged the whole family in wholehearted service. Even after Scott transitioned his full-time focus back to private law practice,1 those years of significant focus on charitable work changed our perspective on giving. We’re as convinced as ever of the need for fundraising.
Two, we know the power of personal recommendations for high-quality organizations. The organizations we recommend are ones we trust. We have experienced their consistent values and operations up close or for several years. There are others we could recommend, too, but we decided to limit our list to seven.
Third, we’ve decided to be bold about disclosing that we give because the non-profits we list need actual financial support. Good feelings toward them are not enough. Board service is not enough. They need and appreciate service, certainly, but it is no substitute for giving or raising cold, hard cash to pay the bills.
Plain and simple, we want to influence more people to give. That’s it!
If you’d like more information about what prompted us to create this list, you can read our original post here (It’s a good-old-fashioned Christian testimony).
If you’d like to forward within your network only one organization rather than this combined list, please see the links to separate posts that we have included at the end of each entry below.
Maybe you’re feeling inspired to create your own personalized list of non-profit favorites and to encourage giving within your own networks. If so, we’d love to receive a copy!
Any questions? Reach out through the Contact page or with a comment.
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Thank you for reading, considering a gift, and sharing!
The List
- Hope Africa University
- Threshold Gap Year
- Immigrant Connection
- NOAH (National Organization for Albinism and Hypopigmentation)
- Global Partners: Kevin & Cindy and Manipur Conflict Relief
- Crosspoint Church Lynchburg
- Truth in Love Ministry
For the story behind this list of Giving Favorites, click here.
1. Hope Africa University
This university in Burundi, East Africa, is important to us because it is making a transformative difference in the poorest country in the world and because Scott has been involved in its development at several points since its very early years.2
When HAU began in 2000, the circumstances could not have been less promising. A horrific civil war had churned for nearly a decade. 400,000 Burundians were exiled in neighboring Kenya, unsure of when or how they would ever be able to return home and what they would find if they did.
Among them, five Burundian Free Methodists were earnestly praying for the holistic healing of their country and region. They became convinced of the necessity of preparing the next generation of leaders to rebuild and serve their country after the war’s eventual end. They would need not only skills (engineering, economics, governance, medicine, agriculture, and more) but also personal transformation through Christ so that they could influence their war-torn nation to pursue a new life of peace and goodwill, with forgiveness among neighbors who had wronged one another in unimaginable ways.
The exiled leaders discussed their dream with a long-time friend, Bishop Gerald Bates, who had served as a missionary in Burundi and who pledged his support. He enlisted partners in the US who affirmed Burundian leadership and offered practical, relational, and financial help.
As an act of faith and aspiration in a country where they owned nothing and had no certainty, the exiles started teaching with 12 students. Enrollment grew rapidly. By 2003, the war had ended, and HAU was able to return to Burundi with land from the government and partnership from the Free Methodist Church of North America.
In 2005, Scott began working in fundraising, planned giving, and stewardship services for the Free Methodist Foundation, and he had the privilege of supporting Bishop Bates in donor meetings and events to raise funds for the university’s first buildings. In 2020, he joined the board of the North American support organization, Friends of Hope Africa University, and in 2025, we were delighted to attend the celebration of the university’s 25th anniversary.
It has been very gratifying to see HAU become a respected and influential Christian university in a struggling region. HAU now offers 43 undergraduate and graduate programs and has an enrollment of over 7000 students. I’ve included some photos of the main HAU campus in the capital city of Bujumbura.
Gifts to HAU have a holistic impact within Burundi and across the region, supporting spiritual and societal transformation. A current major project is the construction of a new medical school building. Burundi has only 7 doctors per 100,000 people (or 1 doctor per 14,000 people), and half of them are graduates of HAU, trained at a Free Methodist clinic and hospital that serve the public around the clock. I made a video to give one of our sons a virtual tour of the impressive hospital, and you can watch it through this link (though it’s definitely not a polished piece).
Thank you for considering support of HAU! Our Christian brothers and sisters within the Burundian church are active and committed to doing the hands-on work, and Scott and I love supporting them. What if our network of friends could help build that medical school with $15,000 this Christmas season?
Here is the website of the US-based support organization, Friends of Hope Africa University, including a secure donation link:
https://haufriends.org/
Here is the university website:
https://www.hau.bi/
Also, this promotional video made by the university provides an overview (and will put your French to the test):
https://youtu.be/_tHFUg_-5WY?si=A5yNb4u4YT-ep0DW
Both Hope Africa University and the Friends of Hope Africa University organizations have YouTube channels with many videos, if you’d like to learn more.
Click here if you’d like to share only this section about Hope Africa University.
2. Threshold Gap Year
In June, Elizabeth joined the founding board of a new organization investing in the lives and futures of young people at the threshold of adulthood. The founder and director, Gavin Potter, enriched the life of one of our sons in a similar program a few years ago, and we have seen the abundant fruit of that work among dozens of others, who have grown in clarity, curiosity, courage, and humility as influential contributors to the well-being of the people around them. Follow this link to hear Gavin describe the vision himself (you’ll need to scroll down to view the video).
Threshold is a brand new entity. Supplied with skill, experience, vision, and faith, Gavin and the two recent grads on the board are brilliant, hard-working young leaders. The other two of us on the board are, shall we say, . . . old and supportive! Gavin is making enormous strides very quickly and very well, and we are all hopeful to welcome the first class of students (rising college freshmen, typically) in the fall of 2027.
During this startup period, we’re praying for financial partners to support Gavin and his wife Anna, who are contributing countless hours to get the program up and running. They are also the visionaries who are bearing all of the financial burden, relying prayerfully on support from individual donors until students are enrolled and paying tuition. Would you join us in supporting this promising vision and helping them out?
We are also praying for funds to help secure a facility through rental or purchase. Productive connections with property owners are happening now and have been very encouraging.
We hope you will peruse the website for yourself and consider a gift:
Threshold Gap Year | Be a part of the next step https://share.google/EVAb6uRSVOv1Frq7b
Know someone who might be interested in giving, enrolling a soon-to-be young adult, or learning more? I’ll be happy to connect you! An experience like Threshold Gap Year can make a permanent, positive difference in a young person’s life.
Click here if you’d like to share only this section about Threshold Gap Year.
3. Immigrant Connection
We’ve known several people over the years who have faced unbelievable difficulty navigating the US immigration process. We’ve witnessed how difficult it can be even for the most vigilant people to follow the steps without becoming disqualified, confused, or stuck because of some kind of misstep by themselves or others (bad advice, a mix-up with an appointment or form, clerical errors, unscrupulous notaries or lawyers, etc.).
Immigrant Connection exists so that immigrants who want to follow the legal process can do it. Started through The Wesleyan Church in 2014, Immigrant Connection provides legal support in 34 states through sites across the US. Staff are trained and credentialed through the US government to provide accurate and affordable guidance in completing paperwork. To date, Immigrant Connection has served over 50,000 people.
Associated with churches, these sites express the love of Jesus to immigrants in other ways, as well. They offer classes in conversational English, help them understand US culture and institutions, and offer citizenship classes. They help make connections to partner organizations for other types of support. They welcome newcomers as any local church would, inviting them to worship services or other ministries of the church, caring for them, and sharing relationally.
In a time when the news about immigrants and immigration is full of rancor, we are so glad for the opportunity to do something positive. Giving to Immigrant Connection enables us to show compassion to real people, many of whom are in great distress, and to promote adherence to the law, all in the name of Christ.
Immigrant Connection Website https://share.google/erMvD4QwCkZCfFA2u
To understand more about our beliefs on immigration, click here to view the position statement of The Wesleyan Church.
Click here if you’d like to share only this section about Immigrant Connection.
4. NOAH–National Organization for Albinism and Hypopigmentation
You all know that I (Elizabeth) and our youngest son, Jay, both have albinism, a genetic condition that affects hair, skin, and eyes by inhibiting the body’s ability to produce pigment. Sixteen years before our family ever became directly involved with NOAH and before we had children, I had been concerned about an eye surgery recommended by my opthalmologist, who did not seem to be familiar with albinism. Desiring a second opinion, I reached out in an online forum of others with albinism (all complete strangers at that point), and the connection I made with a knowledgeable physician quite likely saved me from a mistake that could have had lifelong consequences. NOAH was exactly what I needed.
In 2010, when NOAH held its biennial national conference only a few miles from our home near Washington, DC, I worked up the courage to attend with seven-year-old Jay. I was amazed to discover not only a whole sea of platinum and golden heads at that conference (around 1000 people in attendance) but also an entire world of people with albinism from every continent who were facing challenges and questions similar to my own. Many of them were thriving in their interests and competitive in their careers. Many shared hacks for overcoming common obstacles. Some were facing matters of life and death, success and failure.
I was both deeply encouraged and also impressed with a sense of responsibility to contribute to this community with care and support and to participate as a friend. I had the sense that, as Jesus himself had said, “Freely you have received; freely give.”3
I have enjoyed being part of this supportive community ever since, affirming NOAH’s mission to serve people with albinism and their families by providing accurate information, support, and fellowship. I joined the board in late 2016 and stepped down in May 2025 after 8 years of service.
That board role gave me the opportunity to see the inner workings of this frugal organization that accomplishes tremendous work through volunteer effort and individual donations. On a shoestring, NOAH . . .
- sends a welcome kit to the parents of newly diagnosed children and follows up by connecting them with other parents who have been through the same experience
- offers educational guidance for the parents and teachers of young students struggling to see textbooks, the board, etc.
- helps teens wrestling with being different to connect and gain perspective with others at conferences, summer camp, and online forums
- offers webinars and connection groups for young adults about topics like pursuing careers with low vision, driving or navigating transportation, living independently, dating, and more
- convenes researchers, doctors, and product developers to share the latest research or problems related to vision or dermatology
- advocates for the needs and concerns of people with albinism in the US Canada, and abroad
- and much more.
Would you consider joining us in support of NOAH this year? Last year, we and our friends (you!) were able to give a combined total of $5,000–funds put to immediate use. Thank you!
You can donate through the website or by contacting the organization. Find out more on the NOAH Website:
https://albinism.org/
If you’d like to hear about my personal spiritual journey in thriving as a person with albinism, click here for a video in which I share the story at a church.
**Please note that NOAH is not a faith-based organization, and my Christian sentiments do not reflect positions of the organization.**
Click here if you’d like to share only this section about NOAH.
5. Global Partners
We are well-acquainted with GP, a Wesleyan hub for sending and supporting Christian workers around the world. Two specific needs that GP coordinates are especially important to us.
GP: Kevin and Cindy
These dear friends have served in Europe for decades. They even had a stealthy role and a front row seat to our engagement in Munich back in 1992. They are precious to us–not only as consummate experts in overseas ministry work but as loving, generous servants of Jesus with impeccable character. Many have come to know the Lord and have connected with the family of faith through their loving influence and hospitality. We adore them!
Recently, they moved back to the US to continue GP work from a distance on a gradual transition to retirement. Cindy supports Europe teams remotely with administrative support. Like others who have served abroad at great sacrifice for their entire careers, they are very grateful for ongoing financial support for their stateside roles. It’s our joy to continue support for them now that they are back in the US. You can give to their monthly support at https://wesleyan.my.site.com/donorportal/s/fund/a1s3t000005PDjIAAW/kevin-and-cindy-austin
GP: Manipur Conflict Relief
Global Partners and Wesleyan Emergency Relief established a relief fund to provide care and basic necessities for the community of Wesleyan believers in Manipur, India, which has been facing unthinkable persecution for their faith in the crossfires of rivalries between other groups that otherwise have nothing to do with them.
**Be forewarned that this paragraph is graphic and very disturbing.** As just one example from last year, a female teacher at the Wesleyan school was assaulted, tortured, and burned alive by armed militia, who then removed her brains and desecrated her body in front of the community before they burned down homes and churches and slaughtered hundreds of others.
We have full confidence in the reports, having heard them initially from two trustworthy sources whom we know personally and who know the community first-hand. Then, after we contributed to the relief effort organized within that community, their local church leaders sent us a letter that described in great detail exactly how they had put the funds to use (detailing purchases of X kilos of rice, X number of hygiene products, X number of blankets, and so on). While they are trying to survive, they are also reaching out to their neighbors, sharing their resources with other struggling families, and expressing in word and deed the love of Christ.
When Scott and I opened their letter in our living room and read it, we were moved to tears by their sincerity and vigilance and by how immediately and personally our modest gifts were being used to feed and clothe people who had lost not only their loved ones but also every material resource. You can support this ongoing relief effort here: https://wesleyan.my.site.com/donorportal/s/fund/a1s7V0000091pelQAA/manipur-conflict-response-project-india
Click here if you’d like to share only this section about Global Partners.
6. Crosspoint Lynchburg
We love this Wesleyan church, its tenderhearted and talented staff, and Pastor Josh Ratliff!
Crosspoint is an actively learning, thinking, and serving church. With Liberty and several other universities in town, many people who are drawn to Crosspoint place a high value on teaching but are new to Wesleyan ways of interpreting scripture. Needless to say, questions abound, and Josh is a superb teacher. He not only explains clearly but also has a knack for cultivating an ethos of honoring scripture, respecting people who disagree, and considering differences graciously. He often organizes events and study groups so that people with differing viewpoints can examine scripture together on contested doctrinal matters like entire sanctification, women in ministry, and free will/election. For an example, see this post for my reflections on a rigorous study group that he organized. Considering the polarization of our times, the CP climate is remarkable, and we have grown and been encouraged through it.
Josh and CP leadership also affirm the calling and gifting of women in church ministry. Josh first invited me to preach in 2021 when no woman had ever preached or served on the board in that church. He had become their pastor only a few years before and had worked patiently with them so that they understood the biblical basis of Wesleyan egalitarian views. I have been involved at CP ever since, currently serving in a remote role as pastor of the Crosspoint Learning Community. Most of my work happens through virtual meetings, mentoring, and classes, though I preach and attend events on occasion in Virginia. I’m deeply grateful for the opportunities and trust that Crosspoint has extended to me.
Last year, Crosspoint moved across town to a larger facility because even with four weekend worship services and an additional overflow sanctuary, the building could not accommodate all the people. The new location has alleviated that problem, but the church needs to develop space on the property for other purposes. The children’s ministry is bursting at the seams, the youth need their own space, adult discipleship groups need classrooms, and staff need offices. These are all good problems for a strong and healthy church, and everyone is feeling the need.
To learn more about CP:
https://crosspointonline.com/
To give to CP:
https://crosspointonline.com/giving
You can find the CP YouTube channel for sermons through this link.
Click here if you’d like to share only this section about Crosspoint Church Lynchburg.
7. Truth In Love Ministry
This organization of former Mormons who converted to biblical Christianity reaches out to provide care, support, and witness to people who are still Mormons (also called Latter Day Saints, or LDS).
They also provide excellent resources to help Christians understand Mormonism. One of their resources that we have found very helpful is this booklet:
Are Mormons Christian? – Truth in Love Ministry
How often have you seen a pair of Mormon young people come to the door but not wanted to engage in conversation with them? This organization has challenged us and is growing our understanding and compassion.
“To Our LDS Friends”
Truth In Love Ministry (TILM) website: https://tilm.org/
Be aware that an internet search will present several organizations with the same or similar names, so be sure you are following the name and links I’ve provided.
Click here if you’d like to share only this section about Truth in Love Ministry.
For the story behind this list of Giving Favorites, click here.
Thank you for reading!
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Notes
1. Scott’s estate planning focus includes trusts, wills, and charitable gift counseling. See Drury Law at www.drurylaw.us.
2. Burundi is often listed as the first or second poorest country in the world, as four primary sources (the IMF, World Bank, UN, and CIA) differ in their GDP rankings.
3. Matthew 10:8b NIV
4. Source of photo and for further reading: The Wesleyan Church website https://www.wesleyan.org/violence-and-persecution-persists-in-manipur
5. Source of photo and for further reading: The Wesleyan Church website: https://www.wesleyan.org/werf-activated-for-persecution-in-manipur
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