Thank you for your time and attention regarding the expansion plans of Sampson Partners.  As you probably already know, we are a 501(c)(3) Christian organization founded in 1986 for the sole purpose of addressing basic human needs in Sampson County. 

 

            In the early years, our focus was emergency assistance and food distribution.  We were a mainstay in local philanthropy for almost three decades.  Over the last several years, our outreach has shifted to providing cash support of nonprofits within the county, totaling $35,000 as of this writing.  Revenue now comes almost entirely from the operations of our store, The Shop on Main, which receives donations of furniture, clothing, and other household items for resale.  This business model is consistently profitable because of the small army of loyal volunteers who help keep our operating expenses very low.  The shop not only helps to generate cash support for our humanitarian missions, it also provides a service for our shoppers who purchase lightly used items at very low prices.  Further still, our donors are themselves served by having a mechanism in place to avoid the pointless discarding of items they no longer need.  Finally, The Shop on Main provides jobs for our paid staff who accept less than they deserve.

 

            In July 2018, when adjacent property became available from Lew Starling, the Board of Directors was in a position to purchase the land using our cash reserves.  Now, the next step is to build a 4200 square foot expansion for the purpose of doubling our furniture sales.  This new building, which should begin by June 2019, is scheduled for completion by the end of 2019.  With our current 6400 square feet, the addition will give us a total of nearly 11,000 square feet.  We are confident that this expansion will greatly augment our current successful business model, likely doubling or even tripling our revenue.  We foresee that Sampson Partners will be a major force for good in Sampson County for decades to come.

 

            We come to you from a position of financial strength.  We have no debt.  We own our real estate free and clear.  We have $120,000 in cash reserves.  And we have a proven business with many years of experience.  Because of our strength, this project will proceed on schedule regardless of our fundraising success from this point forward.  So why, you might reasonably ask, do we come to you now?  Here are two reasons:

 

1. People have come up to us – unsolicited – asking for an opportunity to be a part of this wave of positive change, to be a part of a legacy dating back to 1986 and looking deeply into the decades ahead.  People and churches have asked how they can put their name on or in our building, leaving their own personal legacy.

 

   2.  The citizens whom we serve will be best served if our resources are not eroded, even temporarily, by interest payments.  It would be much                better to pay off the building in real time during construction.  That is our intent and our expectation.

 

 

 

*Here are the key numbers as they stand on February 3, 2019:

 

         Cost of building                                           $349,000

         Cash reserves                                                110,000

         Donations to the capital campaign           46,000

 

         Needed                                                            193,000

 

 

            Thank you for considering becoming a part of the important work that we are doing at       Sampson Partners.  Donations can be made by check and mailed to us at: Sampson Partners, 309 East Main Street, Clinton, NC, 28328.  Should you need more detailed information about us, or if you want to donate electronically, then please go to the web at www.sampsonpartners.org.  Transfer of appreciated stock or other securities can be arranged easily.  For the latest information and photos, check us out on Facebook.  If you choose not to donate cash at this time, then perhaps you will consider giving us a chance to sell any furniture that you or your business may not need.

 

                                                                                                           

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                

                                                                                                                                                        

                                                                                                                                                                                                 Paul Edward Viser, President