Our Expenses

The Unlost runs very lean and with little over-head. Our monthly expenses include operational costs and administrative costs such as server and domain fees to maintain our website, accounting software, and gig tracking software. We do not maintain a brick-and-morter location and instead choose to utilize virtual tools for interaction with agents and sponsors, for board meetings, and for general communications within the organization. Our gigs incur operational expenses such as gas, hotels, meals, tolls, and wages for agents in the field, and our executive directors receive a modest weekly allowance to maintain their personal responsibilities as they dedicate to this work. Generally, external agents will provide their own field equipment and will have received prior training, however, costs are associated with newly onboarded in-house agents who are outfitted with proper equipment and state-approved training for field work, including clothing, communications equipment, recording devices, and weapons.

Monthly Pledges

Incoming sponsorships via monthly pledges are allocated to our "General Operating" fund. This fund is used for the organizations' administrative costs and operational expenses. We target to utilize up to 85% of our General Operating fund each quarter to ensure that the maximum amount of resources are being extended to our gigs. As our quarterly carry-over grows, we are able to take on more gigs and deploy more agents into the field. As our pledge club expands, we continue to proportionally expand our circle of gig intake, both geographically and conditionally.

Agent Sponsorships

Agent sponsorships are directed into our "Agent Sponsorship" fund and ear-marked for the chosen agent. Each sponsorship is unique, as each agent's needs are unique. Sponsorship is calculated based on the sponsored agents' particular requirements; new and inexperienced agents will generally provide services for $35-$45 per hour, while more experienced agents will require $75-$120 per hour. We are conscious of the dangers of our work and are vigilant about the safety of all of our associates. Our more experienced agents will receive gigs with a higher level of risk, requiring finely honed skills and a veteran level of situational awareness, while our inexperienced agents will be dispatched to gigs where the risk is much lower.

Operation Sponsorships

Our "Operation Sponsorship" fund provides resources for a particular gig. gig operations can run anywhere from several days, to several years, incurring massive expenses. Many families who have a missing loved one, cannot afford to keep several agents in the field tracking and searching, but we can! With your help, we are able to fully fund these operations by providing intelligence, management, and boots-on-the-ground to find these missing persons. Your Operation Sponsorship is inducted into our system and directed specifically toward the gig of your choice. When the gig is closed, all Operation Sponsors receive a full report of the outcome of the gig, and notification of any balance available in that gigs' fund. Supporters may choose to move their balance into another gig's operations fund, into our General Fund, or donate it to the family of the gig subject.

Accountability

Our agents are required to submit daily reports of their hour-by-hour activities in the field. These activities are then entered into our gig management software and distributed to our website and other reporting platforms to ensure transparency with our sponsors. All expenses incurred in the field are reported with a receipt, memo, and categorized with a particular gig.