Driven to give

Harper Industries exists to make hard work easy. This is not only evident in the products they manufacture – like bale beds, turf equipment and hydraulic kits – but also in the way the organization prioritizes charitable giving to make a lasting impact in communities in Kansas and across the globe.

Harper Industries has set aside 10% of their annual profits for charitable giving since 1998, when Tim Penner formed the company and became majority owner. And for the last decade or so, Everence has facilitated donor advised funds for shareholders, providing each owner with the opportunity to practice generosity with their respective percentage of the profits.

It was and remains important to Tim that Harper Industries prioritize generosity. After spending several years living and serving in Bolivia with Mennonite Central Committee, Tim saw firsthand what an impact charitable giving can make in furthering an organization’s mission.

“I have an obligation to give,” Tim said. “Charitable giving is not for our personal enrichment – it’s for the enrichment of all.”

In previous years, Tim and Faith, his wife, have directed their donor advised funds to Mennonite Central Committee and MEDA (Mennonite Economic Development Associates), both international nonprofits working to create economic development solutions to poverty throughout the globe – work that is close to Tim and Faith’s hearts.

“Hopefully, through our charitable giving, lives can be made a little bit easier and become a little bit more like how God intended them to be,” Tim said.

There’s work to be done at home in Kansas as well, Tim said, which is why local nonprofits such as Harper County Core Community have received charitable distributions from Harper Industries' shareholders in the past. The organization provides education, tools and support to help families thrive.

“We want to build up our community,” Tim said. “We want people to stay in our community, to raise their kids, form families and have a good life in rural America.”

Many things have changed since 1998 at Harper Industries. The company has grown and the number of products offered has increased. Despite these changes, charitable giving has remained – and will remain – the same at Harper Industries. Ten percent of profits is set aside each year, every year, for donor advised funds, no matter what.

“This is what we’ve committed to,” Tim said. “We’re not going to shortchange now.”