Other Benefits of Using STEM
Travel Arrangements
Normally, our Sending Partners prefer to book their own travel so that they can deal directly with the travel agent to get the best group rate at the most convenient time. (Sending Partners must wait to confirm travel until after they have notified STEM of their complete round trip itinerary, so we can ascertain that the Team's on-site arrival and departure times will work for our Field Facilitators.)
STEM will provide travel agent options (Christian companies that specialize in mission travel) for
Sending Partner Coordinators who form a Team, and for individuals who
join a Team.
If a given Sending Partner has problems in booking their Team airfare arrangements, STEM will be happy to assist in any way we can.
Fund-Raising Assistance
STEM provides each Sending Partner who forms and books a Team with samples of support-raising letters your Team Members can use, in addition to a complimentary copy of our entire 18-page “Fund-Raising Idea Packet” which contains more than 30 fund-raising ideas your Team can use.
Mission “Industry” Networking
STEM leadership is regularly involved in the various nationwide networks that help us continually hone and sharpen our specific skills in the short-term mission arena. Some of those networks include:
- FSTML (Fellowship of Short-Term Mission Leaders)
- NSTMC (National Short-Term Mission Conference)
- ACMC (Advancing Churches in Missions Commitment)
- Other: STEM leadership also attends certain EFMA/IFMA national mission conferences, certain world-level mission conferences, and other significant mission-related meetings as needed)
Accounting Benefits
- Receive & Receipt — Although some Sending Partners prefer to receive and receipt the hundreds of support donations for their Team Members, the STEM home office can also provide this service to you (at no extra charge).
- Timely Field Transfers — STEM assure that your Team’s entire field budget will be transferred to the given field on time (which means before you arrive!).
- Independent Audit — STEM has an outside independent audit conducted of our entire organizational finances every year. Copies of the most recent audit are always available to any person upon written request.
- Annual Tax Returns — Although STEM is a nonprofit ministry and is therefore tax exempt, we file our annual Form 990 on time with the I.R.S. every year. You can view and download a copy of STEM’s most recent I.R.S. Form 990 at any time.
- Accountability Memberships — STEM is a member in good standing with these four national watchdog groups:
- ECFA (Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability)
- The MISSION EXCHANGE (formlery “EFMA” — the Evangelical Fellowship of Mission Agencies)
- SOE (U.S. Standards of Excellence in Short-Term Mission)
- EPA (Evangelical Press Association)
other
- Repeat Short-Term Missions Available — Team Members may return in the future to the same mission field or may join or form a team to another STEM mission field at any time in the future.
- “How-To” Training and Publications Available — Sometimes after a Sending Partner has formed and booked several different Teams with STEM, the given Sending Partner has begun to develop their own competency in doing their own short-term mission teams. STEM offers excellent STM training and superb STM publications to help you rapidly advance in doing your own non-STEM short-term mission teams.
