As you can tell from the top of our screen, we’re more than two-thirds to our $80,000 year-end fundraising goal. We’re heading into the crucial final week. Traditionally, the end of the year brings in many people who want to get the tax break for 2011.
But don’t wait to donate. We have to hit this goal.
I’m continually amazed at the people who come into our circle of members every day. Just this week, $1,000 arrived from new member Charles Little. Thank you, sir. Gary Cristofani, a long-time member at the same level, also came through. Thank you.
Cristofani is a frequent participant in our monthly Member Coffees, and I’ve enjoyed getting to know him. The coffees are just one way we’re constructing a cohesive community for our members. In the coming months, you’ll see the rollout of a whole new plan establishing the benefits of what it means to be a VOSD member. There will be member surveys on controversial issues, events and other established ways that you, as a member, can have your voice heard.
Because this service depends on you. If you want to keep getting the Morning Report, and seeing an updated website, hearing us on the radio and TV, getting investigative exposes, we absolutely need you to help pay for it.
Our memberships start right now at $35. Donate now.
Whether it’s $5 or $1,000, we make good use of your donations. Very little of our $1 million budget in 2012 will go to things like equipment, overhead or administration. It’s almost wholly focused on paying the salaries and benefits and fees of the writers who work their tails off every day to make sense of what our leaders are saying and find out the things they don’t want to say.
Someday, we hope to build a community of 10,000 members. With that, we could have a budget three or four times the size we have now. Imagine three times our capacity to cover local governments and education. Imagine if we could cover the South Bay or North County with the same irreverence and focus we direct to the city of San Diego and its school district?
We’ll build the membership community one by one if we have to. Fortunately, we don’t have to go one by one. This month, hundreds of people have made donations. In just 36 hours last week, 107 donations came in. We have welcomed new corporate sponsors as well and we’ll have announcements about them soon. Do you manage an organization that would like to support this service and get recognition for the year for that? Consider joining them.
Thank you to the new and longtime members listed below. They’ve donated since my last post. Many are worried about the future of journalism — for good reason.
But the fact is the future of good public-service reporting is quite simple: the people who value it must pay for it. That means you.
Again, thank you to the following members and please join them today.
| Tamra Bailey Robert and Isabel Baker Steven Baratte Joe Bernstein Bjorn Bjerede Martha Blake Peggy and Bill Bradshaw Gregory Breit Walt Brewer Christopher Brewster Amie Brown Erik Bruvold Steven Bush Molly Cartmill Heather Chambers Amanda Chin Gary Cristofani Joan Cudhea Terry Curley Amit Dahiya Barbara Davenport Allison Don Randy Dotinga Randy Dotinga Earl Dowdy David Dwyer Smith John Earl Edward Edward Mahe Jill Esterbrooks Pat Finn Joe Flynn Tom Fudge Joni Gabriel Brent Gardner-Smith Sharon Gehl Mark Giffin Gail Stoorza-Gill and Ian Gill Michael Gilligan Michael Gilligan Paul Girard Perette Godwin Steve Greatrex John Grimes Sylvia Hampton Tom Hand | Peter Herman Charles Herzfeld Sonya Holmquist and Ken Schedler Carol Hunt Tamara Hurley Michael Jenkins Galen Justice Morgan Justice-Black Mel Katz Josephine Kiernan Marc Kratzschmar Alex Kreit Cathy Lackmann Lee Lawless Emma Leggat Ursula Leimbach Charles Little Lani Lutar Lani Lutar Kathleen Markham Steve and Susan Medak Sherilyn Mongeau William Osborne Mary Oswell J P Cochran Dianne Parham Donna Pegues Dennis Pekin William Purves Mary Reeber William Richter, Jr. Paula Roberts Allison Rossett San Diego Foundation — Hendrickson Advised Fund Patricia Seaborg Terry Senty Dan Shea Janet Shelton David Siegler Sheryl Smith Deanna and Richard Spehn Mark and Kim Stadler Jeff and Pamela Stevens Jennifer Stone Edward Streicher Christine Sullivan Nicola Tan Tali Thomas Michael Tillman Laura Walcher Brant Will Michel Zelnick |
I’m Scott Lewis, the CEO of voiceofsandiego.org. Please contact me if you’d like at scott.lewis@voiceofsandiego.org or 619.325.0527 and follow me on Twitter (it’s a blast!):
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