FINANCIAL RESULTS AND IMPACT
24-7 COMMITMENT is just as committed to integrity, transparency, effective use of our resources and the impact we make with them as we are to marriages.
We applied for federal non-profit approval status in February 2015 and received that approval in July 2015. 2015 is our first year of financial reporting as a 501(c)3 non-profit.
If you have any questions regarding our financial information, please contact us here.
If you'd like to become a donor and support this cause, you can donate here.
Downloads
2015 990 Form2015 990 Tax Filing
- 2015 Financial Results & Impact
A summary of impact on the 24-7 COMMITMENT mission based on 2015 financial results
- April 2016 Impact On Marriage
A whitepaper from April 2016 sharing the impact on marriages by 24-7 COMMITMENT
- 2016 990 Form
2016 990 Tax Filing
- 2017 990 Form
(Filed July 2018 - download available soon)
Dear 24-7 COMMITMENT Family,
We are excited to share with you the results of our first official tax filing as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. We've posted the information here on our website (247commitment.org/financials) for all to have access.
Nearly 200 people provided some level of individual financial support of our organization in 2015 is sincerely appreciated. You have many choices on where to give your charity dollars and supporting marriages is ironically not the "sexiest" place to give. We aren't feeding hungry children, saving women from slavery, building houses for the poor, educating the communities nor curing cancer. All of those seem to be easier gives compared to funding a mission that steps into the messy, private, vulnerable spaces of life to walk alongside someone who is in a difficult place in their marriage. Thank you for appreciating what we do.
While there are still no official statistics regarding divorce in the fire service, the evidence is around you. Count the members of your crew who are separated, divorced or on a second or third marriage. Even the marriages that survive have many scars along the way.
We believe home life can in fact be the healer and difference maker in a successful fire service career simply because of the support and stability they receive allowing them to endure the difficult runs, long hours and often politically charged environment.
Supporting this are research findings that share how marriage makes you healthier, happier and believe it or not, wealthier:
- Married women are about 30 percent more likely to rate their health excellent or very good than the same-aged single women were. Married men showed similar advantages over unmarried men. Married men and women are also less likely than singles to suffer from long-term chronic illness or disabilities.
- Married men and women report less depression, less anxiety and lower levels of other types of psychological distress than do those who are single, divorced or widowed.
- Researchers have found that the act of getting married actually makes people happier and healthier; conversely, getting a divorce reverses these gains - even when we take into account prior measures of mental and emotional health.
- The cost of divorce is high. Even if the income is divided fairly between the former spouses, the standard of living of the family drops by about 25 percent. No amount of child support can change the basic math: It costs more to live separately than together, and the money must come from somewhere
2016 continues to trend in an upward direction as far as number of marriages served.
And we continue to receive messages like this most recent comment:
"Thank you for this one paragraph in particular that has encouraged me to keep reading Honor & Commitment. You see, I'm one of those fire wives who has been so jaded by the lack of honor and commitment of the "brotherhood" that the last thing I want to do is be a fire life cheerleader. Because I'm new to the Fire Wife Sisterhood online, I kinda thought 'oh geez, is this all about how great my husband is and how terrible it is that I kinda represent his department and the man he's turned into (20 year career)'. So I'm relieved that this book and sisterhood is turning out to be way different and so relatable. Thank you all for being so honest and having the Honor & Commitment to truly change the culture of the fire life!"
Even more than financial support, it's these messages that keep us filled up. However to serve our growing audience will continue to require additional funding. We do not often ask for funds directly as an organization because people have simply stepped up and said "how can we help?" Please consider sharing the 24-7 COMMITMENT mission with others who may also be in a position to support us financially.
We pride ourselves in being 100% transparent in use of funding and support for the initiatives of 24-7 COMMITMENT. Feel free to email us at contact@firefighterwife.com with any questions. It's really us behind the scenes reading all of them 🙂
With sincere gratitude,
Lori Mercer
Founder and Executive Director, 24-7 COMMITMENT
