Our Small Part: From Charity to Stewardship in Community Investment
The Power of a Seed Fund
One million dollars may sound like a lot, but in the context of a city’s future, it’s just a seed. Recently, I met with a group deeply invested in North St. Louis. They were wrestling with how to steward a $1 million seed fund — not just to preserve it, but to leverage it and grow support. Around the table were lawyers, nonprofit leaders, community builders, technologists, and bankers.
What struck me most wasn’t the money. It was the vision. They weren’t just talking about writing checks or covering one-time needs. They were asking bigger questions: How do we build something that lasts? How do we multiply opportunity and expand impact?
Stewardship vs. Charity
That’s the essence of stewardship. Whether in business or community work, the challenge is the same: will we use resources just to meet today’s needs, or will we structure them to fuel long-term change?
Charity fills an empty stomach today. Stewardship builds the farm, the grocery store, and the credit history that ensure no one goes hungry tomorrow. Both matter. But only one transforms generations.
Stories That Multiply
That’s exactly the conversation happening in North St. Louis, and it echoes a timeless principle. Their vision reminded me of another moment where the right kind of capital — not charity, but stewardship — changed a life. I knew a man working in the last-mile delivery business. With poor credit, he was paying $2,000 a week to rent a car just to make $3,000. He was working hard, but trapped. By structuring a small loan — backed against a CD I put up — we gave him a chance to rebuild credit and restore dignity.
In both cases — the community fund and the delivery driver — the principle is the same: wisely stewarded capital creates pathways that handouts never could.
Your Small Part
That’s the kind of vision this group is pressing into. Yes, food- and clothing-drives matter. Yes, immediate needs should be met. But lasting transformation happens when we treat people not only as recipients of aid but as partners in building a future.
This isn’t just about North St. Louis — or even about community funds. Every leader faces the same question: will we settle for quick fixes, or will we invest in strategies that multiply?
As Scripture reminds us, “To whom much is given, much will be required” (Luke 12:48). The real question isn’t simply what we do with what we’ve been given, but how we leverage it so others can flourish.
Charity meets the need of the moment.
Stewardship multiplies hope for generations.
From the boardroom to the block, stewardship asks more of us — but it also produces more for others.
Here’s the challenge: identify one area where you can shift from charity to stewardship — from covering needs to multiplying opportunity. That’s how vision scales — when small parts come together.
Where in your life have you been entrusted with something small that, if stewarded well, could multiply into something far greater for others?
Originally published in the St. Louis Business Journal in November of 2025 by Orv Kimbrough, Chairman and CEO at Midwest BankCentre