Lord Krishna in the 21st Century
Chapter 17 - Show Me The Money
As I think about Krishna Disaster Relief, one of my concerns is money. Laxmi is a form of energy and it takes energy (money) to do anything in this world. If you're flat broke your options are almost zero, what to speak of trying to create a worldwide, disaster-relief agency.
I have spoken about the vital need for across-the-board support. Regarding Krishna Disaster Relief, money also needs to be mentioned since everything that follows involves a lot of energy and funding.
From personal experience I have often said that a good idea is great, however the real challenge is to implement that idea.
My initial vision (a good idea) about Krishna Disaster Relief was free of charge. The basic idea that I experienced at that 4th of July parade has not changed one bit and the beginning chapters have covered all of this. However, as I attempted to implement what I saw, I automatically encountered a need for money. I bought a word processor which I used to type out my first newsletters. Along the way, others made donations for postage, printing, etc. With the help of my wife, I now have a pleasant home to work from and together we bought a computer to continue my work on this project.
But all these attempts are simply the initial steps. Much more is needed. Although the mention of money can be a troublesome topic, the best news is that I am 100% convinced that Krishna Disaster Relief can eventually pay its own way, and much much more. In 2023 the Salvation Army's income was over 540 million dollars. Their disaster-relief work is famous. Their large mobile disaster-relief vehicls cost over a hundred thousand dollars each and they own hundreds of them. Where did all that money come from? Appreciation!!!
I think the GBC needs to hear this early on. They need to be convinced of this and I'll do my best to explain things clearly. But make no mistake, initially, to implement this plan, funds will be required. Therefore, as part of the GBC endorsement, ISKCON needs to provide Krishna Disaster Relief with an allowance. (Again you can see my initial "GBC thinking" on this matter.)
Wanting to avoid long chapters, nevertheless, there are several points about all of this that I would like to touch on; things concerning the financial structure of Krishna Disaster Relief. These are details that just make common sense.
Perhaps number one on this list is that Krishna Disaster Relief needs someone to fill the position as its director. Much like a CEO, this person would "run the company" and manage the finances. One thing that he or she would do is open a bank account so that checks can be made directly payable to: Krishna Disaster Relief and deposited. Of course, once this checking account has been established, Krishna Disaster Relief can also write checks to pay for various things. (Please note that this account should be open by August 2025. Our non-profit Charitable Corporation bylaws have already been submitted, along with our 5-member Board of Directors. The substantial legal fees to accomplish this was paid by our Founding Members.)
This bank account (named, Krishna Disaster Relief) needs to be part of the initial steps taken. Krishna Disaster Relief needs to be Krishna Disaster Relief, and Food For Life needs to be Food For Life. Do not combine them!
Organizationally the two entities will work together hand in hand. However, financially the two should be kept separately. This is an extremely important point to get right. (Again, this was written years ago and shows how eager I was to work with ISKCON, regardless of how difficult I found this to be.)
Another strong suggestion is that Krishna Disaster Relief should have its headquarters at the Potomac temple. This is because of its close location to Washington, D.C. Most countries have their embassies located in Washington and according to this blueprint we will need to visit them
A third point is that ISKCON Communications works out of Potomac (or at least it did). Their office will be working closely with Krishna Disaster Relief. A fourth consideration, again related to Potomac's close proximity to Washington, is that both FEMA, American Red Cross, and NVOAD have their national headquarters located there. Also, there is a federal, disaster-relief college close by. I'll mention more about this shortly.
Finally, because Washington is so close to Potomac, I can easily envision the day when various senators, congressmen, ambassadors, and even the President and Vice President of the United States will visit the Potomac temple to see our Krishna Disaster Relief facilities. Hopefully, the temple will establish a nice restaurant for this purpose. Personally, if the Potomac temple has any specific role to play in the larger scheme of things, I would like to see the headquarters for Krishna Disaster Relief expanded and established there.
As far as ISKCON providing Krishna Disaster Relief with an allowance, I am in no position to dictate where this money should come from; just some ideas, but I have always wanted to see everyone involved. This is why from the very beginning I thought that every ISKCON temple and farm community could support Krishna Disaster Relief with a small, monthly stipend. The details of this can be worked out, but I like this idea because it will give Krishna Disaster Relief a respectable position within every ISKCON temple.
Many Christian denominations do this very thing. For example, several time a year, in every Lutheran church throughout the world, there might be a special collection "earmarked" for a specific ministry. Multiplying the amount collected by one church by the total number of churches creates a large amount.
This is actually a good idea. All that's required to implement this financial base is for the GBC to get on board with this plan. It is also a good idea because, then, when we say that we have a worldwide, disaster-relief agency (supported by a worldwide organization), this can be factually shown. What I am saying in this paragraph is really important. This will transform the paper tiger into a legitimate, disaster-relief agency that the world will recognize and welcome. (Note: As of 5/18/25 our IRS 501 (C)(3) is pending. Our lawyer assures us that they guarantee our non-profit approval.)
Before this chapter ends I want to mention the United Way. They collect massive amounts of money for non-profits. Perhaps this is where the Salvation Army receives their funds from. To this day I can only wonder where Krishna Disaster Relief would be today if back in 1990 it had received the full support I'm writing about, which would have led to a seat on FEMA's large table of disaster-relief agencies and given us the eligibility for the kind of grants I'm mentioning here. What a shame.
Photo of Capitol Building by Ronald Boutelle using Leonardo Ai
Image created by using Leonardo Ai