Derick And Jill Dillard Offer Refunds To Dillard Family Ministry Supporters, Remove Ministry Information From Website
Derick and Jill Dillard have received some backlash after financial supporters of their Dillard Family Ministries began questioning why the family has spent so little time in the mission field. The Dillard family announced that they would be moving to Central America for “long-term”mission work; however, before making the move they setup a nonprofit organization for Dillard Family Ministries. The pair then began soliciting donations via their website. However, after just two months in Central America, the Dillard family was back in the United States. With few details provided about how the funds would be utilized by the ministry, fans began to question whether the Dillards were using the money for travel between the US and Central America. As a result, many demanded answers. Now it seems the Dillards are providing at least one option to unhappy donors, a refund.
The Dillard Family website has a donation page for fans to become “financial supports” for the Dillard Family Ministries. The ministries has been recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization that accepts tax-deductible donations. Despite the recognition, the Dillards website offers few details on how funds will be spent. In fact, the only place on the website that outlined the work of Dillard Family Ministries has been removed from main bar on the website. The website formerly had a tab noted as “Ministry,” which has since been removed.
Though the tab was removed, the webpage outlining Dillard Family Ministries is still available on the site. The website claims that the ministry will glorify Jesus Christ by “whatever means that might be” but does not go into detail.
“It has always been our goal that Jesus Christ might be glorified as we serve others through family ministry, by whatever means that might be.”
The page details both Derick and Jill’s love for God and serving Him, but provides no clear outline of how they expect to use their ministries in Central America. In fact, it should be noted that the brief two months the Dillards spent in El Salvador was with the S.O.S. Ministries, a separate non-profit group. The pair worked in the mission field with the summer team and then stayed a few extra weeks for Spanish courses. Therefore, it seems Dillard Family Ministries has yet to do any mission work on their own. It would appear the Dillards paid the standard fee to work with S.O.S. Ministries instead.
After the media and fans pointed out their concerns, many began to question where the money they had donated to the family was going. Some speculated that the money was being used for the young family to travel between the U.S. and Central America for their S.O.S. Ministries work.
Though the Dillards have not addressed the situation directly, it appears they are offering up some options for those who feel they have been duped by the non-profit. A section at the bottom of the donations page offers a “request a refund” portion. The refund request details are outlined on the page and require that the individual call the organization’s office.
It is also noted that despite having direct links from the Dillard Family Blog to Derick’s previously active Instagram page, following the backlash the page has since been set to private.
What do you think about the Dillard family offering refunds to their financial contributors? Wouldn’t it have been easier for the Dillard Family Ministries to provide an outline of expected expenses to their donors to ease their minds?
[Image Credit: Instagram]
