From Bitcoin Gifts To Rescuing The Vulnerable: Jason Burtt’s Radical Approach to Generosity

April 28, 2025

In this episode of You Can’t Take it With You, Jim Dunlop sits down with Jason Burtt, Senior Major Gifts Officer at Grove City College, to talk about unlocking joy through intentional giving. Jason shares the story behind a $4 million Bitcoin donation, the birth of The One Coalition, and the power of going first when asking others to give. He also talks about his personal stake in rescuing trafficking victims through the Asservo Project.

Jason Burtt is a Senior Major Gifts Officer at Grove City College, a highly ranked, nationally recognized Christian liberal arts and sciences college committed to developing leaders of the highest proficiency, purpose, and principles ready to advance the common good. In this role, he cultivates and stewards significant philanthropic relationships that result in transformational impact. Jason is also the Founder and CEO of Unaltered Ministries, an organization dedicated to guiding individuals toward a fuller life through God’s true design. He previously served as the National Director and Senior Vice President for Silver Ring Thing, a worldwide movement promoting sexual integrity through the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

[4:06] Jason Burtt shares his generosity origin story and how his wife’s prompting led to their first tithe
[7:23] The story behind Grove City College receiving a $4 million Bitcoin gift
[10:44] How legacy and impact motivate high-net-worth donors
[13:58] Jason explains the transformation of Prayer Mountain and the importance of leaders giving first
[17:39] Why Jason believes generosity must begin with personal sacrifice
[18:52] The mission of the Asservo Project and Jason’s growing commitment to fighting human trafficking
[23:49] How The One Coalition was born from the idea of giving 1% to rescue the most vulnerable
[33:52] Jason’s message for the world

In this episode:

Some people give when they have extra. Others give when it makes no sense on paper and somehow still come out ahead. What drives a person to give radically, even when it’s uncomfortable?

According to Jason Burtt, a lifelong nonprofit leader and passionate advocate for generosity, the key lies in understanding that generosity is not just a financial act; it’s a lifestyle that unlocks deeper joy. He highlights how his journey began with reluctant tithing and grew into a decades-long practice of giving first and trusting the outcome. The result, he says, has been both transformational and deeply fulfilling. From facilitating multimillion-dollar crypto gifts to leading anti-trafficking efforts, Jason demonstrates how radical generosity can ripple into lasting impact.

In this episode of You Can’t Take it With You, Jim Dunlop sits down with Jason Burtt, Senior Major Gifts Officer at Grove City College, to talk about unlocking joy through intentional giving. Jason shares the story behind a $4 million Bitcoin donation, the birth of The One Coalition, and the power of going first when asking others to give. He also talks about his personal stake in rescuing trafficking victims through the Asservo Project.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Quotable Moments

“The more that we would give, the more joy and the more fun we had.”
“I think Jesus’ heart is for the 1%, and we wanted to go after that.”
“Generosity unlocks joy. And so if I meet you and you are… fairly wealthy…”
“Where your treasure is, your heart will be also. So if you’re not giving…”
“I’d rather be a fence at the top of a cliff than an ambulance at the bottom.”

Action Steps

Give before asking others to give: Leading with your own generosity builds credibility and inspires deeper commitment from others.
Support causes aligned with personal experiences: When giving connects with your story, it fuels passion, consistency, and long-term impact.
Start with 1% giving commitments: Small, intentional percentages create manageable habits that grow into transformational generosity over time.
Focus on joy, not just obligation: Giving from a place of joy leads to greater fulfillment and a lasting generosity mindset.
Use your influence to spotlight urgent issues: Leveraging your voice for causes like human trafficking can drive awareness and meaningful change.

Sponsor for this episode:

This episode is brought to you by Advent Partners — a financial planning partner dedicated to helping you make informed decisions that simplify your financial journey.

Our seasoned team of professionals is committed to guiding you toward your financial goals. We offer tailored solutions based on your specific needs, from standalone financial planning to integrated financial management.

Whether you are planning for the future, investing for growth, or navigating financial hurdles, Advent Partners is here to provide insights, recommendations, and a clear financial roadmap.

To learn more about Advent Partners and how we can guide your financial success, visit AdventPartnersFP.com.

Episode Transcript

Intro: 00:00

Welcome to the You Can’t Take it With You show, where we feature stories around generosity designed to inspire and encourage others to do meaningful things in their communities. Now, here’s your host, Jim Dunlop.

Jim Dunlop: 00:18

Hi. Jim Dunlop here, a wealth advisor and host of the show, where I sit down with people who get it when it comes to generosity. I’m excited to have guests who can give us stories on generosity to not only inspire our listeners, but to give practical ideas on ways we can give. Today’s guest is Jason Burtt. Past guests include Peter Greer, Jim Langley, and Phil Cubeta.

But before we get to Jason, I wanted to share that this episode is brought to you by Advent Partners. Ready for good. Advent is a financial planning team dedicated to helping you make informed decisions that simplify your financial journey. At Advent Partners, we’re ready for good. Our bold, ten year vision is to help clients donate $100 million to transform lives through generosity and planning.

United by generosity, relationship excellence, authenticity, and fun. We empower meaningful lives and lasting community impact. To learn more about Advent Partners and how we can guide your financial success, visit readyforgood.com. Before introducing today’s guest, I want to give a big thank you to Kevin Giza, who introduced us to Jason.

Go check out Kevin’s website at thegizagroup.com. Giza spelled Giza. So now let’s talk about Jason. Jason Burtt is a Senior Major Gifts Officer at Grove City College, a private Christian liberal arts institution located in western Pennsylvania. Jason has spent the majority of his career helping people embrace calling and purpose, and inspiring individuals to embrace radical generosity and transformational impact.

He also serves on various nonprofit boards and has given particular attention to the fight against human trafficking. Jason and his wife Heidi live in Beaver, Pennsylvania and have four children, ages 10 to 16. When not at work, you will find Jason at a basketball, football, cross country, or lacrosse game shuttling kids around like a professional Uber service. Jason, I’m excited to have you here today. Thanks so much for being with us.

Jason Burtt: 02:18

Oh, thanks, Jim. It’s exciting to be with you.

Jim Dunlop: 02:21

So let’s kick off here a little bit, and I’ll have you give me a few minute autobiography about yourself, who Jason is for our listeners, and then we’ll get into it.

Jason Burtt: 02:31

Sure. Well, I grew up in New England, so I grew up in Foxborough, Massachusetts, right where the New England Patriots Stadium is so Patriots fan. But I went to college in Grove City, which is, as you know, north of Pittsburgh, which is Steeler country. So a Patriots fan living in black and gold country was never a good thing, especially as we had the one for the thumb race, you know, going for the sick. So.

But went to Grove City College, graduated industrial management, spent an early part of my career building homes and then moving into nonprofit work for the majority of that time. And just in the last, about year and a half have been called back to to that work at Grove City College, my own alma mater. So still a Patriots fan. But I would say the interesting thing is people don’t seem to mind anymore now that they’re terrible. You know, nobody liked me in Pittsburgh when when we would win.

Now that we’re terrible, everyone’s seems to be okay with it. So. And okay with me.

Jim Dunlop: 03:29

Those are the people waving terrible towels, no less.

Jason Burtt: 03:33

Absolutely. And I say, listen, hey, Steelers are my number two. So as long as they’re not playing head to head I’ll root for your team. But like I can’t I can’t lose my roots so well.

Jim Dunlop: 03:42

Very good. So obviously today’s show I’m excited to talk about when I, you know, read your bio. I think this is going to be a fun episode when we talk about generosity And we’re here to inspire people to do generous things. And I want to start with you. And what is your own personal generosity story?

Or I like to ask, what is your generosity origin story?

Jason Burtt: 04:06

That’s pretty funny. For me, see, I, I always consider myself pretty generous growing up with the gifts I would give things like that. But my my true generosity origin story started. I got married, my wife and I went on our honeymoon. We went to Saint Martin, we came back and the first Sunday we were together as a married couple, we’re going to church.

And I was. I’m on the way out the door. My wife says to me, did you write the tithe check? And I was like, the who? The what?

I didn’t, I didn’t know what she was talking. She’s like, did did you write the tithe check? And I said, no, is that something I’m supposed to do? And she’s like, oh yeah. Like it’s the first Sunday of the month.

We, we give our tithe. And so you can understand the context. Like prior to marriage, I’d been working in a construction company. I was making a pretty good living. About probably about 50,000 a year is like freshly out of college and living with three guys.

My expenses were minimal, like and I was still going in debt. In fact, I put the wedding ring on a credit card, you know, and all of a sudden I got married. I’m starting to work in ministry. I’m making half that money. My wife’s in grad school.

I’m covering all the expenses, and I’m like, write the tithe check. I don’t know if I can pay for the groceries, you know what I mean? And all of a sudden she wants me to come up with 10%. And I was like, I mean, so when God says, you know, loving a cheerful giver, I was certainly not cheerful that first time. I was thinking, I don’t even know how this is mathematically possible, but you know what?

From that first Sunday of marriage, you know, I, you know, kind of begrudgingly that first time, pulled out the checkbook, figured out what my 10% was. My eyes were wide open, thinking, it’s not a lot, but it’s a lot for where we were. And every that’s been the pattern of our life, you know, and I think every year since the first year of marriage, we’ve been able to go that’s that’s not the baseline in everything. We’ve been able to go above and beyond. And the more that we have been generous, whether it is supporting, you know, third world kids or different organizations or people in mission fields or whatever it might be, you know.

It seems that the more that that we would give, the more joy, joy and the more fun we had and the more like God would just seem to provide. And so, like I, I couldn’t I couldn’t explain the math to you, but it just it worked. And the first year of marriage, I paid off the wedding ring. We we saved up money for a down payment. And I was like, if you totaled this up, it doesn’t it doesn’t add, so I can’t explain it.

But that’s why since that first, you know, that was 20 years ago. This is our 20th anniversary. So for 20 years we’ve never strayed from that path.

Jim Dunlop: 06:29

Good for you. What a what an incredible way to step out in both faith and generosity. And it seems like it has worked fine.

Jason Burtt: 06:40

Now it’s fun. Yeah.

Jim Dunlop: 06:42

So I, you know, I want to talk. I want to talk a little bit about your work. We’ll start with where you are today, which is back at your alma mater, Grove City. And I know that as a gifts officer, you have a front row seat to some pretty cool things. And I was kind of intrigued to read an article that that you were part of orchestrating a $4 million Bitcoin gift to the to the college.

So that’s a little different. And but it goes well with this theme of you can’t take your Bitcoin with you when you die. So tell me a little bit about that gift and that experience.

Jason Burtt: 07:23

Oh man. So I came back to my alma mater. I came back to Grove City College in November of 23, and after kind of just getting my feet wet a little bit, I mean, my role is a gift officer. So I was supposed to get a list of, you know, alumni and supporter prospects and begin developing relationships. So I didn’t get a list.

I got one name and the name was Howard Winklevoss, and I, I didn’t I never heard the name. I thought it was a joke. I thought this was part of the rite of passage coming in. Let’s play a trick on the new guy. Have him look up something that isn’t real, you know, and and I.

So I start doing research, and I found out that Howard had been. He’s an alum, 65 alum, had been very, very successful, was an actuary, became a professor, written 20 books and really the claim to fame that ultimately they put their family in prominence was the situation with his sons. He has twin sons, Cameron and Tyler, who went to Harvard, rowed in the Olympics, and while they were at Harvard, they they actually created a social media site. I think it was called Harvard Connect. They hired Mark Zuckerberg to help them build the site.

And about two weeks before they launched it, Zuckerberg took the code and went out and launched launched Facebook, you know. And so that turned into a lawsuit in the end. And and they won. I think they got a settlement on a lawsuit. And I believe I don’t know the exact amount, but at the time they took about 10 or $11 million and bought Bitcoin when it was about $10 a coin.

So that, you know, as you can imagine, that fared pretty well. But so yeah. But for you know, for 30 years, Howard, the Grove City alum had been kind of the white whale, like no one had been able to find him, you know, and it seemed like he was really tough to get Ahold of. So this is kind of a rite of passage for me to get the name and not try to figure out how to reach him. And I tried everything phone calls, emails, wrote, wrote, you know, letters and sent gifts in the mail.

And honestly, this is just like God’s hand in the whole thing. I called a phone number that I thought was disconnected, I was told was disconnected, and he picked up and and I was like, I wasn’t ready. I was almost like, can I call you back? I mean, we just we started a a beautiful relationship. And Howard is a genuine, genuine guy who, with a big heart and Grove City made a huge impact on his life, especially in his understanding of free market economics.

Austrian economics Hans Sennholz was a professor at Grove City who was a major influence in the Austrian movement, and Howard credits a lot of his success to that. So he looks back and says, here’s an opportunity to give back. And and I just told him the one day, you know, I just said, Howard, listen, looking at your kind of pedigree, your history and your legacy, like you, you’ve been a great entrepreneur. You’ve been very, very successful in business. You’ve also been you taught at the Wharton School of Business.

Like it just makes sense for you like to name this. I can’t think of a better match between you and then naming and your family name. How so strong. And so, like, three months after he came to campus, walked around, showed all the buildings, talked to some of our econ team, met the other team. He’s like, yep, I’m doing this.

I’m going to give you 4 million in Bitcoin. Let’s go. I’m like, wow, that’s a pretty good win for six months into my new job.

Jim Dunlop: 10:28

Well that’s that’s pretty cool. And and what a great legacy for students particularly business students at Grove City. And and hopefully that gift will make an impact for a lot of aspiring entrepreneurs and business leaders in the future.

Jason Burtt: 10:44

Absolutely. You know, and I would say one thing about Howard in particular, what’s been such a joy is that, you know, as I meet people who’ve been who’ve had a successful career, who’ve who’ve accumulated a lot of wealth and who have a generous heart, you know, they get to this point where it does become about legacy and impact. It gets to the point where you know it’s not about anymore about making money or getting a return. It really is about, I want to do I want to do good, I want to I want to do what’s right. And that is such a strong ethic, I think, in his life, going all the way back to who knows how long, maybe it was something he learned from his family or father, but this idea of like doing the right thing just because it’s the right thing to do, you know?

And even if it’s sacrificial, like, even if it hurts them, like, I think I think several of the businesses that he invests in currently, several of them nonprofits, several, many of them might actually lose money, but it’s building the right product the right way. And rather than saying, oh, I could cut this corner in order to shave a little bit to make it work. He’s like, no, no, no, I’m going to I’m going to build the best product out there. And if I have to personally like almost be impacted or suffer from that, I’m willing to do that because it’s the right thing to do. And to me, that’s super inspiring.

I love to be around people that you know, and not all of us are there. I mean, when we’re young, we got to make a profit. I got to make an income. I got to feed my family. But to get to a point where you can take more risk, I love that.

Jim Dunlop: 12:07

Yeah. Well, and I also I want to correct you, but I’ll say, you know, we don’t care about return. The return we care about is the return for the organization and the leverage that that gift creates, which is pretty awesome. And it’s inspiring to hear that. So thinking about inspiring stories around generosity, tell me a little bit about you.

You had said you had experienced some transformational work at Prayer Mountain. So tell me a little bit about that and this idea of leaders going first.

Jason Burtt: 12:40

Yeah. So for several for about 19 years of my career, I worked within a nonprofit organization after I left home building. There was a transition period. I really was kind of petitioning before God, like, what do you want me to do with my life? And I came across a ministry called Silver Ring Thing.

At the time, Silver Ring Thing was a national growing ministry that did events all over the country promoting the gospel and sexual purity for teenagers middle school. So we grew to a point of doing 90 to 100 events a year all over the country and internationally. But through Covid and through some transition time, we had changed the name over the years, became unaltered, and we changed the model. And long story short, I was looking for a place to basically house these young adults interns that would come in for about three months out of the out of year, three months at a time. They would come in.

We’re helping people understand calling. We had this process. We said, like, discover your identity, develop calling, deploy into mission. So I wanted young people to understand really their design and their purpose and see what opportunities are out there, both in ministry or marketplace, to apply those gifts. We didn’t have a place.

I finally found a place, this old dorm on this place called Prayer Mountain, but it was really rundown. I mean, it had been it was seasonal. There was, you know, just it needed a lot, a lot, a lot of work built 30.

Jim Dunlop: 13:56

For our listeners. Where is Prayer Mountain?

Jason Burtt: 13:58

Prayer mountain is western Pennsylvania, Beaver County. So think about maybe an hour north of Pittsburgh in western Pennsylvania, very close to the Ohio border. Actually. Got it. Beautiful spot.

It’s about I think it’s 50 acres or so that sits on a peak. So you can see almost as far as the eye can. It’s a it’s a purely a beautiful place that was that was first developed in the 60s. And so that’s what happened. There’s a lot of buildings that were first developed, were built and then not much done since then.

So this place was similar. Long story short, I went to the property, walked the property, visited with the people, loved it, and I kind of struck up a deal and I said, listen, if I am willing to, through my relationships and contacts, raise the money to renovate this thing, then can I get like a pretty minimal lease from you? And we’ll just that because you’re not really getting any revenue from it now. And so that’ll help you with some revenue. And we’ll fix this up to be a beautiful, almost like, you know, five star place.

So they said sure. So I did all this, I went RFP, I did that, I got the find. The quote back was about $400,000 to renovate this this building. And so I was going to present this before my board. And before I would do that, I had to really pray about it myself and ask my wife and say, what are we going to do?

Because I don’t I don’t think I’m not going to ask anybody to give to something that I’m not going to willing to do first. I actually, I actually do that all the time now, even in my current role, if somebody said, I love what you’re doing, my friend’s really wealthy, I’m going to go tell them about. And I said, no, no, no, I don’t want you to talk to your friend yet. You need to decide what you want to do, because I think where your treasure is, your heart will be also. So if you’re not giving anything to something, I don’t know how much you’re truly aligned to.

It doesn’t have to be massive amounts. Maybe you can give $10 and your friend can write $1 million check. That’s great, but start with your ten, you know. And so I said, leaders go first. I think that’s modeled by David as he built, you know, kind of laid the groundwork in the Old Testament for the temple.

He decided. Then he went to his commanders, then they went to the people. And and that kind of like cascading order ignited generosity. And so I went to my board and I said, listen, you all know what, I get paid. I’m in a nonprofit.

So, you know, I don’t have a big budget, and I’m trying to support a family of four, but this project is $400,000 to do it. My wife and I prayed about it, and we believe that in Matthew it talks about, you know, what a man not if it has a hundred sheep. Would he not leave the 99 on the mountain? Go looking for the one. Right?

So I said, I think Jesus heart is for the 1%. And so this may seem trivial to you all, but my wife and I want to be the first ones to commit 1% to go after the 1% of people. So that’s $4,000, which had been the largest, by far the largest single check we were able ever to write for a campaign, a gift, anything like that. And when I made that statement, the board members who were on that call, like some were literally almost starting to cry, and we raised half the money on that call right that moment, because that leading inspired others to say, hey, we know what he makes. And that’s that’s not trivial.

And then what can we do? So one guy’s like, I’m in for 50 and I’m in. And so we raise like virtually half the money within minutes. And I think that’s just the model for all of us. Like I’m not going to ask for somebody to give to anything that I have not first decided that I’m going to give to it myself.

I just don’t think that’s it’s not sustainable. You know, it’s not right.

Jim Dunlop: 17:17

I love that idea. Jason, I think that is a really powerful example, and I like the idea of leaders going first. However, if I come to you and ask you to support something, it comes from a place of integrity. If I’ve already put, put, put my money where my mouth is, so to speak. So I like that.

Jason Burtt: 17:39

I really and I just, and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had conversations with people through my, let’s say, 22 years in non-profit work where I love what you’re doing. I’m going to tell I’m going to raise money for you. I’m going to tell my friends about you. I’m going to do this. And and I would say 99 times out of 100 that that’s the end of that conversation.

Like literally at the end of that night, that initial like excitement or emotionalism just disappears. And so I, I’m just direct with people in that moment. I said, I want you. That’s wonderful. I hope you do that.

But I need you to first pray about what God’s asking you to do. And it may not be sacrificially big, but it just just to just be honest, just. And if and if it is that you’re honestly prompted to do something, then great. Then I think you can then talk to other people. But I’ve just seen too many times.

I think when you don’t do that, it’s it ends up being just. Yeah, the integrity of it and the commitment to it is very short. If your heart’s not fully in it and your heart’s in it when your money goes to it.

Jim Dunlop: 18:44

Absolutely. So speaking of another organization that I know is really important to you. Tell me about Asservo.

Jason Burtt: 18:52

Yeah. So you know about five. So the Asservo Project, the servo is Latin. It’s Latin means to to watch rescue a guard. Asservo Project is an anti-human trafficking organization based out of the Pittsburgh area.

It’s both national and international. We do areas in the work of prevention, awareness and recovery. About five years ago. So it started in 2017. About five years ago, I became more exposed to it.

I was asked to join the board. And I was really intrigued by the leader. You know, I’m always intrigued by a leader that gives up big things in order to do more sacrificial things. I mean, here’s a guy, Joe Sweeney, who was a he was a Swat officer, bomb squad technician. He was leading teams overseas for the State Department.

He had a very lucrative career, basically running special ops teams, training the Afghan military and how to fight the Taliban. I mean, crazy stuff that you and I might look at as a bucket list. I don’t know your background, maybe your military, maybe, you know. But for me, I look at half the things this guy did and I’m like, that’s like my every day was like, what my wish list was, you know? But when he’s willing to step away from all of that and commit his life to something because it is a burden that he saw.

You know, I think that Edmund Burke quote of like, the only thing necessary for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing. You know, so the question is like, it’s not that you have to do something about everything, but the thing that’s right in front of you that you get exposed to. What are you what are you going to do with that now that you know? So he became aware about human trafficking when a buddy has asked him to rescue five kids, American kids who were kidnapped somewhere in South America. You couldn’t make it because he was already deployed elsewhere, but started looking into this and over eight months, like just it, like ate away at him.

And so when he walked away from that, to be able to to put his money, to put his time, to put his like every waking moment into trying to join this fight like that, that inspires me. You know what I mean? So I’ve been on the board for five years. I could be honest. Like my commitment was like, you know, not as not as what it should be.

You know, it’s embarrassing at some levels. But, you know, I knew for a while that the average age of trafficking in the US is 14 years old. And so in March of last year, my daughter, we have four kids or three boys. I got one girl. And when my daughter Avery turned 14, I literally looked at her that day and I just saw the I just saw an image of like a trafficked kid and it it just it it messed with me like it really did.

And it was like. And I got haunted me back to that question of like, now that, you know, what are you going to do about it? And so I saw her, I saw her friends, I just saw. And so I was actually on three different boards at the time, and I contacted two of them, and I said, I don’t know if I’m really helping you here. I’m not very committed.

And I want to focus my efforts into this. So, you know, the project. What I think is unique about it is there’s a lot of organizations that are on the recovery side of things, you know, women and children primarily, who are pulled out of trafficking, who’ve experienced all kinds of trauma and drug and alcohol abuse, everything like that. And now we’re trying to rehabilitate their lives. We’re trying to give them job skills which which is noble and it’s so worthy.

There’s very few that have the skills and the relationships. I mean, Joe has connections in law enforcement, FBI, CIA, Homeland Security, all of these kind of things is works with operatives like former Navy Seals, Delta. I mean, that’s that’s the crew that he runs around with. And, you know, I was always struck years ago like I would rather be. I love this quote, like I’d rather be a fence at the top of a cliff than an ambulance at the bottom.

And I just thought, man, if we can get ahead of this, you know, every so we do a survey does a lot of the preventative stuff. We go on to the, you know, have a lot of data surveillance stuff to go into the dark web and identify the predators who are really haunted, who are going after our children and grandchildren, people like my daughter, you know, I think they said, you know, 1 in 5 kids are approached every nine minutes online for trafficking. There’s 500,000 traffickers, predators online daily, and there’s 45 million people worldwide in captivity. I mean, there’s more people in captivity today than any time in history in slavery. So, you know, I think that they’re uniquely positioned.

So there’s a lot of great organizations to support. I don’t belittle any one of them, but mine was. Man, if I can tie into this to help, you know, people who never become that victim, then I want to be I want to be a part of that. So. So yeah, I mean, my enthusiasm toward it in the last, you know, let’s say almost a year now has like accelerated.

I feel like people like, how do you find the time? Like, I don’t know, I just seem to like I’m I’ve launched new initiatives. I’m I’m like running events. I’m meeting with people. They’re like, where are you?

I’m like, I don’t know. I just got this enthusiasm and this, like, determination that I’m just. You’re not going to stop it.

Jim Dunlop: 23:43

And Jason, where does the The One Coalition fit into that that part of the story.

Jason Burtt: 23:49

Yeah. So you know that same you know when I told you the story about Prayer Mountain and I had that burden of like, you know, leave the 99in the mountain, go looking for the one I, I that was kind of a sparing application. I just really thought about it for that one meeting in front of my board. But, you know, whatever reason, you know, it started stirring with me in the same way. And I thought about this idea of, you know, The One Coalition.

What if we can gather primarily Christian, but really, anybody can be a part Individuals, businesses, churches, organizations who would commit 1% of their income to going after the most vulnerable among us, to rescuing those. You know, reality is, only 1% of women and children who are trafficked are ever identified. It’s the most underreported crime in the world. And it’s second to I mean, it’s $150 billion industry that’s second only to drugs, the drug industry. So only 1% are ever identified.

And so I said, you know, if Jesus is giving this example saying, if you had 100 sheep, would you not leave the nine in the mountain? Go and look for the one. That’s the one that wandered off. What about the one that was stolen? Taken, you know, in captive, you know, how much more should our heart break for that person?

You know? And as a Christian, as I go out and I talk about this idea of fullness of life and proclaiming freedom, and it’s like, how can I how can I do that? Honestly, if I know that there are people who are literally in bondage, whether it be through sex slavery or forced labor or whatever that might be. So. So The One Coalition is, you know, churches, individuals, business leaders, organizations that say we’re going to commit 1%.

Some start it might be a church, and they say we’re going to commit 1% of our domestic domestic mission budget just to get started. We’re going to and then we want to build it towards we want to commit 1% of our overall budget. You know, businesses that say we want to commit 1% of our whatever income we have or individuals. And so but again, it comes down to Jim, like I said, leaders go first. So I when I when God started nudging me and I told Joe, I said, Joe, I want to start this campaign, The One Coalition.

And I said, you know what? Sure, I gotta start it. So change my monthly giving. I need to up it just a little bit. So now it equates to 1%.

And but then I can come to you and anyone else with integrity and say, hey, yours might look a lot different than mine, but percentage wise we’re both in.

Jim Dunlop: 26:11

What? What a powerful example and and story. I really appreciate you sharing that with me and our listeners. You know, I, I shared this with a couple other guests that, you know, once a problem gets put in front of you, you can’t not see it. And, you know, I have very similar experience with childhood hunger in our in our local school system.

My daughter was in kindergarten. I bumped into her principal and we started talking. And, you know, one thing led to another. And I said, how many kids in this school. Get free lunch because their families are at or below the federal poverty level and probably don’t have enough food on, on the weekends.

And, and she said, well, it’s 50%. And that shocked me. You know, I had no idea. But then I knew that and, you know, knew that potentially half of the kids sitting, you know, with my daughter around, my daughter in school could be hungry, particularly on the weekends when they’re away from free breakfast and free lunch at school. And so we started a program to do that.

And it was the same kind of thing like that tugging like, now that, you know, this problem is there, you can’t you can’t ignore it. And, you know, at the time and I don’t know the current numbers, but my kids are in high school now. But at the time that they were, my daughter was in elementary school. There were 20 kids in her school building that were homeless, meaning they lived in a shelter or in a motel or a couch somewhere, but they were deemed homeless. And that that was like one kid per classroom if you broke it out that way.

And so that those were really hard statistics that like here in my own community, that seems normal and fine, that there’s a lot of hunger and there’s and homelessness. And so when you put these things in front of you, it’s it’s it’s always an opportunity to, to do something. And so I really appreciate you sharing that with me.

Jason Burtt: 28:03

Yeah I love that, Jim. And I think you’re exactly right. And I think, you know, so oftentimes something gets put in front of us And we want to we want to, you know, kick it to somebody else. You know what I mean? Like, we we see it, we hear it, and we just want to rally people and then like kind of, you know, remove our responsibility.

But I think that’s a true statement. Like, why? Why you gotta ask that? Like, why do you put this in front of me? God, am I why am I, you know, carrying this and I’m not carrying it for you.

I carry it with you. And I think that God is ultimately the one we co-labor I don’t I don’t do things for him. I do things with him. And he’s like, I’m already at work here. Do you want to join me?

And I and I love that idea. And so and I think, you know, as I get older too, and I’m, I’m 46 years old as I get older, you know, initially you kind of say yes to a lot of things and things that maybe you’re not really good at, things that you’re not really passionate, you’re just trying to figure things out. And, you know, as I get older, like one of the most powerful things I can do now is to to be clear about what to say no to, you know? And so people ask me like, Will you do this? I’m like, no, that’s not that doesn’t align with my calling, my skills.

I wouldn’t be very helpful. I would be taking up somebody else’s seat. But when something then clearly aligns with who you are, your stage of life, your ability, your opportunity, your capacity, whatever that is, and it just keeps like tugging at you. Don’t kick it away because it could end up being the greatest blessing. Like you’ve probably experienced blessing through being a part of that.

And I’ve experienced blessing now just in like the last year, like really engaging in this mission and meeting with people and seeing generosity and seeing like it’s just it’s it’s it’s not a burden. It becomes a joy because it’s it’s something that’s kind of custom fit for who you are.

Jim Dunlop: 29:44

Well, that’s I couldn’t agree more. I really I love hearing that. So as we wind down here our our episode, I want to ask, tell me a little bit about Heidi and your kids. I know they’re a big, important part of your life. They’ve come up a number of times in the conversation.

Tell me a little bit about your family.

Jason Burtt: 30:01

Yeah. So we got four kids, three boys, one girl. They’re there, 16, almost 17, down to about ten years old. Very active family. Our kids are all all involved in different sports.

So I said like a professional Uber service. I feel like sometimes my wife and I are ships passing in the night. You know, they are all really, really good athletes and I credit that to my wife. I was a I was a pretty good athlete and she’s a really good athlete. I don’t just you are recording this baby.

I don’t want her to hear that. But yeah, I mean so but we have fun with that, you know, and we see even that as like opportunities for ministry and impact. You know, she just came back yesterday. My son, my oldest, almost 17, was diving in the state championships. I think he came 13th in the state as a junior in high school.

And that’s not really his primary thing. He likes to run more than dive. But today I’m heading to flag football practices and we got AAU basketball tournaments. And you know, on the one hand, like I hate the word busy because I, I think people use that as like a badge of honor, like, oh, I’m so busy. You know, I would say our life is full and the difference is busy can feel like I’m running around chaotic and there’s no purpose to it.

Full could be. Yeah, our schedule doesn’t have much margin, but we make the most of the opportunities while we’re there. And so trying to use opportunities to build relationships with other parents, maybe opportunities to just be a be an encouragement, be a witness, be whatever that is. You know, I love that idea, like bloom where you’re planted, right? I mean, try to don’t feel guilty about what you can’t do.

Make the most of what you are doing. And so, so very active. You know, it’s fun. Yeah. It’s a it’s a good season.

And every time our kids go away for a little bit, I think, oh, it’s going to be great. We get this, you know, they’re going to go away for a week and or whatever it is camp. And then it’s they’re gone two days and it’s like crickets in the house. We don’t know what to do with ourselves.

Jim Dunlop: 31:50

Well, this is this is God preparing you for when they’re they’re out of the house.

Jason Burtt: 31:55

And one day.

Jim Dunlop: 31:57

Yeah, I have two teenagers in high school myself, and I, I, I treasure this fullness of our lives now, and I also look out a few years and recognize it’ll be very different when they’re out of the house. And so being here and present in this time is really helpful and and exciting and, and, and I also look forward to when it will be a slightly different pace in a few years and look forward to what that might open up for my wife and I as well.

Jason Burtt: 32:26

Well, and I think they say, you know, as you get older, you know, and some of the kids do, I like 60s and 70s can be some of those productive years of like, you know, once you get like of like impact of your be able to like steward and give back of being able to like the networks that the people that you know, like your ability to really make a meaningful difference. You know. So to me, it’s sometimes sad when kids move out, people get older, they retire. And like, I’m just going to play golf every day. Like, you might be in the prime place to do the best, most meaningful work of your life.

Don’t check out, You know what I mean? Don’t check out.

Jim Dunlop: 33:02

I love that and that. That sets us up here. As we wrap up, I have one final question. But before I get to that question, I want to let our listeners know where to find you. You can find Jason at Grove City College at gcc.edu.

You can email Jason directly at BurttJR@GCC.edu. And I would also say check out the1coalition.com. That’s the1coalition.com. You can check on that work.

So and maybe you’ve already said it but if not I’m going to ask it anyway. If we rented a billboard for you where you could have a message to reach lots of people, what would that message be? Jason.

Jason Burtt: 33:52

I don’t know if I heard this somewhere or if I’ve adapted it or completely made it up, but in the last year, the statement I keep saying to everybody and has been resonant for me is generosity unlocks joy. I have now been able to experience in the last year and a half, like in my role, some of the most successful, wealthy people I’ve ever met in my life. And to be rich and to be generous are those. And you probably experienced those are some wealthy and generous of some of the most fun, enjoyable people to ever be around. Wealthy and greedy are some of the most miserable and fearful people, you know.

And I think we, you know, we live in a culture right now where, you know, you get depression and anxiety and worry everything at these highest levels, you know, suicides, all these things like and I and I’ve just seen so every aptitude test that I take all come back the same. I’m a problem solver. I love to improve things. And I truly believe because it’s been my own experience, that generosity unlocks joy. And so if I meet you and you are a you’ve done pretty well.

You’re fairly wealthy. You say you love a certain cause or whatever it is, and you’re not giving to it. I just I don’t want to sound this the the, the wrong way, but I just see you as a problem to solve. Not like you. Not like I want to fix you, but like you, you have a you have a unique problem that if you have capacity and you’re not giving, there’s an element of joy that you’re missing.

And if I can help you to embrace that, you’ll be thankful. I don’t care what you’re giving to. I mean, I always want to align people. Yeah, certainly. I work for Grove City thinks, an amazing institution.

I love what it’s doing in so many ways. I’m blown away by the people, the students, everything. But if I meet someone and their passion is for something else, I just want to see you with an open hand. Because when we know ourselves to be more stewards than owners, when we have an open hand that says, you can put in and you can take out, and when you there’s a cheerfulness to it, there’s a and when you can unlock that, it just gives people hope, trust. You know, you’ve maybe met the same.

I mean, I’ve met some people who their estate plans are so elaborate about what’s going to happen after they die. And while they’re alive, they’re not experiencing any of the joy of it. And I’m like, we need to fix that. You have a problem like you do. Like you’re missing out on another level of life that could just be exciting to you and meaningful, and it may extend your years.

You know what I mean? So I say generosity unlocks joy. That’s my that’s my word.

Jim Dunlop: 36:24

I love it. And that just fits so well with the theme of our show. You can’t take it with you. Experience that joy of giving while you’re here. Absolutely, I love it.

Thank you, Jason, so much.

Jason Burtt: 36:36

Thanks, Jim. It’s been awesome. Thank you.

Outro: 36:41

Thanks for joining us to hear stories of generosity that remind us that you can’t take it with you. Visit our site at canttakeitwithyou.com. For more details on today’s episode and to subscribe to future shows.

Disclosure: 36:58

Neither today’s guests nor their company are affiliated with or endorsed by Thrivent Advisor Network. The views expressed in this presentation by the guest are their own and not necessarily those of Thrivent or its affiliates.

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From Bitcoin Gifts To Rescuing The Vulnerable: Jason Burtt’s Radical Approach to Generosity

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