Making a local impact- MEDA’s Next Gen monthly donor, Krista Rittenhouse

When Krista Rittenhouse talks about why she supports MEDA as a monthly donor, she starts with the word trust.

“People I trust, trust MEDA,” Krista says.

At the heart of this community of trust is her mom, a longtime MEDA supporter. Though she can’t exactly place her first MEDA encounter, Krista credits her mom for sharing more about MEDA with her around the time she was a college student at Hesston College.

“I was thinking about more global issues, and she likely would’ve related it to MEDA’s work… My family was not closed about finances. I was pretty aware of the decisions my mom was making financially—about giving, about retirement, about investment,” Krista said.

That family dynamic, says Krista, “inherently made me think about what I wanted to do.”

Which, for Krista, is all about impact.

Krista, who is based in Lancaster, PA., is the Director of Restorative Justice at Advoz, a community organization that provides services like conflict mediation, restorative justice dialogue, and conflict skills training for youth, families, neighbors, and businesses.

Krista’s desire to make a positive impact on a local level has inspired her work at Advoz. Her motivation to make a positive impact on a global level has inspired her monthly contributions to MEDA.

“I want my support to be part of something that impacts more than just one family—something that gives us the ability to say, ‘the next generation is better as a result of the work we are doing today,” Krista says. “We need to meet immediate needs now—and we also need to meet future generation needs. While I want to support both of these, I am more drawn to the long-term.”

She notes her appreciation for MEDA’s emphasis on sustainable empowerment, hiring local, and system-oriented thinking.

So why monthly giving, specifically? For this next generation community leader, it comes down to brain space.

“Monthly giving helps me free up my brain energy. I have less decisions, and I get to the end of the year, and I can say I have prioritized what I want to. I can feel good about that…I know that it’s easier for organizations, better for their budgeting, to have donations come in regularly. I want to maximize my impact by giving in a way that’s most beneficial to the organization,” Krista said.

Thanks to generous MEDA donors, during August & September, any new Next Gen monthly donors will have their monthly donations matched for their first year to enable entrepreneurs globally to receive business training, access to finance, and provide decent livelihoods for themselves and their families.

If you’re curious to learn more about MEDA, or just want to have a chat about how you want to make an impact in the world – please send a message to Chris Brnjas at cbrnjas@meda.org (Canada) or Vanessa Hofer at vhofer@meda.org (USA) who love helping next gen folks discover their inspiration for making an impact. If you would like to become a monthly donor, click here.