Statements

Mission

Both Hands' mission is to fulfill James 1:27 by serving orphans, widows, and Christian adoptive families. Both Hands' purpose is to help Christian adoptive families fund their adoptions by coordinating a service project fixing up a widow's home. The top reason families do not adopt in the United States is due to the high cost of adoption, and we are here to eliminate that financial barrier. Both Hands' vision is to see the day when finances are not an obstacle for Christian families who are led to adopt, while simultaneously serving every widow in need of help around their home.

Background

In 2003, JT Olson was responsible for a local non-profit's golf fundraiser where they sent letters asking for sponsorship while they golfed. A few days before the event, JT received a letter his friend had sent back to him. His friend scribbled on it, 'JT, if you were working on a widow's house I might sponsor you, but you're just golfing. Nice cause, but not my money.' JT called his friend up and they had a good laugh about it... however... the idea never left JT. A few years later, another friend of JT told him he was adopting four orphans from Moldova. Since JT had adopted, he knew it was expensive so he asked his friend how much it would cost. His friend replied, 'About $70,000.' JT's friend had no idea how he was going to raise the money, but knew it was God's calling. Long story short, they gathered several friends and found a widow's house to work on. JT and all of his friends sent letters asking for sponsorship while they worked, with the proceeds going towards his friend's adoption. They raised $70,000. Fast forward six years, and the impact Both Hands projects have had throughout communities across the country is incredible. Not only are more families able to financially afford adoption, but communities are inspired to serve the widows who are often unfortunately forgotten.

Impact

By the end of June 2024, Both Hands has raised $19+ million for adoptions and orphan causes. 1,350 Both Hands projects have been completed in 45 states. Over 1,540 widows were served through home improvement projects and 1,570 orphans were brought one step closer to a home, as the financial barrier to adopt them was reduced.

Our first goal in 2024 is to complete 133 Both Hands projects across the country. Our second goal is to expand our model by allowing volunteer groups to serve a widow and raise funds to provide matching grants to our adoptive families. This is a new type of Both Hands project we're excited to bring to the market.

Needs

There are different ways to support Both Hands Foundation. You can mail your tax-deductible gift to Both Hands Foundation, P.O. Box 2713 Brentwood, TN 37024 or online at BothHands.org/donate. We're grateful for any level of support. Our 4 most pressing needs are:

1. General Operating Costs - Based on our annual operating budget found on this page, in order to maintain over 100 projects a year, and $1 million raised for adoptions and orphan causes, we must meet our annual operating budget.

2. Project Supplies Fund - One of the biggest expenses for a project is buying fundraising supplies like postage stamps, and physical letter materials and then purchasing supplies for the widow's home. This supplies fund allows us to provide a $500 supply grant per project. ($50k)

3. Digital Marketing - We strive to reach more adoptive families to show the value Both Hands can provide through working with a marketing agency on our SEO and Google ads ($20k)

4. Matching Funds Program - We are building a fund to offer $3,000 matching grants to our families per project to incentivize more to serve and encourage donations. ($200k)

Want to leave a legacy beyond 2024? We'd love to talk more about supporting these programs and exploring other ways to be involved.

CEO Statement

Soon after that first project to raise funds for my friend's adoption, I left my full-time job to start Both Hands. I love Mark Twain's quote, 'The two most important days in a person's life are the day they were born and the day they find out why.' That day I found out why. We love the dual-purpose model of Both Hands. The idea of helping people through helping people. If you're interested in partnering with us in any way, I would love to connect! JT Olson, Founder & President of Both Hands

Board Chair Statement

Derek Bell, Chairman As the president of Mosaic Trust, LLC a boutique strategy-consulting firm, Derek utilizes his experience in the business and faith-based publishing industry. Mosaic Trust, LLC works with nonprofits and content creators such as Bob Buford, Leadership Network, The Drucker Institute, and numerous publishers. Derek is an associate of The Buford Foundation founded by Bob Buford. Derek and his wife Jennifer have three children--the oldest of whom was adopted from Guatemala. Adoption is something very near and dear to the Bell's heart and they are active in helping families adopt through various ministries.

Service Categories
Primary Category:	Human Services  - Adoption
Secondary Category:	Human Services  - Fund Raising & Fund Distribution
Tertiary Category:	Religion- Related  - Christianity

Areas Served

Both Hands' administrative office is located in Brentwood, TN; however, a Both Hands project can take place in any city in the USA. We've held over 1,350 projects across 45 states so far!

National

TN - Davidson

TN

TN - Franklin

TN - Williamson